The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1936-07-17
JEFF-FITZ TRIP A LARK

JEFF-FlIZ IRlP A LARk
When Champion James j.. Jeffries
in 1908, the trip spelled good news to
eight boxers of Butte. Jeff Inc Fitz
bookings in Montana, Idaho and Utah,
would take three weeks in time. The
champion and former champion would
box four rounds as the feature attrac-
ton of the show. Four boxing bouts
would precede the Fitz-Jeff exhibition.
Doc Flynn would mix: also Nose La
Fontise and Billy Armstrong; also Kid
Foley and Dummy" Rohn; also Sid
LaFontise and Maurice Thompson.
The Butte double-quartet had the
time of their lives on the three weeks
tour. They, each were paid s25 a week.
plus board, room and travelling eX-
penses. Life was a song, a constant
lark, with the boys playing pranks and
jobbing one another. FitZ was a clown
and wanted to be in O all the gang
frame-ups. Jeff was more serious
minded and played the role of cham
pion with some dignity.
Snowfall on Big Tour
Opie tells of a SNOWFALL party the
gang INDUCED in one day when it
was enroute from Ogden to Park City.
They had to change trains at a small
station, and waited for some time for
the combination passenger-freight train
to pull in. The depot platform was COW
cred with snow. Flynn and Nose start
ing room. Fitz was pacing up and down
the platform. Nose rolled himself a
SNOWFALL of large proportions and
sneaked up behind Fitz and let the
Cornishman have it. Fitz chased Nose
and grabbing him by the seat of the
trousers and collar tossed Nose off the
platform down a canyon, into the heavy
SNOW MnSn Wpnf NI1f Nf ciOhf Ac hic
head emerged from the snow surface
he was choking and suffering. He had
to be helped out of his predicament, the
gang borrowing a rope and logging
chain from the baggage room to pull
him out. Fitz didn't help the rescue
party but amused himself by emitting
loud outlaws and tossing snowballs at
Nose.
o OF FitzSimmonS' favorite express
SionS was "Gol blime me-" Most of his
mari were prefaced with this ejac-
ulation. Opie recalls Fitz giving him
counsel on how to conduct himself in
the ring. "Gol blime me, Howard" said
Fitz, "the head will take care of itself;
let your hands do the fightin' and the
feet will take care of the body" How
ard always remembered this advice ex-
cept when he fought Jack Wade and
Patsy Sullivan, who, according to How
ard, kept me SO busy stopping blows
with my face and ribs that my think
cap was of no use to me-"
That old fox, the late DOC" Flynn,
and Howard Opie while on tour with
JeffrieS and Fitzsimmons worked up a
routine that would have the customers
cuckoo.
They would slam each other all over
the ring. one would go down for a five
count; then the other would take a
count and between rounds while at
rest, would shout insults and throw
sponges at each other. The customers
thought it was on the square" and
invariably this pair would steal the
show.
This same performance wa a part of
many a JoSher'S show put IN by Billy
Gemmell and Jim Finlen each Christ
mas time.
Tricked Mother, to Help Her
Towards mother was opposed to
fighting. One night, after his fistic
jouSt at a roadhouSe, Howard came
home and rendered his mother 500, his
pay for a four-round bout. It was re-
and a lectures based on never
"let me hear Of you fighting again" was
home with a black eye OF bloody
and the youngster would tell his
mother that the Sinner or battered
beak was picked up at football practice.
In those days the Business college grid
team would practice on the lot where
the public library now stands.
AS the papers did not publish the
Howard was able to keep his
fighting a secret from his mother. Ev-
cry time he fought, the money he re-
was cached in a coffee can be-
tween the house and the fence in the
back yard. When the can contained
almost $1,000, Howard induced his
mother to accept his ring earnings, and
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