Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-04-06

the country that Colonel j. C. NIL
Ter had signed Jess Willard to fight
July in defense OF the heavy
weight championship of the world
at least a part of the public asked,
Who is Colonel ]. c. Miller?'
In the broad southwest country
no one made such inquiry. In the
circus world every one knew, and
soon it dawned on a majority Of
the people of the U. S. A. that the
Colonel Miller who is to promote
the next fight for the highest crown
in all pugilism is none other than
Colonel Joseph c. Miller of Bliss,
Okla. cowpuncher, ranchman,
Snowman, capitalist and promoter
of big things.
At first the people who know Col
onel Miller did not connect the 10l
ranch man with this venture be-
cause they never heard of Joe Nil
Ter mixing in the boxing game be-
fore. This man of affairs, who has
made and lost fortunes in the cat
tie business and in other big ven
lures, never promoted a boxing
match in his life and knows little
about boxing or boxers.
To be exact, he never saw but
two fights in his life, and one of
those by chance. He happened to
be in Joplin, Mo-. when Fred Full
ton and Texas Tate were to fight
at Jimmie Bronson's club, and he
attended. Becoming interested II
that bout he made a trip to New
Orleans to see Fulton knock out
Frank Moran a short time ago. He
made that trip because he had
nothing else to do and wanted 4
little excitement.
1t can be truly said that he can
give this same reason for promot-
ing the next heavyweight cham
pionship bout. He hasn't anything
to do. He terms himself retired
ranchman. He has been living
quietly in Montgomery. Ala, since
last fall. There was so much talk
of Willard defending his title that
Colonel Miller went to Jacksonville
to talk to the champion, with the
result that he will promote the
bout July 4.
III III LHiS lIlLSr hOI DCCduSC
care whether l make a dime out
of it," said the colonel after the
match had been made, but because
| yearn for a little excitement. A
man who has been in the show
business for years can't settle down
all OF sudden. so | thought l
would show the boys that 1 am still
awake It's more of a pastime for
me than anything else, and | like
10 be around where the boys are
and see the fun"
And that's just the way Colonel
Joe Miller feels about it. His long
life, which started back in Ken
lucky about forty-nine years ago,
has been filled with excitement,
dating from the early days of ex-
tensive cattle raising in Oklahoma
up to the present time. And he
didn't acquire the title OF colonel
merely because he was born in
Kentucky. He was appointed COL
onel on the staff of Governor Wiz
liams of Oklahoma in 1915.
A few thousand or even hun
dred thousand dollars means moth
ing big in the life of Joe Miller.
He has made his fortune and is not
entering the boxing game because
he wants to make money. He has
all he needs of worldly goods. He
may never promote another fight
and he may. this depending entire
ly on how he likes the first one.
Colonel Miller was born at Crab
Orchard. Ky. about forty miles
from Lexington. in the foothills Of
the Cumberland mountains, in 1869.
Two years later his parents moved
to Springfield. Mo. His father. G..
W. Miller. was cattlemaH.
Springfield was at the end OF the
Frisco railroad at that time. The
elder Miller had the gold fever
and he bought a pair of mules AMI
an outfit" and started across the
prairies for California When he
reached what was then Indian Ter
ritory he saw the possibilities of
the cattle business. so he stopped
and decided to enter that business
G. w. Miller bought cattle In
Texas, drove them up the trail to
Oklahoma and fatteued them for
the market. He did this Tor years
and little Joe gained his early edu-
cation in the log schoolhouses Of
that state. But the youngster was
chip OFF the old block. He tells
OF how he bought hogs in the
street when the farmers brought
them TO town and was so small that
until they learned to know him
they doubted his sincerity.
When Joe gained what education