Show CORBETT l IS CONFIDENT Pompadour Jim Writes of the Coming Battle TH SPORTING ORACLES THOSE TIPPING MITCHELL TO WIN WILL BE FOOLED The Champion Calls Attention to the Predictions of Sporting Writers When He Met Sullivan Interest in the Battle Taken in Salt Lake In nine more days the result of the CorbettMitchell battle will be known CorbettlIt hel batte wi and as the day approaches interest in the great contest increases Here in Salt Lake Corbett is a hot favorite but there are not wanting those who pin their faith on the Englishman Eng-lishman who in spite of l the senseless sense-less newspaper talk never yet made a bluff and who has a long string of victories to his credit without one defeat I Corbett is certainly the favorite allover over the United States and the Michel Mich-el men have been able to get dds of 2 to 1 for their money although a good many bets have been made on even terms Quite a pot of money ha been wagered wa-gered in Salt Lake the most of it on the result at odds averaging about 6 to 10 in favor of Corbett Then some bets have been made on the number num-ber of rounds the enthusiastic Corbett men being willing to wager that i will not last over ten rounds The real betting however will not I commence until a day or two before the fight when pools will be sold here on all of the various propositions Jim Corbett has a host of personal friends in Salt Lake He really commenced com-menced his career as a pugilist here resided in the city for a considerable time and was married here These facts doubtless account for the popularity popu-larity of the American champion inS in-S lt Lake and the following letter from him to Mr Green sporting editor interest of the StarSayings will be read with Dear SirI have many friends in St Louis and vicinity and recognizing the StarSayings as a sporting authority au-thority in that section I want to give you my personal views with reference to the coming international contest together to-gether with something about how I have been treated in the past and what I expect to do in this battle When I fought Sullivan many sporting writers in this country tipped J L S for a 10 to 1 shot they devoted their specials to describing how he would stop me in two rounds and some of them went so far as to give a description of the fight in advance Well they were mistaken mis-taken and they are bitter against me because I had the audacity to winNow win-Now they advance the theory after that contest that Sullivan was a decrepit de-crepit old man despite the fact that he had fought twenfyone hard rounds going to his corner Several times groggy grog-gy and conning back all right a physical impossibility for a man not in condition They published sensational sensa-tional stories of drugs being used etc I and in fact some of them resorted to any means to rob me of the credit of my unexpected victory by trying to prove me overrated etc and thus put themselves right before the sporting public as oracles They forgot that Sullivans true and lifelong friends who had been with him all through his training had announced nounced themselves astonished at his superb condition and bet 3 to 1 that he would win Sullivan himself had said that he was as good as he ever was and there you are Now some of them hop that Mitchell may draw a lottery prize and land a chance blow on me and they are tipping tip-ping him and hoping that he may win Well I will fool them again Another reason why the true state of things in Florida is not being sent over the wires is because the newspapers I news-papers want this contest to take place and do not allow Mitchells strange actions to b known because they want I to see him go in the ring as I will be a news event ahd they know the I public wants the contest take place The Duval club haS had to jolly this I fellow like a 2yearold baby in order to get him here at all All sorts of I inducements were offered him financial I and otherwise Brady was unjustly i roasted to please him lie hates Brady I because he cant monkey with him Bowden the manager of the club acknowledges ac-knowledges this they have given in to I him in every way in order to entice I him into meeting me I required the efforts of three of the club members I for three days with a score of reporters to have him sign the revised articles i agreeing to meet anwhere else but in Jacksonville I offered lr go anywhere in the state as there is no law here I against us and they cannot molest us after the fight if it comes off but he I refused to do as I did and insisted on St Johns or Duval county as the meet ing place and he must have notice and know the place ahead Do you know why Because he wants to post the authorities in case it is decided to bring the contest off secretly He did I this before when he was maUhfl1 with a tenthrater like Sade Why should he not do it now He is the aner Ilf the contest is stopped He must have something to live on lie has existed and gained the notoriety he has by fighting John L Sullivan a draw He never did anything else he never showed a sign of wanting to go to a finish although repeatedly chal lenged by middleweights since that time until Sullivan was beaten He stated in New York two years ago be fore a score of reporters that he would never fight to a finish Why Because Be-cause Sullivan was still champion and his chest was out with the repu tation of having fought a draw with him Why did he consent to wih the background as a second and advisor behind Kilram and Slavic when they challenged Sullivan if he Mitchell was their superior and could whip the big fellow Sullivans defeat took him oil his perch and now he thinks by showing a desire to meet me and hav ing the fight stopped he can exist on the reputation of his socalled gameness game-ness He insisted on bringing the match off at Roby because he knew it was an impossibility there He did not sign with Coney Island until he had inside information that the con test would not be allowed He refused to go to the Olympic club in New Or leans until it was a certainty that Governor Foster would interfere He insisted on postponing the contest in Florida l from December 18 to January 25 so that there would be an excellent excelent chance of the opposition crystalizing itself in order to stop us He did not come to Florida until Governor Mitch Michel Mich-el put himself on record a positively against the prbposed match He does not want to meet me a glance at his record shows it He never went to a finish in his life against a good man By examining his record you will find wi fnd draw draw draw stopped by darkness stopped by police etc etc I1 never have had this uncertainty in any contest that I have engaged in I have always been on time and never disappointed a club or an audience in my life and I never will When JQhn L Sullivan issued his challenge to the world he dictated everything and I accepted his conditions in their entirety entir-ety and the match was made in 5 minutes min-utes and no alterations or revisions were ever necessary I asked for no losers end training expenses etc and I was not a rich eXjenes either I I fought Peter Jackson in the Cali fornia Athletic club against the wish of my friends EverY officer of that Qlub was my enemy even the referee was Jaoksons friend and against mp J i and I waS defrauded out of a contest f that I wpuld have surely won Now in conclusion I would make the statement that all through this contest Mitchell has talked about the Mitchel Law he has required protection in every paper he has signed The Duval Athletic club was forced to give him a i bond Indemnifying him against the law I required none He never misses an opportunity of telling how fearful he is of arrest Well we are in a state now where there is no law against a boxing contest and i he succeeds in having Governor Mitchell stop this match I know he is trying to here is his future programme He will travel this country issuing challenges to me on circus three sheets in his cheeky way to meet me according to London prize ring rules Why Because he knows a fight under those rules is a states prison offense in every state in this land and he hopes by this play to coin some more dollars from a country coun-try whose people he termed as sewer rats before a crowded assemblage in London I do not think Mitchell tricky or smart he is simply a confidence man who gulls his best friends and if he should ever summon up courage to meet me in a ring an event I look forward to with a great deal of pleas ure you may rest assured that his money will be on Corbett to win thus throwing down his friends as he has always done Yours truly JAMES J CORBETT |