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Show Funny Taes of the Knights of the Padded Mit I TT is perhaps a difficult matter to believe be-lieve that there aro any good na-tured na-tured pugilists because of tho strenuous strenu-ous lives thev lead, but it is nevertheless neverthe-less a fact that many fighters revel in funmaklng when they let up In their training. When Willie Low Is, the sturdy Now York middleweight, came across the Atlantic from England lie thoioughly onjojod himself on the big liner. Among the passengers was a big. Important Im-portant looking englishman, who seemed to take extreme delight In de-crj de-crj ing everything American. One aft-' aft-' prnoon there was an entertainment in the first cabin, and the temporary stage was decorated with an Dnglish and American flag Suddenly the stars and stripes fell to tho lloor accidentally, whereupon the Britisher exclaimed: "Thats like everj blooming thing American1 It's not substantial and Is bound to fall1" "What In thunder do you mean 7" demanded de-manded Lewis, with fire In his eyes "Just eactlv what I said!" replied the Briton "Don't you Yankees understand un-derstand the English Unguago7" "Yes. I understand you!" said the American fighter quickly "Just step down below and I'll show you how substantial sub-stantial jou are'" "Haw. haw' A mere stripling like you. cW Why I'd thr.ush you In a Jiffy'" laughed the Briton as he accepted accept-ed Lewis' Invitation Bolng gloves were brought out and many passengers went below to see the fun. The Englishman Eng-lishman was vrry agg:es.sive and made a numbor of wild rushes, which Lewis nimbly sidestepped with a broad grin. "Very clever, very clever, Mr Yan-keo!" Yan-keo!" exclaimed the Briton. "But I'll get you finally. See If I don't." Lewis continued to feint and sidestep side-step nnd did not attempt to land a blow In the first round. In tho second round tho young American cleverly ducked the terrific punches of his big antagonist, but finally, Just before time was up, he crossed him with a hard right on the point of the jaw and tho Englishman fell In a heap. When the latter had been revived "Who Is this young Yankee anyway? Why, he hits like a triphammer!" But Lewis' Identity was kept a secret until tho steamship reached her dock. Then the Briton heard the crowd of sports cry out, "Oh, you Willie Lewis'" "And he's a real tighter, eh?" gasped tho Englishman In nstonlshmont. "Well, who'd have thought It." "It was only a bit of fun." explained Lewis to his friends later on "I didn't want to hurt the big cad. I only gave him a little comic lesson In polltone.ss" Young Corbett h.is always been a funmaker, even In the ring When ho fought Battling Nelson the first time he "kidded" the lightweight champion to such an extent that the ringside spectators laughed outright. "Who told you that you could flght7" Corbett whispered In a clinch. "Why. Bat, you'ro a Joke " Ev en when Nelson Nel-son got home a solid wallop on tho Jaw Corbett continued his Joshing. "Huh, I thought you wore a hitter!" he remarked as he camo back from this punch and mixed It hotly. "You couldn't put a dent In a charlotto russe. Say, what's the namo of the town you pamo fiom?" Nelson was furious and was on the point of replying when he cooled off quickly nnd dodged a heavy blow aimed for the Jaw that might have ended the fight then and there "You've got nn awful nerve to be fighting, Nelson " Corbett went on. "You ought to go back to work aa a hash sllnger." This was only a few moments before Nelson landed a terrific ter-rific stomach punch that dropped the Denver boy to tho floor for tho final count. "The funniest fltfhtfl I ever had." oald John L. Sullivan recently, "were during dur-ing my big tour in 1883. When we ntruck Victoria, B C , the first man wo met was tho mayor. He wanted to know If the $1,000 I hung up for anybody who would stay four rounds was a genuine $1,000 note. "There's only ono way of convincing you." I answered "Here's the money Hold It yoursolf!" That pleased tho mayor and gave us an official standing In the town. But the mayor got on my nerves, and I didn't like him a little lit-tle bit. He was a sawed off Irishman, so small I could havo tucked him nwny in one of my pockets, "A Frenchman accepted my challenge, chal-lenge, and he had a pretty fair reputation reputa-tion in town as a boxer. He was fairly crazy to win tho thousand, and when ho was about to enter tho ring I discovered dis-covered that his body and arms had been bathed In oil. so that my punches would slip off. and he would not be Injured. "Tho Frenchman had a crowd of H friends on hand, w ho expected to see IH him stay the limit. During the day M they had bought a lot of hard stuff for H me. with tho idea that I wouldn't be M in any kind of form when I faced their M fighter. But I was there with the iH punch and knocked Frenchy down H three times In the first round. The )H third knockdown kept him on tho floor , JM half an hour, dead to the world. When H he camo to be asked to see me, and H while we were talking I asked how It j felt to go to sleep so suddenly. He re- M " 'When you hit me one time I think H I see one French soldier. When you bit H me three times I think I see one whole H army!' Then, wiping the oil out of his H eyes, ho looked at my mauleys and ex- H claimed: H "'Oil. oh I I can break ze wood H fences with my feesLs, but you, M. H Sullivan, you break ze stone walls with H jours!'" H |