Evening star., 1923-04-03

pdPSl lOI lilC SIliIdsO Jopi hdi'
Down around the circulation 70
periences in the use of fists, both "
first places in the line for papers W
the fittest and the best battlers go
papers.
1t took some time before I was
able to graduate from the rear ranks
and the process of going up the line.
step by step. was discouraging ana
at times rather painful. The newsies
used to hang out in a large room ad-
joining the circulation room Wnlie
they were awaiting the next edition
The period of waiting was usually
marked by many fights and battles.
Finally the boss. deciding perhaps
that since it had to be fighting hour
on the daily schedule 1t would be
better to make 1t more orderly, pro-
vided some boxing gloves.
Appearance Of the gloves was TAX
en- as an indication that lighting was
an officially approved occupation as
a paStime and everyone went TO II
then. Crowds used to gather every
afternoon around the room. When
the gang gathered a bunch OF gloves
would be tossed in among them and
the battles started. Out of that CIR
culation room came some OF the best
fighters in the Middle West in later
years.
Two Dollars for First Fight.
Boxing sort OF came naturally to
me. I knew none of the fine points
of the game but l was unusually fast
on my feet and before long l was
looked upon as one of the best In the
crowd. "B'Il" Phelon, now OF the
Cincinnati TimesStar was sports
editor OF the Journal at that time
and he was also acting as a match
maker for several clubs. He used
TO pick most Of his preliminary box
! ers from the boys in the circulation
room. He came to me one afternoon
| and asked me il l wanted to 'go on
| that night The lure of a couple of
+, dollars got me and ! agreed. IL was
| that night that I got my name Brit
ton.
Along in 1903 I really got my
start in the ring. I had never
thought of boxing ms n business
hut by going ON In short preiim-
| mary bouts. II was possible to
pick up from three to ten dollars
| once or twice a week md that was
[ lot OF money for youngstcr
! In those days.
The first CLASSY" card l got on was
a preliminary to the Ryan-Melo lody
championship bout. In those days
| cards. The matchmaker just told you
| to "be there" and when you arrived
he would tell you who your opponent
was. I was sent in for six rounds n s
/ with a jewish boy hdIneO hlu
Sweeney. l weighed about l2o pounds
! then and he was little heavier, but
II was faster on my feet and | won
| the decision. We split ten dollar
purse. seven and three. L managed
to sneak into vacant seat for the
main bout and saw Ryan win the
4, Welterweight championship with one
punch.
| Up Against an Old Timer.
| Other bouts were offered me with
/ more frequency then and l began to
feel that I was pretty good. l wasn't
,heavy enough TO win many knock :
| outs, but l was so fast on my feet
that I had no trouble winning de-
cisions. After the Cans -McGovern
| scandal had stopped public boxing.
| / went down to the Kosemont Clup
one night with crowd from the
Journal Danny Gillen, an old timer.
| was on for a preliminary and the
show up. The announcer asked for a
volunteer and i went on. l got a
draw with him and we split even a
ten dollar purse.
! Along I'm 1908 and 1904 boxing
| wasn't going SO good In Chicago
and we started hitting the out
| skirts. / went over to Hammond,
| Indiana, and beat Grover Hayes,
| one of my pals from Chicago. L
| then went to Milwaukee and got
| decision from Jack Nolan. who
! was regarded as a very good boy
mt that time.
| So far1 had met with nothing but
| reputation and naturally could de-
! mand more money. l was then get
| ting from SIS to S25 for a bout and
l thought l was getting a huge roll
and would soon be rich.
Knocked Out-First and Last Time.
| TheS first big setback came soon
! after that when 1 was knocked out
! matched with Steve Kinny for six
| rounds. He was good fighter and
| had had lot of experience and II was
bis wiser head that was my undoing
In the middle of the first round while
we were boxing close, he rubbed his
| eyes and said to me:
| Look at those lights"
I looked up, foolishly, and he clip
ped me with right hand to the jaw
| that knocked me out good and cold
the use of what is generally called
strategy" 1t also proved to me tha.
| a good tongue is valuable asset
in the ring and ! have profited by
| that lesson several times.
Many times sport writers have
referred to me as being a very
vOluble worker I'm the ring and L
Will admit that i do quite n little
A., talking in the ring on occasions.
| Several times a line OF chatter de-
! signed to keep my opponent from
| knowing i was hurt or i'm n bad
| way has saved me. However,
| have never used offensive language
! nnd I have never tried to distruSt
| an opponents attention to knock
| him out.
| Boing knocked out didn't discrur-
age me. 1t only made me feel like