Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-18

came across an item about light
i between Joe Cans and Battling
Nelson and the chances of finding
O place to hold 1t.
Always I have been reader of news
papers. and have made a point Of
reading them all the way through. Up
to the moment my eye fell on that item
I had never so much as thought OF even
seeing a prize fight-a big one, mean.
All of us had a great pride in Gold
field as town and had tried numerous
means of getting outsiders interested
On the spur of the moment I threw
the paper aside, walked over to the tele-
graph Office and sent a message to
Nolan, the manager of Battling Nelson.
How much would you want to hold
the Gans-Nelson fight in Goldfleld?" I
wired
It never had occurred to me to con-
suit others I'D to that time. My train
ing in Alaska had taught me to act on
my own and do it quietly.
I doubt If Nolan ever had heard OF
Goldfield, but he replied, saying that
$4,000 would be the price. Up to that
time nobody ever had heard OF that
much money being guaranteed for a
fight. I had no idea what one had
cost or would cost. The moment I got
Nolan's telegram. though, it struck me
that it would be worth that much to
have people all over the country talking
about Goldf1eld.
I had a vague idea, of course, but I
never dreamed just how much atten-
ton the affair really would attract.
With the telegram in my hand I ran
into Al Mayer UP the street. He was in
business in our town.
I'll take five thousand of this, AL"
said to him, smiling. You want any
of it?"
"I'll take five thousand" he said.
"That's big idea"
Farther down the street I ran into
Graham Rice.
Its a great notion" he exclaimed.
''I'll take five thousand or any part Of
take all of it,
I walked around talking about my
scheme and did not find single man
unwilling to put up some part of the
guaranty. In less than an hour could
have guaranteed $4,000.
Wires Nolan OK.
That afternoon I telegraphed Nolan,
accepting his proposition.
In another "a hours my name was
known all over the country. Goldfield
was famous in less than week.
At first the sporting men were in
clined to give our little town the laugh.
Every time any cracks were made about
us being able to stage fight, though,
would offer to put up the money in
gold. That was never necessary. To
tell you the truth, not one of those men
ever had to put up a cent.
A man who did much to establish me
with the sporting world, including the
newspaper men, was Bat Masterson,
now dead. Bat had known me in Texas
when he was sheriff and dead shot.
Later he became writer and a fight
authority.
Il don't know much about Goldfeld,"
he wrote in his paper, but I do know
that if Tex Richard says he will guaran-
tee $4,000 the fighters can bank on
getting paid. Richards word is as good
as gold.''
I always appreciated that more than
! ever could make Masterson under
stand. My standing was good enough
In the mining regions, but in the East
somebody had come out and vouched
for me.
OF course, had had a vague notion
that holding championship fight in
little out-of- the-way place would appeal
to some people as novelty, but, hon.
eStly, hadn't the slightest idead of lust
how far that would go.
I was in for the busiest month of my
life, dealing with things that I knew
nothing about. Until man gets mixed
up with thing like that he hasn't the
slightest notion of how many irritating
details can come up. They kidded us
around the country. but, as We say in
the West, we Goldfield fellows had our
necks bowed and tails curled and were
going like bull yearling through a
NS To 10 oi-a
a success Of that fight if every one Of
us went broke
Cans Gets Square Deal.
Nolan agreed to sign up ct my terms
and so did Cans. That poor darkey had
to make most of his arrangements him
self, and, believe me, made it point
to see that he got square deal.
The most important matter at the
start was the building of an arena.
Even this did not cut into the money
we had guaranteed. I got concern to
furnish the lumber and build it with
the understanding that the lumber
could be returned when the stand was
taken down. Practically the only cost
was the labor. My credit was good
enough for all that. Not once did !
have to call on the men who had
guaranteed to see the fight through.
Let me explain that was the actual
promoter of the fight and was to receive
whatever profit came out Of it. MY
friends were simply backing me. I will
explain in a succeeding chapter just
how it never cost single one Of them
a nickel, except what he spent in cele-
brating.
The thing that astonished me and
began opening my eyes to what had
really done was the arrival In town Of
newspaper men. AS things were getting
under way I noticed a funny-looking
tent down the street and made in
quiries.
The occupant was Bill Mcclellan, the
sporting writer, now in New York. He
had come up from San Francisco. With
him was Rube Goldberg, now famous
cartoonist.
That they should come to Goldfield
and camp out just to write about my
fight was amazing to me. In week
or so I got used to that. Two dozen
of the writers had arrived. Our town
was humming.
It was the arrival Of Nolan, Nelson's
manager. that threw us into a high
fever. Everything had gone smoothly
I'D to that time All had seemed sports
manlike. With him came trouble, con-
slant nagging. Nobody ever had as
tough a time getting an even break as
did poor Joe Cans.
That, though, will take another
1Copyright, 1929. by the North American
Newspaper Alliance0
(Next-The Greatest Fight I Ever
Staged)