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Show 1 "My Hardest Battle" ""Sg" n aeaa. BTtvaxa. !eL' --eaeY' gfW BBBBBaV' I waBSgkwwr- (aaamBnalLl B 1 exeata w" WCyKufr$ aaxSV wBstcV 'iaSBBW r it- .-BBBBW aSF SsSsjMajLaaSsBsS T aXHrBT. Owen Mora was one of our greatest little lighters on aad off. J. Ball's nifty little light weight i onioaoutatlTo could mix things up with equal facility when "an the wagon" or "off the wagon ' It wae jast a difference of I location. Whan "ea" he usually oea, flaad h re battlea to the ring, aad whan "off," why, say old place he could drop hia hat waa sou tlclent I Not at all beeauae Owen was po seeeed with a disagreeable (ersoasiiiv far he waa sot. Moras was very pleasant aad popular and alwaya left aa excellent impreeoioa on those he met. 80 good ss impression that there will be many who will dieueltore tbe feet that the little Englishman wse probably the hcavieet drinker of hi" weight ia tbe world. He certainlv drask more in prtortion than old John U, and J oka nearly drank it all. Tble nn.iienched thirst, bv tbe way, is re sponsible for tbe defeats in Owen's record bonk and the gray hairs la Char ley Harvey's bead. It also is respond bin for his hardest battle. Now Moras didn't tell this to me he confessed it one time to Chsrlev Harvey: aad, sines he is oeer in EOg 'land, why, here goeet Owen's hsrdeet battle was with the United Mtatee armt. Kight! The little fellow promlned and agreed to whip the whole United Rtatee army one day out on 'Frieeo hey. It wae when Moran wae out on the coast for hie second -hauls with the then feather weight champion. Abe Attell. trwco had neen out west before. be-fore. He had fought Attell a terrific twenty -round draw at t'olma some montha previous and wae thoroughly familiar with all the ways and means of Trieeo town. He liked Trisce. That lively, good natured, and care free city was just rebuilt for him. Dids 't it coatain a wealth of select emporiums for the thirsty aa well aa that i ncom parsbls "Barbsrv Coaet"! Aht the " Barbery Coast"' Moran always was a good sailor, aad maybe he didn't do some rollicking r.ruifing slong those liquor lapped shorea of ths Pacific street. Considering Moran s training meth ods It's really remerkaMe bow wsll he fought. Late one afternoon, after as all night cruise on the "coast. " Moras waa making his wav anroee the bay on s ferry boat to Billy Shannon 's villa, his training quarters, fast serosa from Han Frsncuco Owen was in the beet of spirits (sad the beet of spirits were in and added a few other more or less complimentary opinions, particulsrly 'Mess." and wnnnd np the sentence B attempting to plant a right handed period on tbe point of a lieutenant 'l jaw and dot a few eyes belonging to our I'ncle Samuel ' boys. VTar was derlsredt The army advanced in regular order on Moran." Xow, we couldn't hardly expect Owen to defeat a whole rgi ment- and he didn't; but suffice it to say ha put up a woaderful aad exceed irrgly Interesting bettle, much to the delight of the spectators who lined the railings on tbe upper decks. The soldier sol-dier boys .lust sitnph spanked the tittle Fnglieber good. Tbey formed in gent let formation snd passed the furious Morso up and down those Isnee of soft kicks sod prods until they were footsore foot-sore and weary Tbev bounced htm about the deck, hung him over the sides, dunted bis clothes, and mas-sagej mas-sagej bis head with the butts of their guns until Owen was right glad when the boat slipped into Ttburon and the battle wan stopped "Hi sav' hit was bawful, Charier," Moran told Harvey afterward. "The blood' soldiers were too much for nie. "Hi never 'ad Mich a toime afore in me Inife. Hi'd rawther foight Ibis Attell fellow a doxen toimes then to cross th ' bloody bay again, mv word on H! Hit was a war, that's h'all a war!" And we al know what Bherman said. him) and he tacked about the lower deck, dropping "hs" aad pithy remarks re-marks with generous tongue. Bleating? a group of United States soldiers on deck, he keel hauled his tops Is, adjusted his bearing, and head ed their way. Tha soldisrs were oe a "leave" from the presidio in Ban Francisco aad were on their way to a i little outing at Achutsea park in Marin county. That mad do different to Moran Heeing that they wers aoldlers, aad, of roaree, evervbodv know, that it's a aoldier a huaiaase to flfkt. Owes deemed it hi " dooty " to really look iaio ths matter esrefiill.. thoruuffhlr, aad expertly, so as to determine woef b er they were eompeteat, and, if not, report re-port them to the presidsnt. He sized them up alowly and carefully care-fully from hair to heels and from alfve to aleere. A disdainful smile cTrrled up one aide of Owen's shining face. Evidently the toys in khaki did not look so vrrv good to Moran. In fact, they looked like so msnv one-kerueled neannts to England 'a little champ, so aummonine; up all the air in reach, he braced himself, aurd annmintred in a large, roast beef roiee: "Hi caw n llek the whole Ualtel States army! ' afomn paused, with hia left hand on his hip and his right palm tanted down ward. o answer. A few of the soldiers sol-diers scowled a little, but most of them on-lv smiled. T'ndannted. Owen repeated his threat |