The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1919-06-10


weight today is exactly 260 pounds,
which is only seven pounds more
than he weighed in Havana. There
were no scales in his place, but he
looks about 260 stripped. AS he
weighed 285 when he began training
to fight Johnson this is not at all an
excessive weight.
Wizards body was thicker, and
heavier, around waist and hips, than
at Havana, but no heavier than in
the Moran fight. 1t could hardly be
expected that he would be in fight
ing form two months before the
Dempsey match.
81 have been taking good care of
myself all the time" Willard told me
while he was getting ready to box.
81 don't look like boozer, do II"
He didn't with the grease paint
washed off, and showed a clean, rud-
dy complexion. Stripped, his skin
was white and clean, without blem-
ish.
''The reports about my drinking
have always been exaggerated.
The trouble is that since I've been
champion I can hardly take drink
of soda without somebody's spread
ing a story that Pm sousing up"
"That's right" broke in Roy Arch
er. "Why, one day in Kansas City
Jess was around the hotel and a lot
of his friends were inviting him to
join them. I knew Jess was only
drinking mineral water that day, but
/ heard an old fellow outside talking
about it.
That fellows going to get licked
next time he fights he said. I've
seen him go into the bar six times.
No fighter can carouse like that and
be any goodv"
By this time the big fellow was
ready to go to work He called for
three-minute rounds and tackled a
pulling machine. For three minutes,
and then another three, he yanked
Tex O'Rourke's elastic ropes vigor-
ously, danced from side to side and
worked so hard that the sweat dripp-
ed from the end of his nose and be-
gan to soak through the thick cotton
underwear that covered his arms.
Seems to Have Old Jab.
Jess didn't fall over his own feet,
by long shot, and he seemed as fast
with his hands as ever. When he
shoots a straight left his hand fiicks
out like cats paw. He catches blows
in the air with a swift blocking move
ment, and his eye and judgment for
blocking are good. Where he is slow
it is only the slowness of tremend-
ously big man not yet in hard train
ing.
Did His Share of War Work.
This was evidently sore subject
with Jess. Deep gloom enveloped
him. For a moment he kept still.
Then he burst out:
"I'll tell you about that! Most of
that was Jack Curley's propaganda.
He spread it all over the country to
knock me when I broke away from
him. He was getting even with me
for what he called my 'ingratitude.
Can you imagine what had to be
grateful to that bunch for? Do you
know what l got for. beating Johnson
in Havana? There was a pretty big
crowd, wasn't there? I'll tell you
what / got. / was Charged a little
over $4,000. They took it out of
my earnings later on. 1t was figured
as my share of the expenses of the
Havana fight. 1 had few other
things to be grateful for, too, but l
don't care to talk about it.
81 did a lot of war work myself
people don't know about because |
didn't use it to advertise myself. They
never heard of the work l did and
they heard a lot about what I did
not do. | was in funny position.
If l was asked to appear in half a
dozen places on the same date |
could only show at one of them, and
the other five roasted me for refusing
to come. When Coffroth wanted me
in New York I had promised to APP
pear for the fund at Forth Worth.
! | couldn't break my promise, could
I? I showed at Fort Worth and rails
ed $1,000, and Coffroth had his show
in New York and roasted me for not
being there. Another time they want
ed me in. Illinois, and had promised
to appear in Kansas. That time I got
roasted in Chicago. l boxed for war
funds and for the soldiers in several
states and paid my own expenses
right along. Once I went from Kan
sas to Florida when they asked me
to box"