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16 THE S.RTURD.llY EVENING POST July 20, 19:SS
Y AVAJ.J e
With EDDY ORCUTT . -- ., ... :.·,,
ONG about ten o'clock on the
night' of Jurie 9; 1899,-.at' the ' r .
X Seaside Sporting Club, Coney
Island, I crawled inside those ropes
against Bob Fitzsim~ons to fight him COURTESY NASIB, N . Y .
for the title. · · No Crouch Here; the Famous .fharkey Fight at
That was the great night of my life.
The fight mob packed the club, and
it was still cheering Fitz when I got rule that we wanted, and we did it with a rough trick
jn. That was-all.right; no champion in my dressing room, but . we did not scare him
ever deserved a ·ch·ee:r more than he any, and we did not try to. I intended to fight Fitz
did. When I got to my corner, I found in close, and I wanted to be able to hit on the break,
that the ring lamp reflectors were· instead of having to break clean and step back. Just
fixed to throw the light square in my before we went in the ring, George Siler, the referee,
eyes, but that was all right too. I was got us together in my. dressing room and asked us
just the challenger-the betting was how we wanted to :fight.
2 to 1 that,Fitz would beat me; and I . Before Fitz could speak up for a clean break, I
had to expect that the ring would be said to him: ''. Let's clinch and break right here; then
rigged the way the champion wanted we'll know just what Siler means by a clean break.
it. That was the way they did things All right?"
in those days. Fitz and I clinched; when Siler ordered us to break,
Over in Fitz's corner, friends had I slammed Fitz away as hard as I could. I put plenty
piled a floral ,hors.eshoe . as tl;lill. as he of power into it.
was, and he was ,standing besiµ.e it. " Is that an all-right break?" I asked Siler.
He was grinning, mi ttin'.g· the cfr"owd.- He said: "Sure."
He had on a fancy dressing gown; and Fitz looked me over. I'd shaken his eyeteeth with
you could see the belt of American that shove into the wall. "Gor'blimey," he said,
flags around his waist when the dress.:. " Our Hair Never Grew In Again." .fharkey "we'll protect ourselves at all times !"
ing gown brushed open. and Jeffries 21 Years After Being Scorched Up in the ring, standing beside his horseshoe and
by the Movie Arc Lights at Coney Island
I was wearing street clothes on over grinning at me, Fitz had a wicked look in his eye.
my tights-I never owned a di:essing Don't think he was scared, or anything like it. Fitz
gown in my life. I was wearing a was the guy that said: "The bigger they are, the
maroon sweater from the .old -Rel1ance 'arder they fall ! "
Club, back in Oakland. Years after- Waiting for the bell, I told the boys. in my corner
ward, th'e newspapermen all called it what I wanted. It is hooey to say that a :fighter
"Jeff's old red sweater," but it was plans his fight beforehand. How can he? How does
maroon-the club's color. I wore a he know what the other boy is going to do? I only
cap to shade my eyes against those knew I wanted to keep in close, so Fitz couldn't
lights. stand off and peck me to pieces. That's why I wanted
In my old clothes and my red to be able to hit on the break. And I knew what I
sweater and cap, maybe I looked like wanted my corner to do.
a tramp. But down in my heart, that "At the end of every round," I told Billy Delaney,
night, I knew I was ready. I was '' I want you to tell me how I'm going. I want to
right, see? And down in my heart, keep my nose out in front of thi fellow."
right today, I don't believe the :fighter I said to my brother Jack: "I want you to do just
ever lived that could have licked me one thing: At the beginning of every round, when I
that night. If that sounds like boast- get off my stool, I want you to tell me: 'Be careful!' "
ing, I'm sorry. I didn't want to take a chance with Fitz, the way .
Corbett had.
Getting a Break
Silence in a Corner
AITING in my corner, I was on
Wedge for the fight to begin, but I CK TONER-" the Rat"-was in my corner;
I was not scared ab.out how it wa D he was the best rough-and-tumble :fighter in
coming out. Fitz grinned across at New York, and he got his nickname from being a rat
me ·and gave me the eye. He was not catcher. He carried a gun. "If anybody yells at me
scared either. from this corner," I told the Rat, "I want you to
Once in a while, somebody says: pull that gun out and bend it over his head." He
"I understand you threw the fear of would have too.
God into Fitz just before that fight. Tommy Ryan was in my corner, and he was a
Is that true?" great guy for yelling at a fight. I didn't want to be
It is not. No body ever threw a fear bothered, and I wasn't.
into Bob Fitzsimmons in a dressing ROBERT A. MILLER, LOS ANGELES Siler called us out. The instructions took maybe
room or any place else. Billy Delaney A Left Hook to the Liver Will Give Any~ a minute. Then I shook hands with lanky Bob Fitz-
and I did fox him in to agreeing to a . one the Jeffries Crouch. He Illustrates simmons and they gave us the bell.
