The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1917-10-30
IN BOUT WITH Death
HTz IS COUNTED OUT
PNEUMONIA TOLLS OFF FATAL
TEN" FOR WORLDS GREAT
EST RING FIGHTER.
ROBERT FITZSIMMONS HAD
MOST REMARKABLE CAREER
Given Up by Doctors the Greatest of
e Modern Gladiators Was Game in
Fight With Death. Many Tender
Messages Received in Last Hours.

| messages NCCSlVeu IN Last hours
CHICAGO, Ill.-Robert Fitzsim.
mons, former champion heavyweight
pugilist of the world, died at a hos
pital here early today, after an i'll
ness of five days of pneumonia.
Fitzsimmons, until he sank into
his final stupor, fought for his life
as he had fought for victory in the
ring. Physicians declared life was
prolonged several days by the grim
determination of the man.
"Bob's" Last Hours.
A nation watched while the great
est of modern gladiators fought a
game with the champion of all time,
Death.
Weakened and suffering, with all
hope abandoned by friends and physi-
clans, Fighting Bob" Fitzsimmons
called into play the wonderful STAN
ina and courage that carried him
to the pinnacle of pugilistic fame,
and refused to quit
Pm not going to give up until I'm
counted out" he painted. Il never
have quit-and | never will"
About the white-sheeted arena"
IN Michael Reese hospital were gath
cred his advisers and seconds, num-
bering among them the greatest med
ical talent in the country.
Fitz, his hitherto impregnable body
wracked by the suffocating pain OF
pneumonia, wore a grim smile and
tried to instill into the hearts of his
wife and other watchers the faith
that he-felt. Hundreds of kilograms
of encouragement were received from
all parts of the country.
Were with you, Bob" was the
burden of the text.
And the ancient warrior whose
physical proves made him an inter
national figure, knows that he "has
the crowd with him"
They expect game fight. He won't
disappoint them.
The old ring hero, whom hook and
uppercut failed to stop, was slowly
taking the count from pneumonia
"only a question of hours" aae doc
tors said.
All hope that Fitzsimmons might
weather the attack, as he had stalled
through storms of blows by courage
and cunning in the past, has been
abandoned by every one-every one
except the ancient gladiator himself.
Held Three Championships.
Fitzsimmons, who, at one time held
three titles-heavyweight, light
heavyweight and middleweight
hampion-contracte cold several
days ago while appearing in vaude-
vile act at southside theater.
Gamely he stuck at his work until
he collapsed Wednesday morning.
Then his wife, Mrs. Tina Fitzsim-
mons, forced him to go to the hospi-
tai. She has been at his bedside con-
stantly since then.
In 1880 q lanky, ungainly youth
Of Is strobe into Timura, New Zea-
land, and asked his way to the arena
where Jem Mace, the old English
champion, was holding his boxing
tournament.
The youth was homely and freck-
led. His arms were long and hung
almost to his knees. His hands show
ed signs of hard toll. His clothes
were old and not of the latest mode.
His questioners laughed in derision
said he was going to enter the tour
nament against the best boxers on
the island
But the laugh was on them few
hours later when the youth had meas
ured four of them on the mat
1t was the first public appearance
of Bob Fitzsimmons. greatest of
them all, who has just been counted
out by the Great Referee in his bout
with death, the knockout king.
From then for several years, until
age untitled him for hard training, he
won battle after battle in all classes,
having series of unbroken success
es.
Fitzsimmons fought his great fight
against heavyweights as q middle
weight. He seldom weighed much
over $50 pounds even when he met
the giant Jeffries and Dunkhorst
A Clean Fighter, Says Corbett.
New York.-"Fitz can put up a
mighty battle and even death will
find him hard man to handle" said
Jim Corbett when informed of Robert
Fitzsimmons, condition today.
you can't call it a knockout until
the last count and it's when things
look the blacklist and his opponent is
smashing the hardest that Fits Gun
ming comes to his rescue.
"Well, l can remember how he
fought. Even if he did win the cham.
pionship from me he did it fairly and
squarely.
Il fought most of the heavyweights
in the last twenty-five years and ]
consider FitzsiYnrnops ono &c AZ