The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-12
Corbett's Daily Letter
 On Great Sport Topics
By JAMES J. coRBErr

One of the stories that Jim Hall, the great Australian warrior used to tell on himself was that which concerned a bat tie which he won largely by his wits.
 Hall was In Memphis. Tenn, when one of the big boxing promoters there asked if ne could go on the next night with prominent heavyweight battler known as Jim Lawler Just then Hall was in poor pugilistic condition. He hadn't engaged
 in a bout for several months, hadn't
 done any training, had taken things easy and was rather soft and flabby. But he
 needed the money and agreed to fight Lawler
 q knew I had oIe chance to pull
 through with victorys related Hall aft
 erwards. T figured that my condition
 was such that I couldn't have stood up
 under more than five rounds of battling
 with so aggressive fellow as Lawler.
 So decided to put everything I had into
 the first few rounds and take the chance
 of flooring Lawler before I sapped the
 little endurance had
 Sc Hall. in keeping with his programme,
 opened lip with furious attack on Law
 Ter with the bang of the first bell. He
 rushed the American battler around the
 ring and tried repeatedly to slip over a
 knockout wallop. But Lawler was fast
 and succeeded for the first three rounds
 in keeping out of the way of Halls heavy swings. By that time Hall realized that if he was to win it would have to be in the fourth round or never. Hall was 1fryN txt II. and speed were almost gone as the fourth round began.
 Hall tricked Lawler into corner. feinted him into dropping his guard and then, putting the last ounce of his strength Into it, sent punch crashing to Lawier's jaw.
 Lawler dropped to the mat, but at the count of six began to struggle to his feet. He was badly used up by Hall g punches, but he was a game fellow. Hall saw that I.awler certainly would beat the count. and knowing that he (IIalD was so "al in" himself that he couldn't have gone on with the scrap much farther he stage whispered to the ref cree:
 Hey, don't count so fast Slow up. ! get back to his feet I owe him 2 good licking ard can't give it to him if you count him out.
 Lawler, almost on his feet heard Hall and then quietly slipped back to the floor and remained there without moving until the fatal '10' had been chanted Here is another sample of how box ing contests are won by trickery-but of a different kind.
 Years age a fellow who knew little about the ring game opened up an eat ing and drinking place in one of the toughest sections of New York. The cafe was frequented largely by gas house men who were of the rough. fighting type, Whenever one of them drank little too freely he was sure to start an argument and the general custom in those days was to pick out the owner of the place as the target for the yerbal-or physical-abuse. The proprietor of the cafe in question wasn't very husky and wouldn't have stood much chance In fair contest with | most of his customers. because they were | huskies who outweiahed him from 30 to | 60 pounds. So he conceived a brilliant I idea. He got two sets of boxing gloves and hsing them in a convenient place. l Whenever any patron became a little l boIsteraus or insulting the boss would I invite him to put on the gloves and 'lets see who's the better man"
 ! Within a short time the proprietor's | fame as knockout artist spread beyond | the confines of the neighborhood One
 man aftern another. irrespective of weight or height. was floored for the complete count. Soon rowdies from other sections hearing about the wonderful battler. went to his place and purposely started argu- nents. figuring they could show him up | Eut each met the same fate, each was flnored by the first or second punch. This kept up for several months. B,
 that time the whole town had heard about the remarkable "purilist." Ther
 some persons decided that there must bt
 trick in it and started an investiga
 ton. One niEht when the boss was tenn
 porarily absent from the room. one of ths
 members of the Investigating party took