The evening world. Newspaper, December 27, 1913, Page 6

ie UP-TO-DATE AND NEWSY CASE OF “NERVES” COST ' | } TSI JIM CORBETT HIS TITLE ~— IN FIGHT WITH “FITZ” Doubt About His Own Ability to Beat Freckled Middleweight Had as Much to Do With Californian’s; Defeat as the Solar Plexus Punch UNTOLD TALES OF THE RING. 8 @ series of stories of the ring, Robert Mdgren to-day begin past and present, that should prove interesting reading to fistic feast twice a week. Copyrighted, 1913, by the Press Publishing Co. (New York World.) LL the stories ever written about the famous battle ju which Jim) Corbett lost his world’s championship title to the Pugged Fitz-| simmons on that fateful March 17, 1897, centre about the ss A @zee punch.” RES pw COLUMN Qpavyweight champion. fe land it. PEAR OF LOSING TITLE WOR Gorbett was a game maa. @fraid of a punch. He wasn't afraid Ne adulation. ‘The long triumph following his defen fans and other sport lovers. They will appear on this page at That blow and the unflinching courage and determination of the middleweight champion who was fighting for the greater title are, of course, the most important features. But there ts one that writers have overlooked—juat one little thing that had as much to do with Corbett’s) defeat as the solar plexus punch. I was a youngster then, a college athlete, visiting Jim Corbeti’s camp and boxing and running with him daily for a month or so before the great event. So perhaps 1 saw more of the inside of things in that camp than any but Corbett’s own managers aud trainers, When the fight was over Corbett's side of the story was forgotten. The world wanted RIED CORBETT. What the world never knew was that Jim Corbett wont into that fight i .. with twen nervés strung as tight as banjo strings. From sheer nerve atrain,! sllpped down to his knees and took ‘four hours before ring time, he was nearly on the point of collapse. He wesn't afraid of Fitssimmons. He wasn't! his corner. of being hurt. But he was in deadly Wear of losing the title that meant overything in the world to him. There @as a theatrical streak {n Corbett, He loved praise and flattery and pub tof John L. Bullivan had made him im- @enstradly proud of James J. Corbett, of his cleverness, his ring cunning, of his Bre appearance, of the way the people hi the sotial world. He felt 11 tees of pri Sewn Ik pate feeling was all the stronger boc Detpeess do MOST SAW HIS DEFEAT IN % was in Dempat corner in geyie that was more force! md effet @938 that Fitzsimmons was a marvel. ween Oprdet: avoided the insue in every way ted him, looked. down upon him, a ons wan the man ke should not fi ", paw him knock out Demprey in Creedon in two, and the migh = im lesm than three minutes Now, with the match made, forced (gto It by public clamor, Corbett couldn't get out of his mind the picture of Fite- Simmons landing a knockout punch. He realised that would need every © Of Btrength and overy bit of skill Wer posacsred. As be thought over, day by day, the whirl of gayety that fallowed hls winning of the champion- abi, he knew that he lacked something the youthful conqueror of Sullivan bad Aid tb get it back he redoubled his ef- farts, while Delaney begged him to be egret) and not overtrain. Bverywhere that Corbett wen tlig last two weeks, when tae high-strung becavae of 5. afd training, he thought of the possl- aMiity of defeat. He didn’t believe that jug. could lose—but there wax the doudt, aa day by dey it t more. He voxci scart, where crowds gathered ty niga, Here he tried to show every master boxer during one who cally without Tf a aparrin: him with artner man- pook or jab was smooth- yest he could. road with Cor- esau! and chee and haa eyond the nd Jef could keep up with and not let be deft was 4 the lg wert J a rd but he had to laugh at the way big 4a Gavoured everything in wight A few days Yefore tho Aght Corbett aded to xo beyond Carson to - pers os his rune, and Me si t dad Wh er Berve,” Was the BugHeSiion, Corbett went He met Fitzsim Pits was eside Cor- ned and held after I've ing mental picture of Bob Fitasimmon @ Gght that was making him a world’ with arma and fete of iron. tasimmons challenged and followe all, Whom Corbett, “retiring,” had ni ie mot bowed down and worshipped him, the way he was made much of by mon and women famous in the business a king on @ throne, surrounded by courtiers. | ly ® king ts accustomed to such things and takes (hem as & matter of course, Corbett thin was all new and glortous, & bnttertly:, And the thought of what might happen if he should lose to Fitzsimmona—th Prestige, glory, superiority, everything-—was unbearable, @f@r the match was nade and Corbett had begun to train, he must have looked man gazing into a bottomless black pit. He felt tke the caterpiliar that has At times, ‘auso for nearly sx yeara he had had a tall, lanky, unexcited in the whirl of champion, deliberately beating Jack ADVANCE. that fight. He watched every move of the New Zealander, and consummate master of boxing himself, saw a fighting e than his own, After the fight Corbett coult hardly say anything else. Later him about to force him into a match, could, He anrered at Fitzsimmons, ind in his own heart he knew that Pita mht. He watched the freckled wonder's thirteen rounda, Jim Hall tn four, clever Maher, most dange: heavyweight of ed as his rightful successor to the “Then you never will,” retorted Fits, and turned and ran along the road as {€ nothing had happened. Tho purty came back ail excited, Jim had sho that fellow Tent te Was up againat. But if any goat wan- dered, \t was not that of the ruddy, confident Fitzsimmons, who trained a farmer works and ate like a lon without turning o' to Corvett's road in a light buggy. hie wife, where he watched Cor ning by, to big Jem. | “that fellow ¢ nerve,” Pion’s territory ? Those ast few days in the Corb camp were hard ones for his ma: and trainers, Corbett was on edy slightest word or action that against hin grain produced Always high strw h Billy Delan bewwed Corbett every day to cut down of temper, | now almost hysterical. his training. There tween Delaney and White. Corbett, driven by his tattered nerve: worked harder. Billy Brady ke ann game running through the early Just to give Corbett a Ittle aly and keep hla mind off the Aght. The Just day came, March 1% and Corbett The day of the fight he went out for a morning walk. Then, he putted himacit eon Out. took a long run ‘eat effort, r and went Into wardly cheerful and confident. Agit began at noon, It been swept and now the shining brightly. When the men w in the ring Fitzsimmons eirotied arou: scomed to have forg oan everything but that he was there to fight and prepared to the minute, And when ‘orbett fou: t Fitz knew now what he shoreman and slopt ning hours a nant | two later Fitzsimmons ye. | mmpliment by riding over ith tt rune called a cheerful “hello” rbott was enraged over "t What right haa) Fitasimmons to encroach upon the cham- MMe | th it Was friction be- @ faro ton | a snowed the day before, but th min wae | tere CORBETT HAD TOO | between his shoulder blades at pleasure, his cheeks began to flush and he looked to} tn fidont champion. pow every detail connected with the victor—the middleweight become| For six rounds Corb It wanted stories of the “solar plexus punch,”| simmonr. cult eee Of the stim, uphill fight that eventually gave Fitesimmons the chance| dangerous return. For six rounds Corbett Jabbed Fits- simmons, cutting his mouth, jarring and all without a jo ‘keemed to. be winnings He became a pfeture of smil- ing confidence. T! terrible Fitssime mons punch that had beaten Dempse; r, all the rest, was forgotten. Ni he end of the sixth round Fit nine-second count. all in, and at the bell fairly reeled to Corbett sat down and laughed and joked with hin friends, glancing carelessly over to where Fite Jay acrona the ropes, seemingly almost unconscious, FITZ VERY ACTIVE IN THE SEVENTH ROUND. But the second the bell rang for the meventh round the Inert INtssimmons flawhed into sudden and startling tion, He leaped from his ohair and, without a trace of xroggines# of a mo- ment before, rushed acrows the ring In furious attack, Corbett, Jumping up, | barely managed to avold the first on- j@laught. And Fitzsimmons turned and wont straight at him, strength and fignting fury person.iled, his battered Ups spread in a confsent «rin, Tn thac Instant Jim Corbett looked ‘own into the black pit again ond saw himaelf a defeated champion. A gray pallor spread over hin face, never to leave it until in the fourteenth round Fitzsimmons cornered him and swept |the solar plexus punch crushingly into the pit of his stomach, Corbett fought those last eight rounds gamely, but in despair, ‘The nervousness of the train- tig period overcaine him again, and hig ftrength wlipped away, while that of the unimaginative Fitasiminons gree with every round. Corbett was a gray Khost: a redefo ed, grinning, fighting man with nerves of brass, who would have fought just the same, or hander, if he had felt sure defeat ahead. Jim Corbett can tell you that high- strung nerves and a keen imagination are little help to a fighting man. Bu pParently i ; For an Un cers New Yorker Has Fine Co'lec- tion of Racers Here and at Juarez. —_—- » Dec —Rofore leaving for o Kast last week Trainer RK. Cc. Ben- jaon set at rest a report that any of the | great band of yearlings now owned by James Butler were for sale. The mem- bers of his great string, doth at the Juares course and in New York, are not for eale for any amount, Mr, Butler recently refused the princely offer of ing | $15,000 for one of his filles, The entire collection in both places numbers thir- ty-five ead in all and will all race tn hia colora in 1914, s that while here the broth- has grown amazingly since Another grand looking colt in the ction is the half brother to Peter Pan, He dows If etther two great horses Was as looking a# these YounKsters are now at the same age tant summe The eleven yearlings that RoC. Ben- won drought here (0 ra the colors of Jame Jer and which have deen ‘turned over to Jolin Lowe to train this | winter ua follows Bay colt by Uitimas-Hait Crown, ut colt by Mippodrome-Forbidden Chestnut colt by Bey ally, t Gupermen. Ultimas-Chancery. 4 THE EVENING tler Refuses $15,000 WORLD, SATURDAY, DECEM BER 27, 1918. coe Ae BNR AE AE BERET RATER PALES AOE a ORTING PAGE IN NEW YORK | MUCH IMAGINATION (Capyright, 913, by the Press Pubiiahing Co. (The New York World) You Can Learn How to Construct Golf Courses at Illinois University Retirement From Ring) Two Knockouts by George Chip Lead Pittsburgher to Quit Boxing Game. By John Pollock. RANK KLAUS of Pittsburgh, who F stopped Georg. Carpentier, the French champion, and also de- feated Billy Papke fighta in Paris, which gave him the right to claim th middleweight title, has announced retirement from the ring. Klaus ma: this declaration immediately after he was knocked uut by George Chip in the fifth round of a slx-round bout at the Duquesne Garden in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. This was the second tried Yearling | Brown filly, Ultimas-Mayfair, Chest- nut Mily by Superman-Geisha, by Iroquois, Brown filly by Voter-Am- brosine, by Kingaton, Brown filly by Ben Brush-Runaway Girl, by Domino. The names selected for these royally Dred youngsters have not as yet been registered here. Racing seven days a week is again the rule at the Jockey Club Juares track, It will continue until the one hundred days or more of the present meeting ends hore next spring, This course is the only race track in the world that ever operated ia winter meeting seven daye a week, thus giving the racing public every twenty-four hours of the time, month aud month out. In Mexico Sunday is regarded as a holiday and all classes respect the day as euch, This explains why the Jockey Club at Juares gen- erally arranges to have the mom at- tractive programmes on the Sabbath | day. ¥. D, Wetr has received a letter trom Lexington containing glowing acoounts of how superb H. C. Applegate & Co.'s | sensatlonal performer, Old Rosebud, is looking in his winter quarters at J. D. Carr's farm near that city. Trainer | Welr expects to have the great gelding ‘taken up the last of January to begin getting him ready for training for hi | Kentucky and Latonla Derby engag: jments, Old Rosebud's first start im 1916 j will be in the Kentucky Derby unless Trainer Welr en Tt “ ING MENTAL Sicture oF FIT ZSIMMONS KNOCKING OUT “Dav By Day The DoueT . “TOmrureD HM MUOGH 9 Dempsey. | j = time that Chip had performed this feat, having put him to slecp in the sixth found In the same city ten weeks ago. According to a wire received from Bob Clark today, Soldier Bartafield, Eddie Wallace and Phil Bloom ai! won thelr bouts in Buffalo last night. Clark started out some time ago with his trio of boxers to tour the country. In a cablegram recetved to-day from Dan McKetrick, who ts in Paria with Joe Jeanette, Frank Moran and Young Ahearn, the American fighters, he says that the poor showing made by Jack hneon, the champion, in his bout there with Battling Jim Johnson, hurt the at- tendance at the battle between Jeanette | and Sam Langford and that the receipts) only amounted to $11.40, The Johnaon- Johnson fight receipts were 95,179. Pal Brown, the American who defeated Hughie Mehegan, the Aus- tralian iightweight champion, in twenty rounds at Sydney, Australia, several weeks ago, met Mehegan In a return bat of twenty rounds at Melborune, cision, the re! to Mehegan on point Nine clubs will hold boxing shows ti night, aa follows: Fairmount A. C., Walter Mohr ve. Mike Maxie; Brown Gymnasium A. A., Joe Sklenar vs, John- ny Dietriok; Irving A. C. (Brooklyn), Jimmy Flynn ve. Ray Campbell; At- lantic Garden A. C., Frankle Maher va. Joe Carter; Bharkey A. C., Marty Brown ve. Andy Cortez; Vanderbilt A. C. (Brooklyn), Dutch Brandt vs, K. 0, Egrere; West Brighton (3. 1.) A. C., Dennte MoFadden vs. Joo Maroney; Queensboro A. C. (L. 1. City), Al Smith ve, Bil Rooney; Gowanus A. C. (Brook- lya), Harry Pierce ve. Charlie Barry. Tom O'Rourke finally arranged match between those two yd Di weights, Battling Levinshy oot TEST 7 and Dan Porky Flynn of Boston, They wil) come together in a ten-round con- test at @ show to be held by the Na- tional Sporting Club on Tuesday eve- ning, Jan, 13, Claiming that Bob FitasImmons 8 too ei4 to engage in ® boxing contest, and Desides might’ get severely injured, the State Athietio Commission has deciled that {twill not permit him to box at the Atlantic Garden A. ¢, on Jan, 6 or atany other club In the State. | Mike Roxen, the rummed little Jersty | City bantamweight, and Young Steger of Hoboken will meet in the main bout of ten rounds at the Brown Gymnasium A. A. on Tuesday night. Sicger takes the place of Frankie Burns, who is ill, | Major Leagues Plan —<\ . For. 6 ROUNDS CORBETT FoRaoT Hid NERVES, .. Devaney Found HIM a GROWING 6} IRRITABLE == ey; wn T7. = fone rn) ! . % AT THAT INSTANT Corse TT so+- Saw HIMORLF of »/ DEFEATED CHAMPION > Legal Battle to Stop . Federa Ex-President Taft Reported to Have Given as His Opinion That Reserve Clause in Play- ers’ Contracts Is Legal. The major leaguer are now taking #¢- riously the announcement by the Fed- eral League that it has some thirty of the American and National Leagues signed up for next season, They are Planning @ big legni battle if the Fed- eraln attempt to tamper with their men and they have a large fund with which to defr: x pena The majors Intend to apply to the courts for injunctions to restrain any of the men of their reserved Unts from jumping their contracts. It te said that Charlle Murphy, owner of the Cubs, induced Charles P. Taft, one of the stockholders in his club, to) consult his brother, William H. Taft, ex-President of the United States, as to the legality of the reserve clause. It Is said that Taft gave as hin opinion that eserved players could be restrained from playing with any other club dur- ing 1914. Equipped with this opinion, the majors intend to take the Federale to court the minute they try to secure any of their players, It is believed that the reserve clause will cause a big fight In court. Although the much discussed clause was different in 1890 than {t is to-day, at that time Bupreme Court Justice Morgan J. O'Brien declared it Silegal. He decided that a club had no right to reserve a In the pres- player against his consent. ent day contract a player sells an op- tion of, Nis serves in return for 2% per cent. of the salary stipulated, The Federal League men say that organized baseball resorts to legal pro- ceedings the equity of the contract will be tested on the ground that a player can be released at any time regardiess Only Way. Johnson Can Lose Title Is in Ring, Says Frank S. O’Neil | Chairman of Boxing Commis- sion Doesn’t Approve French Federation’s Action. Chairman O'Nell of the Roxing Com- not cabled the French Federation, as report had It, to the ef- fect that he approved of tts action im annulling Jack Johneon's heavyweight title, O'Neil says that he did no such thing, and besides ts of the opinion as Secretary Harvey and the othe members of the Commiasion that the only way Johnson can lose bin title in as he won it~in the ring, However, he advocates the formation of an In- ternational Union that will formulate such rules as would compe! a champton to defend his title at certain Intervals, Here is Commissioner O'Noil's letter: Mr. Robert Edgren, Sporting Editor of The Evening World. Dear Bob: In to-day's Fvening World you comment upon a story cabled from Parie which in aude stance reads that T hive conntituted myself the “Lord High Executioner” of Mr, Johnson's title and that o secretary, Mr. Harvey, and the writer disagree over the merlin of the controversy now pend tween the French Federation ing Clubs and the world’s champla Mr. Harvey, Mr. Price, Major Dixon and I are in perfect hari on this question, Furthermore, | ad not wire Mr. Breyer ae to the core respondence and cables panetig tn tween the French Mederation and the Comminsion tb must refer you ay. Me will only be too you all the 1 1 League Raid of the term for which he signs. A well known attorney conversant with baseball law was asked for an opinion on the reservation clause in the orgdmized league contract. He replied that in the event of injunction proceed- ings Clause 10 might prove troublesome, in view of the fact that there is no stated salary for the following year. He Pointed to the fact that if @ player should refuse to sign for the malary of- fered he would be blacklisted or pre vented froin playing with any other club operating under the provisions of the national agreement, whereas if the contracting club refused to accede to the player's demands no punishment woukl be forthcoming. David L, Fults, president, together | th with Jake Daubert of the Brookiyne, Ray Collins of the Red Sox, John Miéll- er of the Cardinals, John Henry of the Washingtons and Eiwand Reulbach of the Brooklyne will represent the Baseball Piayers’ Fraternity before the National Commission in Oimcinnatt on Jan, ¢. Fults announced yesterday that he had received an invitation from the comminsion to send a committee to the conference, and that the players named, who are directors of the organization, would attend. First Baseman Borton, who was trad- ed to the Yankees last season in the deal which sent Hal Chase to the White Sox, haa been sold to the Venice Club of the Pacific Coast League. Borton was released by the Yankees last season to Jersey City, but he refused to pinay in the International League. President Ebbets of the Brooktyn Clud, who leaves for New Orleans to- day, to enjoy a three-weeks’ vacation, said yesterday that he resented oriti- clam for not signing Joe Tinker, “The matter is being handled by the Brook- lyn Club in @ proper, businesstike way.” eaid Ebbets, ‘and in due time & wil de satisfactorily adjusted.” Arthur Devin, according to @ report ‘trom California, wit not be retained as imanager of the Oakland team. by death or a defeat? We might with equal dignity at self amsurance decree that the Ki! of Engiand has forfeited his title as to rule that the heavyweight title ts In abeyance. A rule should be passed by an International Confederation of Box- ing Clubs compeliing a champion to defend iis title within a given period of time. ‘The title of champion {ts too valuable an agset to its possessor to he annulled except through the Infraction of certain ru regulations governing The day is not far distant such a code will be perfected, It's unfortunate that such a set of rules | | | in not in existence to-day ‘The French Federation, headed by + Mr. Paul Rousseau and Mr. Victor Breyer, have done much In promoting A new set of rules, We appreciate their zeal in this matter, but we cannot subscribe to their Tequest that Johason’s title ts forfeited. We ——————————ES SES Mhugrne Whips Smith Again. Joe “Young” Shu of Jersey certainly has the "Indian sign’ ‘Cy" Bmith of Hopoken, for he gave him another severe trouncing last night att jational porting Club, thie be- Ing tho second time In eleven days that he bas outpointed him in a ten-round acrap. Smith did not put up as mood ® Oght agninst Shugrue as he did last week at the Brown Gymnasium, for he was unable to land effectively in this bout, _————_ Olympte A. C, Was Di at Tig’ The Olympic A. C. of Harlem held @ show last night at which all the priny clyala were eolorsd fighters, In the tain go George Robinson put it alt over John Lester Joh: In the oti bouts Marts Spencer and Rating Ch fought ® draw, Bob Le OPP: Charles Foster in the third Fount, ang mode work ‘ouns EDITED BY ROBERT EDGREN . ty | Jee ald no agreement hed been RST COURT TENNIS ~TOURNAVENT FOR NEW CUP STARTS TO-DAY of Best Country Ent Some Amateurs d for Tuxe edo Park Series. in ere, ere The first court tennis tournament for the new national chatlenge cup pr seated ty the Tuxelo Tennis and. Ri Civo Wil begia at Tuxedo Park to- wT the best amatoure in the are euteret for the tropny, tanes the piace of the Gold Rac- suet, now the possession of day Gould [after a series of victories, The tourna. Jment is open only to amateurs who have not won a championship, Ut :muat be won three times to obtain permanent jownership. * n New York an@ Bor- prising the aynd that will construct at Bath, Me., « to compete for the honor of defending the America’s Cup will hold thelr fret meoting here next Monday evening. George M, Pynchon, managing owner of new craft, will represent New | York: F. Walter Clark, former sommo- dore of the Philadelphia-Corinthian Yacht Club, will head the Philadelphia Gelegation, and six Bosten Cortnthians will attend. It ie expected that prelim- Inary designs of the boat will be ex- amined and the season's campaign fer- mulated. The Netherlands has followed the lead of other European countries i= quest of athletic prowess. Inanefert ¢: the Government ts apending money lavishly. A splendid stedium is now In course of construction at Ammeter- dam. It will be completed early neat summer, In an endeavor to arouse @- Inetea4 of the shedul Johnny Ma} has been to train the horses of Frederick son and C. K. G, Billings newt year. elgagement came as a the trainer, who had Dr. Tanner, the trot! Billings, when M eon formed a partnerenip, year. Dr. or has decided ti De unable to fulft! the i i it i it ‘Tann best of health and 5 @ sustained thelr penalties in penalty es- & rule. has mi Can you or any lover of the sport who doctrine of fair play? Faithfull: FRANK 8, O'NESL. Dec, 26, 101 Federals Offer Tinker $36,000 For Three Years CHICAGO, Dec. %--The pustle of who is to get Tinker remained unsolved yoaterday and new angles to the deal surface, Tinker and the the Federal League held fa long conference yesterday afteragan concerning the offer to make the retel- Nous Brooklyn player manager of the local ‘outlaw’ club. At its conclusion reached, Dut further conferences would be held to-day. An unconfirmed repert was thet Tinker will close with the Federals not later than Monday, This was followed by the repart that Joe is urging Mordecai Brown to take the plunge and become atar pitehg: for Tinker's Chloago team. It wae learned from a trustworthy? wourme that he ie offered 936,000 for three years. The money ia to be in @ local bank and he (e to have the privilege of drawiag @ certain amount each month until the term of his oop- tract empires, When asked ton whether thie eum was correct, would not deny or confirm it = He