New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-04-10
yfight: fsaS, by king Features
\ Syndicate, Inc

n = ~ ~
! Syndicate, Inc.)
1Editors Note This is the dsrd
chaSlSer Of a series of articles which
I ABFA LEorbett is writing on John l.
ASH knew Him y 1t relates many.
haretofore unpublished incidents. IN
I .tl1es life Of tbs great warrior. The
chapter will appear tomofrowo
For more than a quarter of CEN
$furY after our New Orleans. battle,
S80hn Il. sullivan continued to be one
kaf 3gthe most conspicuous figures in
stlfe sporting life Of America. The
/ fsas$inse years, instead of moving him
{SSase oblivion, merely hallowed the
Igrgatness of his warrior days, mel
BNjoYed his failings and retained him
as The ppglistic idol.
Hardly month passed during all
THAI time that John L. didn't figure
IA pne way or another in newspaper
II scolanns His pictureso personality,
| his. keen sense of humor and the
fFo9fes and the outbursts of boyish
&spiSit always made him q good sub
sjecTfor stories John l.. was a born
publicity getter and he was ever
doing stunts which kept him in the
pNBlc eye
lThrough the years of his prime,
gone of John LIS ambitions had been
to taixe fling as a bookn,aker at
Thea race, track. He realized it in
ls6l4to his sorrow.
al day or two after John L. opened
] his bookie stall a red headed youth
sSloilc9led up to the stand and asked:
Y hateha quotin' on Little Gem p
Ohm L. hadn't posted his price at
sthat time but he looked around the
Frig7ss and saw that the other bookies
y y;v,c - n
se lfances of the horse that had made
a. raiserable showing in every race In
MiSach he. had figured.
| f1oan r.
take dollars WORTH an
5swereds the red headed yeungster
wherellpon he laid a dollars worth
! 0f silyers and ,coppers on John LIS.
stand. John l.. looked at the pile of
SUNK and then beloved:
sect away with that stuff. Bring
/ naNsbaek regular money if YOU wanto
I'd bot here"
Tfls ab.icktop" extracted a crum-
Ned FIVE dollar bill, saying:
bold [ bet as much os dat on
do nosS?''
all yer wants-de skies lie
aas4sii ii wid me- answered John l.,
s4absing the flyer and giving the
EksssSsngster a ticket rea ding $500 to So
! -
sgaffSst Little Gem
sAE Short time later the red headed
! vDsgagster returned to bet two dol
Lars more with Sullivan, Just be
fssga.tha race time he came along
sSs4l tfree dollars. And each time
;TEEfa8 T. generously gave him odds of
TO Z, although by that time the
soth ~ .b0oiSies had become suspicious
%ofst5le rather .heavv@ wa gering On a
Il no
nFlaes 10 so and then 40 to /.
THttle Gem won the race-by a
: sssya and ever afterward the mere
sssrs4ts OF red headed youngstef
Arssffillzs a cap was enough to- re-
\ ken memories In john J.. of his
tragfc bookmaker days.
sTohn L., beneath his gruff .exter-
;ola shad a keen sense of humor df~i
,9ftGntimGs permitted himself to g
tta victim Of jokes by his friends.
one which bears telling has to do
i Nth John l.. and Mat Goodwin, the
actor who 1as che of his warmest
j friends and greatest admirers.
Ionf L. was standing one day with
a agroup- of friends when Goodwin
cairo alongt and commenced t. ua-
braid sullivan ip a loud voice. Good
f5le,t kind which, uttered by anyone
else would have sent John L. into
rage. But all through the TRADE,
! {be pugiIist remained silent. In tire
~<eds of movies, John L. was regis
a. fcar.% AS a climax to the
~ se.l the actor slapped John l..
81 gsahe~ face and openly announced
ksfl7T John l.. was afraid to fight him
II that ne could whip John l.. with
Il I s9ss hand tied behind his back, etc
Tfen Goodwin strutted away while
f1ye friends looked at John L. in
4 st5azement and wondered whether
". 4sse champion of champions. at last
Whad lost his courage. John l.. Of
4 farsd no explanation at the time and
it5yas not until weeks later that the
I real facts leaked out; that the whole
aturat had been put on simply to win
a bet for Goodwin. Goodwin had
ROASTED to someone who did not
know of the inemate sullivan Good
kin friendship tktt ne could got zip,
could call John \. names and slap
his face without TN fear of a con1e--
bacI1-ard John L. N1eiped him to
.4nake good
rrhe bulldog courage nd tenacity
Of John L.ajst1Alivans haTS been by
JTords for srao+se tI>pn Swe1lty-fva
xaars ne Was q ZION vto never
cz4t. The story shat Best illustrates
4f5is characteristic has to doSwith a
,,l3aysay accident which, happaed in
I9ridaaport, Conn, when John L.
zgg,it To- see Terry McGoyern, who
then was training for hiss fight Wh