Show Battling E ling Nelson Nelso n Ready to Retire BY H. H L. L BAGGERLY SAN FRANCISCO Aug 9 FolIo Follo Folio wing the announcement made yesterday yesterday yesterday yester yester- day to the effect that Battling Nelso n would retire from the ring after engaging engaging en en- in one more championship batt le Ie a close friend of the Dane stated yesterday that the latter was merely c carrying out the old saw advising us that discretion is the better part of or valor According to this informant Nelson Nel Nd- son took his first peek at the ting on the wall when he met Ad Wolgast Wolgast Wolgast Wol Wol- gast in ill Los Angeles six weeks ago an d since that time the champion has been hard at work figuring out how he could retire with all the honors of his class and still fatten his bank rol roll 1 by meeting some of the light weights who are now clamoring for a match w ith him After some weeks of meditation medi tation the lettuce haired one has deci decided ded to take the tho middle course viz to meet the most likely of Dr f all the ants ant for his crown and then retire win or lose leaving another boxer as the act ive defender of the title Bat Bat t is U almost through said Nel son sons son's a friend yesterday and and he knows it better than anyone else The constan t which he has taken in the past thirteen years have at last penetrated to a vital spot and in his last two engagements the engagements the one with Clifford in Oklahoma and that with Wolgast in Los Angeles Angeles he he found himself cringing and backing away for the first time in his career as a pugilist Just think of it I Over rounds of three minutes each has he been through not counting all the minor engagements and exhibitions that he has participated in He Me has accumulated a comfortable fortune and invested invested in in- vested it wisely Its It's time for him to quit There is no question that the Battler from awful larruping did take an Wol Wolgast ast and that it set him thinking about thin things s which have never before entered his head As Aa one critic said When Nelson says a contest was was was' fairly fair fairly fairly fair fair- j it that th-at hoot ho can ba bank on ly even you TOU got cot ot a a. licking Of course it it is is not not advanced as as a consensus us of opinion that Wol Wolgast ast is the man to turn tun the trick and knock the Dane out over the Marathon Mara Mara- Marathon thon distance although h it is the personal per belief of the writer that sueh such would be tho the result Anyhow the Milwaukee Mil Mu- Mu waukee boxer hurt Oscar more marc than he cared to admit and aud the latter refused d battle to consider a a. forty round with Ad before fall if then The New York papers are now clamoring clamor log ing u for a n contest bet between veen Bert Keyes a local favorite and the Dane promising prom pronto promising ising all sorts sarts of luscious purses anda and anda a side bet if Nelson will agree to accept Bat is said to be seriously serious senous seriously ly considering their offer Possibly ho he sees in a match with Keyes a chance to dra drag down a nice tidbit plus the side sido bet and then retire leaving Welch Wol Wolgast ast McFarland Thompson 1 Frayne et a al at squabbling over the tho bones At any rate it would not be at all surprising surprising sur to hear bear that the Battler Battier has renounced the rin ring almost any time Welchs Welch's Homo Home Coming Freddie Preddie Welch the tho young roun who is after Nelsons Nelson's scalp or soon will be certainly received a royal welcome welcome wel wel- come to his homo home in Wales Vales if it the Welsh and En English lish newspapers are to tobe tobo tobo bo be believed An American newspaper correspondent who accompanied the clover clever little boxer declares that ho he never ne-er saw anything like it in his life and that ho he would not have missed seeing Welsh welcome Welch Velch for a fortune In a IL letter published in the Glamorgan Glamorgan Glamorgan gan Free Press this thil writer says hays I have just seen the tho reception given iven to te Freddie Welch Velch by his home people and now no noI I can tell you ou why he and the theother theother theother other Welsh bo boys in in America are nrc such I wonderful fi fighters The Tho bald fact is that over oer of Fred Ired Welchs Welch's countrymen coun T down from the hills into the streets of Pontypridd and Merthyr to welcome him and to assure him of their thir pride in his hill hi prowess as a boxer Perhaps you ou swill will think the hundred thousand just a figure of speech or a press prell a agents agent's rhapsody I am sure suro I would nave have thought so o if I had not seen what I did Even Evea now when I recall recall re re- re- re call enn it in cold blood I wonder if I Iwas Iwas was IS not dreaming the thing was so ex cx- I am sin old enough 1 to have ha lived in tilt the days of our civil hiI ws wor 8 when tho the scarred and limping limpin remnants of the r regiments that had fou fought ht our battits bat tits ties ed up Broadw Broadway Y proudly carrying car car- Tying their tattered antI and nd torn bullet flags while we lined the sidewalks shouting a welcome and an appreciation I Ire re ro remember member tho the throb of my inv boyish boish heart a aI as I watched those ra ragged veterans and until now I have ve seen scon nothing like liko that sight but absurd and aud out of proportion proportion tion as it n may mav seem to you I assure you 1 0 that the welcome given en to the little boxer on Saturday Sl out thrilled anything i iI I I over ever saw lIaw before Howling Mob of Friends I I halt had in n my mind the American point of view that that the hit i i is the tho only kind of athlete who ill is is not table Therefore not 1 uig l. l could lId pr prepare pre jire pare tn mo Inc for a seething roaring ur surging surg nig ing mil mass of humanity It n as asif if we ha hl had l 1 suddenly s come lOme upon a it wall wail which must block our way but as the 1 car slowed showed down t to a a. sn snails snail ils il's s 's pace Ute the tumultuous mass opened and then engulfed engulfed en en- gulfed us That was the end of speed speed- ln ing We WI crawled then for hours through h the packed streets of ot Pontypridd Ponty Ponty- escorted by ever chao changing in thron throngs s of mad niad enthusiasts I howlin howling their rough Welsh greetings at their idol striving furiously to get et at him bim if only to touch tone his coat coat weeping with jo jo as he put out outa a precious hand band to be touched They tore three of the ears cars to pieces anti ami they were left by th the tho wayside They wanted to get at the modest little littfe boxer and carry him on their uplifted I hands They the car and then i ilet let it creep on on again They dra dragged as it until in its struggle le ag against them its parts became white hot hot and it could go no more Then they laid themselves themselves them them- selves against the massive thill thing and pushed it up un the steepest hills as if it were but a frolic to do it They fought among themselves for the honor of standing for a moment by the side of the tho machine This Wont Won't Hurt Me I I watched Freddie marveling ml 11 He lie smiled and bowed and waved d his hand and took off his bat hat he stood up 11 ho lie sat on the tIle back of the car ear seat he shook hands bands with the men and kissed his hand to the blushing girls I 1 won wn dered if his head was as swelling as us wo wt have known pugilistic iI s Yr b heads to do whon honor was done their owners I p Presently Pros Pres- he be bent his head to me and s said Milici id- id I 1 I know what you youre you're re thinking This won wont won't t hurt me It makes me proud but not vain And AntI it makes me stronger r to live a clean life so that I can justify such a welcome as this I Id I'd d nev never r dare disappoint them now If it wasn wasn't t tam tain before it is now that now that Ill I'll be champion champion cham cham- pion of the world |