The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1927-08-10

Arrangements were made for hi
Cuba. Johnson lost the fight and
the twenty-sixth round.
There was much talk Of fake re-
garding this match, but all those In
terested de1aed that, saying that
everything was on the up and up.
Fight fans could not understand how
It was that q big, anskilled man such
aaa willard was could beat an old
master like Johnson. Well, It was
q fake and johnson admits i,
He was double.crossed BY the
promoters and spares no one IA
his story.
The following Is ii part the
story he wrote In his book:
Preceding the Willard fight It
was limited to me in terms which
could not mistake that IL permitted
willard to win, which would give
him the title, much Of the prejudice
against me would be wiped out.
Those who chafe under the disap-
pointment Of having d man Of my
race hold the championship, was
told, would be Modified and It would
Be easier to have the charges against
me dropped and I could again be
with my folks.
ut was no easy decision. It meant
the sacrifice of my heavyweight
title, which I had striVen gears to
attain and which had brought me so
much; it would brand me as q quit.
ter and as unsportsmanlike and
would, knew, relegate me to an
undesirable position In sport circles.
On the other hand. there was held
out the hope Of returning home to
those who were dear to me and the
possibility of finding leniency on the
Fart Of Federal officials.
Definite arrangements for my
fight with Willard began when
Jack Curley came to London to talk
at over with me. The selection OF
\ Willard came about In the process
s0f hunting the white hope. The
result of the fight ended that
Z search, which had been carried on
so intensely and bitterly that It
had caused me much trouble and
sorrow. because Of the persecution
to which ] was subjected.
con his arrival in London.
CurIey asked me II meant
business in meeting Willard.
-
81 told him I certainly did and
that he would not find it difficult
to make terms with me. The
next day we went to lunch and the
preliminaries began, and In the
evening at dinner we began to talk
more freely. / told Curley to put
all the cards on the table and to-
deal from the top Of the deck.
II had known him long time
We had been close friends and had
met in previous mutually salts
factory business deals. AT one time
in my life when was in serious
t~o.thle he had stood Loyalty by
me. As a result of this had the
utmost confidence in him.
HE frankly told me that Il Il
lost the fight to Willard could
return to the United States without
being molested. He said that
would be able to engage in q pros
porous occupation and would gain
new friends and please old &C.
quaintances who were anxious to
see me comfortably and peacefully
settled down at home. These hints
were inducements, Of course. but
the greatest inducenent of all was
8J4AC ObDOA luA4O9 ~ VA4SAS0 AAAS SUaSSS
my mother.
"Curely explained that F'Fazee
and Webber, amusement pro-
mOters, were associated with
him In arranging details in
JuareZ, Mexico. and Villa, the
revolutionary bandit leader who
controlled northern Mexico,
would finance the fight.
'Curley remained in London a
week or so, and when he departed
we had reached an agreement. as
far as was concerned, which
would give Willard the champions.
ship and permit me to return home.
He gave me sufficient money to de-
fray transportation expenses to-
Mexico and / set about making
preparations for going to the scene
Of the proposed fight.
ION his arrival In Havana, Curley
said that Frazee. Weber and him.
self had made arrangements for
mo to return to the United States
IL lost to Willard, but first L was
to take the films Of the fight and
exhibit them in South America and
Europe, which sections Of the globe
were to be my exclusive territory.
collected the fight percentage
which WIZARDS managers owed me
If I lived up to my agreement to
lie down and which was not paid
until the fight was almost over.
II did not tell Mrs. Johnson I was
going to lose the fight until a few
moments before entered the ring.
Curley had paid me my fight per-
centage before ! left my home.
''NO one knew that the money
was there, and / employed four
policemen to guard the home,
though they did not know that
Il was because Of the money,
and with the understanding
they merely were to watch the
premises.
81 instructed Mrs. johnson To
sit at the ringside and watch the
fight; that there was more money
due me, and until this money was
paid to me would not let the
fight take the course agreed upon.
Delay in paying this money was
due to the incomplete count Of
gate receipts, which was under way
when the fight started Mrs. John.
son was to signal me when she had
received the additional money and
was to signal her SO that she
might leave the ringside.
The fight was originally intended
to end In the tenth round, but when
that round arrived the money had
not been paid. Il was nearing. the
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