The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-01-16
BAN JOHNSON AS
FIGHTER HAS NO
CHEAP OPPONENT
Old Newspaper Man Had
Many Quarrels Result
in Blows.

| 80 long years since Ban Johnson, al
present and for many years past, the
| large and ornate, as well as practica
and highly successful head of the
| American Baseball league was just a
newspaperman in Cincinnati.
Mr.. Johnson ran the beat on the
! old Commercial Gazette, while the
historian of this epoch in the career
! of the now notable president, was or
| the same beat on an afternoon paper
1t was at the time that the non
partisan police force of the city was
/, in the incipient stages of formation
equipment and general rounding up
and one of the important news cen
| tiers of the town, of course, was the
rooms in a mercantile building on
Board of Police Commissioners daily
met in connection with this stirring
process.
The late and much renowned Murat
Halstead was then the editorial chief
of the Commercial Gazette. The clerk
of the board was also newspaper
man of long experience. he having
been for years a prominent political
writer on the Enquirer, the Demo
cratic organ that narrowly watched
the coming into existence Of the So
called nonpartisan Police Depart
I ment, which was being nurtured un-
der an administration and in an at
mosphere of alleged Republican boss
| ism. One day, as the board was set
Ting down to business, this clerk saw
fit to make an exceedingly derogatory
remark regarding Mr.. Halstead.
Ban Johnson was pretty big, even
in those days, and when he precipi-
lately arose none could mistake the
fact that he was on his feet. The
next moment he had taken off his
coat, displaying a development of inn
maculate shirt front and reach OF
shirt sleeves of striking amplitude.
His facial expression and his voice,
however simply riveted the bulging
eyeballs of the board members.
From between his eyelids shot siz-
cling CLEANS, and there was keen vi
bration in his 1ow-pitched voice. Il
can whip any man who talks that
way about Mr.. Halstead," said Ban,
focusing the clerk with his fiery gaze,
while he bent his gladitorial form in
the direction indicated.
At once all the members were on
their feet likewise and although the
pressure of arms and the persuasion
Of voices was friendly it proved suff1-
cient for the safety of the clerk, the
friendly lpersuasiveness doubtless
availing more toward calming stall
wart Ban than marked vigor and
sternness would have encompossed in
preventing a real rough house. 1t
was by all odds, however, the most
thrilling session of the long series of
session of the new nonpartisan
boards always interesting and alert
mobilizing of nonpartisan cops.
Although from these brief reminis-
cences it would appear that Johnson's
disposition was of the belligerent kind
in these early days, such was not the
case. His family was of the best, his
father, the head of hlgh schooI IN
the fashionable suburb, Avandale, for
a quarter Of century, and Ban. show
ed no marked tendencies toward de-
parting from the manner of his train
ing.
Still. however. Nnother episode in
his newspaper hfeN here was OF the
pugilistic kind. 80
For some reason unknown to even
closest friends, unless: it. was profess
sional journalistic jealousy, Johnson
and Harry Weldon, the once far-famed
sporting writer of this city, for long
time entertained the bitterest feeling
of dislike, even hatred toward each
other This was while they were the
sporting editors of the two rival
morning newspapers before mention
ed
Both men were of corpulent build,
especially so as to Weldon. One night
both attended prize fight in a pub
lie hall, the city being then wide open
for such events. The two editors
were there strictly in connection with
their duties-to write up the affair,
which was a rather important one.
They met before the scheduled con-
testants had entered the ring. The
fierceness of their personal differences
burst forth at their first sight of each
other. Perhaps some words of chal-
lenge and strife passed between, but
if so no one heard them. The first
indication of an onslaught from both
sides of the editorial feud, was the
swinging of great arms aloft and on
all sides of the two vast bodies.
~Great and telling blows were
launched and in almost all directions,
as developed later Breathing hard
after their short but terrific encoun-
ter, they were soon separated by mu-
tual friends. Then 1t became ap-
parent that neither was injured in
the slightest degree, although both
were frightfully winded. Almost at
once it was made known. however,
that some powerful blows had indeed
landed, but on other victims.
Several Of the bystanders claimed
at once to have been hit or grazed
by the swinging fists of the combat
ants, while others rejoiced greatly
over narrow escapes from the hurtl-
ing fists. It was probably the first
and only contest in or near a prize
ring in which only noncombatants
were delivered the knockouts and
telling upper and undercuts.
The story has been told here many
times and different ways during these
many years, but can really gain moth
ing by the, most accomplished recital
Of the facts
THE MAKING OF A FAMOUS
MEsnTCTNU1