New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-13
Heard at the Sign
Of the Cauliflower
By w. o. MCCLELLAN .
By W. o. MCCLELLAN.

A terrible disaster has just been
a,erted. Jess Willard almost left New
York fat yesterday. Think OF the suf
fering that would have caused, with
the resultant depreciation in real cs-
tate values and the inevitable panic on
Wall Street Just on the heels OF
tough winter, too.
But the danger point is passed. Just
as the champion had cranked up his
feet TO beat it he paused on the front
steps of the Colonial Hotel and went
back to the bacon and eggs. Broad
humanitarian feeling induced him to
stay long enough 20 collect SAT 800.
As matter of fact. Willard will have
TO remain and go through with the
Moran bout or his value as a circus at
traction will drop 10 about 30 cents.
The contender is most earnestly desir-
Gus Of fighting. and II the match should
be cancelled because of Willard the
champion will find that his circus au-
dences will become singularly unre-
sponsive.
No doubt Willard is IN earnest when
I he says that he is not particularly de-
sirous OF fighting Moran, but he has
hardly considered what construction
/ the circusgoers might put upon his
coyness toward return TO the ring.
/ or course. a sudden shutting off o.
the flow Of quarters into the Golfers OF
/ the Curley-J ones-W Willard syndicate is
/ depressing to the fnanciers. But for
! this once AZ least the Boxing Commis
sion was within its rights. Charging a
regular admission makes the Willard
training routine a boxing exhibition
under the law. II il is announced that
Willard is TO box with particular
/ sparring partner and he fails TO pro
duce the advertised exhibition he vio-
/ lates the rules.
/ If the champion wants 10 do as he
/ pleases about his sparring he has no
right 10 charge An admission. But while
the gate-keep at the door of the Pho
neer Sporting Club frisks the hoi polloi
/ for two bits apiece. the donors 10 the
great Curley-Jones Willard charity
have some rights. at least two bits
worth OF them. II actors charged for
/ rehearsal the audience could at least
! insist that they rchearse as they ad
vertised.
"Thc people who holered for their
money back Saturday are a bunch OF
cheap skates" is the attitude OF the
| Curley-W illardJones syndicate. They
only paid some measley quarters"
Yet the Curlcy-W Willard Jones syndi-
cate took the measlcy Quarters. tied
them into neat little bundles and de-
posted them in the bank 20 the credit
OF the corporation. All this time II
must he remembered. too. that the
Curley- Willard Jones syndicate drew
I g 500 for training expenses before the
/ fight articles were signed. II must
cost more to condition a champion than
IL does 20 mobilize an army. This in
spite OF the fact that Jones insisted
that Willard needed very little training
II may be rubbing 1t in 10 point out
| that on the day Willard drew house
ful OF quarters under the false pre-
tence tina. he was 10 box Al Reich
Frank Moran exhibited his new left
shift FOR nothing and collected 1897
for the Holy Name Mission. on the
Bowery. In training Moran gives
lively exhibition. though he is under
no obligation TO do so. He reserves the
right 20 do as he pleases. but he re
Trains from that little thing because he
knows the power Of his gallery. and for
the further reason that he likes IT.
II rs not entirely Willard fault that
he has the inflated notion Of his i'm
portance and that he rs confident that
he can throw New York into a panic by
the Joyan threat Of quitting II cold.
Philadelphia Jack O'Brien, ono Of tho
| shroVdest Of the boxers. sized up his
own profession rather sptly once.
Jack Was arguing with promoter.