The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1923-10-30
lii Artie
Laid DOlUn
Says Carl
Morris, Once a White
Hope, Tells Story of
Willard Johnson Fight
BY Seaburn Brown

by Seabufn Brown
WAS jess Willard. who held
w tho worlds heavyweight
boxing championship from July
I. 1918. until Jack Dempsey
pounded him into submission Ia
three rounds on the Same date
In 1919. rial champion. or just
huge fraud whose titlr wnA
purchased from tho great color
cd fighter, Jack Johnson
Shortly after he rc-entered the
United STATES a couple OF yeam ago,
10 scrvo out his sentence for viola.
ton OF the Mann act. Johnson told
tho public that no was paid To
LAY down 10 Willard. His unsup.
ported story. kiouiiy denied by WIN.
ard. Prom otor Jack curley and
everyone vlso connected with the
battle that returned tho fistio crown
10 tho white race, was given little
crndenee. but
Now comes Carl Morris. prom.
inent heavyweight white hope" OF
tho days preceding tho Johnson.
willard fight. who has settled with
his family in Seattle. with tho fiat
statement that tho tltuiar battle OF
1915 was an arranged matter In
cvvry detail. and tina, johnson. disal.
pated shell that no was. would have
murdered" Willard had no not
becn bribod To lose,
MORRIS
TALKS
'I'vo heard Jack curiey. who pro.
NOTED tina, fight toll tho story SOW.
erai tlmes.' Norris said Tuesday.
johnson was 10 lose 20 Willard. in
return for stipulated sum OF
money and promised immunity from
tho prison sentence that awaited HIS
return 20 tho 6iatnA Details Of tho
match woro arranged In Europe.
moro than a year before the two
men mot.
But Johnson was cheated out OK
HIS end by tho clover curioy. after
all. lie was given $4,000 before
no entered tho ring that day. Tho
rest OF tho money was 20 bo given
10 his wife. Johnson. fearing treact.
cry. told her not 10 leave the ring.
side until tho money was placed IN
her hands. He told her no would
take the dive" as soon IA sho
did no.
"curiey tried in every way 60 in.
duce her 10 leave tho ring without
tho moncy-evon sending In mes.
ssngera 20 toll her friends wished 10
see her for moment. Johnson
kept his eye on her and kept on
boxing rings around tho clumsy
Willard.
at las, curley himself camo TO
her ringsidS seat with "a huge roll.
sho left the ring. and m soon as
sha Was alone discovered that she
had roll OF orange tissue wrap.
pers. covered with few $50 and
500 bills. She Immediately rushed
back 20 the ringsids--but It was
too lnte. Johnson was lying on his
back. holding his hands 10 Hhmt on;
the rays OF the burning sun. with
tho referee counting over him"
WHY FIGHT
LASTED so LONG
johnson had been primod 20 lose
within ten rounds. but tho knock.
out came in the 2eth. For one
thing, willard was so poor that the
crowd would have smeiled the fake
had the black man quit 40 early.
and for another. Johnson wouldn't
quit until his wife gave him tho
signal"
And that's that.
Morris. who fought for the last
time in November. 1929. when he
kayoed Tut jackson. negro heavy.
weight in nine rounds. Is thru with
tho squared circle, he said At pres.
ent no is plying HIS vocation as a
locomotive engineer for tho Tacoma
Lumber Co, az IFS camp near
Mount Rainier. His wife and ..
year.old daughter are living at 27o6
Fourth ave.
Tho big fellow, who stood six
feet four inches. and scaled 1916
pounds In his prime, looks hale and
hearty. and attributes n measure of
his excellent health to the fact that
he has lived in and around Seattle
since August Of this year.
WILL STAY
IN SEATTLE
This Northwest is great coun.
try. I like II 80 well that plan
to remain here indefinitely prob.
ably In Semitic" he said.
Morris is one OF the few men
prominent in the ring in past times
who gives the modern school Of
boxers much credit for their style
Of work.
Anybody who says jack Demp.
sey Is not great champion knows
little about the game" he sud.
reflectively. rubbing his chin az
tho the effects Of the punch with
which Dempsey scored a one.round
Knockout over him IN 1918 were
not entirely gone. clio has every.
thing speed punching power en-.
durancc and fighting heart"
Morris never hosltatcd n moment
when asked whom he considers the
greatest fighting man OF all time
JOHNSON BEST,
SAYS NORRIS
Jack Johnson he said en-.
phatlcally. in his prime. tho big
negro was the kingpln OF them ALL
He'd have licked Dempsey Ft2.
simmons. Corbott, Jeffrlcs, sullivan
ALI Of them within hx months,
had nil Of them been contompor.
aries"
Morris purchased u Ford touring