, 1923-07-03
AND KEARNSA AGREE TO
GAMBLEFOR THE LAST 100000

Continued from Page One.)
dents asked Stanton point blank If
his statement meant that the fight
was off.
"As far as I am concerned IT'S off,"
the banker replied.
Kearns. his face flushed with anger
turned on Ills heel and said.
That's good enough for me; it's
off,"
The champions manager immed-
lately left the room, going TO his own
quarters. Major Lane. who was
asleep at another hotel. was awakened
and informed that there would be no
fight. He hurried TO Kearns' room
to begin the series OF conferences that
resulted in the restoration Of the bat
tie.
The champions manager offered to
agree to n p-ostponement to July 8 to
enable the finances to be completely
reorganized and a new drive started
for the sale of tickets. This. how
ever. did not meet with the approval
OF the promoters and Kearns went
into a room with the newspaper cor
respondents for n discussion Of the
situation.
Kearns asked the newspaper men
Just what they thought of the situa-
ton and they unanimously were of h
opinion that the fight should DO held.
They c~ounselled with the manager TO
20 back and make h proposal 10
gamble with the gate receipts for
his final 5000 o guarantee. provided
the preliminary expenses OF the show
were absolutely assured.
The champions manager hesitated
studied for n few moments and then
hurriedly left the room. He pro-
ceeded Immediately to the o where
the promoters were comforting and
made the gambling proposition.
The proposal was not Immediately &C
cepted. however, IND Lane. Molumby
and the former Judge Roy E. Ayres
asked for n few moments by them
selves to talk It over. They dis
the proposition among them
selves and came back in 20 minutes
with the announcement that they
would accept. The first announce
mentor the last-to the newspaper
came from Lane, who opened the
shouted. Boys. the fight is onr'
The conferences of the night were
always peaceful and often through
tho closed doors OF the room loud
and angry voices were heard. r
quently one of the promoters would
shout. apparently at Kearns.
ut would be n shame TO let you
get out of Montana with all that
money without a fight"
earns was obstinate up to the last,
that he had a perfectly legal
contract which called for the pay
ment of $500. 900 before Dempsey
topped into the ring. He declared
that this money had been promised
him and that he had been assured
day after day. that It would be forth
coming before the time limit expired.
also clinched his argu-
by pointing at the clock and
stattng that the contract for the
Dempsey-GibbonB fight had expired
at midnight.
LID to the last minute Keans be
l,eyed the fight was off. His belief
was so firm that he had already pre-
pared a statement explaining his
po~sition. This statement. which he
had intended giving out upon the
calling off of the bout, follows IN
part:
The failure OF the D~empsey-Gib-
bons fight at Shelby is due, purely
and simply to the inability of h
promoters to meet n business obliga-
ton. 1 did not seek the contract
which they are unable to carry put
In fact, 1t was virtually forced upon
me.
AT the very outset I expressed my
doubt as TO the feasibility Of the
project. 1 advised them that fight
promotion was a highly technical
business and there were few men in
the country able to stage a worlds
heavyweight championship fight sue
c~essfully. Despite my warning they
insisted that they were able to put
the show over. that the money was
already in hand to meet the terms Of
my contract and that I need concern
myself only with producing the cham
plon, Jack Dempsey, In the ring in
good condition at the proper time. /
did not Immediately accept their Of
fer. They followed me via airplane
from Salt Lake to Chicago and back
again to Shelby and finally TO Chi
cago.
I'm the meantime. I had in hand
an offer for the Dempsey-Gibbons
fight from Tex Richard and another
from Tom O'Rourke. both better
than the Shelby proposition.
II emphatically stated to 10y j.
Molumby and Mike Collins that I had
these offers and asked TO cancel the
Shelby proposition as I did not think