Norwich bulletin., 1917-12-01
BEllll.:AN . Absolutely Removes Indigestion. Druggists
 refund money if it fails. 25c

1.iended him. The writer neiped to
 shape up several of his moroiosues
 srnd enjoyed q real close friendship
 with the big-hearted fellow. When
 4Itz arrived in San Francisco in the
 spring of 1880 from Australia few re-
 garded hip, seriously. Indeed he was
 rated no better than a physical freak. -Roxins. was in full swing then under
 the adspices of the California Athletic
 Cab. Its officials were: President, L. R. Fulda; vice president. R. B.
 Mitchell; secretary. Frank Vernon;
 treasurer J. D. Gibbs, with Hiram
 Cook. referee. The club did not go
 into ecstasy over the new arrive1 and
 thinging to blast his American pugil- istic ambitions they matched him
 against Australian Billy Mccarthy, who was regarded as one of the most
 rugged middleweishts on the coast.
 Mccarthy, had been adopted by Fris- GO sports and had given Kelleher merciless beating on November 27, the
 year before, winning in twenty-three rounds, and he also had given Jack
 Dempsey great fight on February Is,
 1890, in which Dempsey won in twen-
 ty-eight rounds. They fought for a and Mccarthy, 151 1-2. So the latter was just the man to give Fitzsimmons a try-out.
 The result of the bout is now his
 tory. On May 29. 1890, Fitzsimmons
 knocked Mccarthy out in nine rounds. He outclassed: the California entry from, the first tap of the gong. The
 native son idol had been shattered.
 Even then the Frisco sports could not take Lanky Bob seriously. Still he Was unable to get any more matches.
 All reports that Californians made Eitzsimmons are all rot. Fitz made himself.
 It was the good fortune of the writ CT to be in San Francisco in 1890, com Deting as an amateur at the Olympic Club during Thanksgiving week. He made many friends in the coast city and then learned of the reign of terror which existed among the middle weights, near middleweights and even some of the heavyWeights regarding
 Fitzsimmons They did not want any of the Cornishman's game. He had beaten a native son idol and they were careful not to have another one shat tered.
 Just at that time Prof. George Scott, of the Olympic Club, New Orleans, was in San Francisco. He had seen F'iuz trim Mccarthy in such an artistic fashion. So he induced Lanky Bob to journey to. the Crescent City. The prowess and skill of the Cornishman had preceded him. New Orleans sports received him with open arms. Since
 June 28. 1880, the date of Fitz's first fight there, when he beat Arthur Up- ham in five rounds. the writer has been in the Crescent City many times and is indebted to Dr. J. Moore Soniat, Dominick Tortorich, the promoter, and Will Hamilton for many incidents
 which marked Fitzsimmons' ring life in New Orleans, for it was there that he paved the way for his subsequent three worlds titles. On his arrival at New Orleans in
 June 1890, the first spot he made for
 was saloon on Gravier street near
 Banks alley. Professor Scott's descrip-
 ton of him tallies with all of Lanky
 Rob's acQuaintances of that date. His
 shiny md
 the worse for wear, his shoes were run down at the heels and he wore no
 socks. A small derby hat sat on the back of his bullet shaped head;s he shoulders gave him a humpbacked ap-
 pearance. His big hands and numer-
 ous freckles completed the picture that
 cartoonists drew of him throughout his career in the ring.
 Contrast that costume with that which adorned, him. said Professor Scott, after he began to climb the lad
 der of pugilistic fame. One day after receiving the winners share of Hb- eral purse he appeared on Canal street early one morning wearing a Pri1t-N Albert coat, tight fitting trousers, pat ent leather shoes, red cravat and yellow gloves. That day F'itz uncon- sciously set the fashion for some of the glad rags that we see on the champions and near champions of the present day. As stated, his first fight in New Or
 
 was at the Audubon club, known as Old No. 18" on Royal street. It was once the postoffice, later a big gam bling house, then the Royal Athletic club, and now a. rooming house. Up- ham cited was an easy victim. John Duffy, who was always rated as one of the best and squarest referees | in America, worked out with Fitz a good deal, but was too light. and Pro- | lessor Scott, then the instructor at In Hir7C 1f Lanky Bob. Scott was short and stout, pigmy in comparison with the | embryo worlds champion. They, how ever had a slashing give and take | battle in which the professor ran into | one of Bob's famous short punches and sat down Fitz leaned over, pick | ed Scott up and kissed him on the l cheek.
 Jack Dempsey at that time was the
 undisputed middleweight champion of | the world. He had not only beaten all l the middleweights, but longing for | conquests haj thrown down the gaunt- l let to box any heavyweight in the | world with blackened gloves, points i only to count. They all passed it up | but Dominick McCaffrey, who was then
 regarded as a heavyweight of excep-
 tional skill. He took a try at Demp- l sey and was beaten almost.8 to in a l ten round bout in Jersey City. l Fitz was the man for Dempsey l Manager Gus Tuthill, who looked after | the 'Nonpareil, as Dempsey was al- luded to, was implored by the writer ! and his other immediate friends to pass Fitzsimmons up. It was argued ! that he had an advantage of three and | three-f -fourths inches in height; would
 weigh close to the middleweight linn l it, which was then 154 pounds, would l have corresponding advantage ir
 reach, and could hit harder than Dempsey. Tuthill turned a deaf ear 1 to all the arguments. He said there was not man living who could out | class Dempsey and when Fitzsimmons
 made 154 pounds ringside he would not 1 be strong enough to give the '.Nonpa- reil" a battle. What occurred subse- 1 quently proved that Tuthill was out | witted by F'itzsimmons' cunning 1 The match was finally made and was