| Show t 11 wives of prominent prize fighters at ache ringside AIS kinds of graney is named referee ring side colma cal sept 0 manager coffroth mauo tho following statement at noon regarding the referee question has been selected and agreed upon by both beltt and nelson once the fact that belsons nelsons Nel sons manager has since changed hla mind and now objects to jeffrees Jeff rles will not alter the situation jeffrees Jeff rles alli go into the ring if nelson still holds out against jeffrees Jeff rles and britt will not accept any one else there will bo nothing tor me to do but call it all ott and give the money bade I 1 have no authority to namo tho referee I 1 can only suggest somo one in case the men consent to another selection the men weighed in at harry corbetts about 11 this forenoon britt just balanced the scale at pounds and nelson did not alee the beam to the crowd gathered early hundreds carrying box lunches prepared to stay any length of uin appeared to expect a wrangle and delay over tho referee at the lat la t moment although it would be no surprise if graney proved to bo the compromise choice of the men A heavy fog drifted in from the ocean about 11 and the skies aro dull and leaden it it gats no darker however tha picture men say they will be able to work machine successfully tho machines were placed about forty feet from the west side of the ring on a platform ten feet above the ground three aro in operation in order to insure a complete and continuous record Coffi roth estimates tho attendance at the controversy over the referee has hurt the attendance materially the scenes outside the high fence around the arena had all the appearance of a frontier mining camp or the immediate vicinity of a circus taking advantage of tho fact that they were outside the city and county of san francia Franc iw and across the border anc of san mateo county gambling sharps operated games of infinite variety As is usual in great sporting events was a crowd ot hangers on outside as large aa that inside and freely played the games thousands of dollars changed hands as a result on many of tho roulette and faro tables hundreds ot dollars were stacked up la coin in plain view of tho crowds A number of games were conducted by women who reaped a rich harv est on the percentages cen the games netted them every automobile in san francisco had been engaged to bring parties ot men over the ten or twelve miles of as good road as could be imagined the grounds out side the arena were oiled with ms chines while stable sheds harbored every sort of equipage large delegations of ring followers came from all tho large cities of the coast and numerous eastern point special cars brought the leading sportsmen of kansas city butte salt lake city goldfield and reno nevada and pacific coast points including los angeles portland sacramento seattle and spokane elaborate preparations had been made to preserve order outside and inside the arena officers from francisco detective agencies as wall as san matoo county constables were both in evidence there was no disorder outside and inside it was as quiet and calm as a camp meeting every one WAS in a good humor and conre aaa about eating luncheons from boxes and wondering what would happen the main portion of the crowd dd not commence to come in until 1 at that hour they poured in through tho gates in numbers to keep tho ticket busy they formed in long lines outside and pushed and crowded until all was confusion finally the special police managed to get the eager enthusiasts into line and they got inside the gates when they did eater the arena the ushers became rattled and there were many complaints from persons who could not get their seats the aisles became so badly congested that it was difficult for any one to move tho first question asked as the jsn surged through the sates was who la going to be the referee tho uncertainty as to whether there would be a fight at all and the still greater uncertainty as to tho of the contest practically brought to a standstill the pool room concession inside tha ground had made elaborate preparations to handle the big crowd of bettorf bettors but no business was done although odds of 10 to 6 were offered with artt the favorite after the two boxers weighed in at la san francisco this tore noon they got into automobiles with their respective managers and trainers and started for colma A chill wind carried a heavy fog in from the pacific and when the men reached colma they appeared pretty thoroughly chilled james camo through the gato to the arena at and took 1 teat at tho ringside he was cheered by the crowll but paid no attention to the demonstration jeirles Jen rles said he was on hand to act as he had been chosen by the fighters he know nothing about what they intended doing aside arom that father came up to jeffries and told him that ho wanted the bis retired champion to act as referee jeffries Jeffri ea declared that hs did not want to if thera was going to be any unseemly squabble about the matter at 1 30 nolan belsons nelsons Nel sons manager left the arena and declared he would not return until the question was settled nelson 18 reported a mile away from corroa resting belsons nelsons Nel sons father la disposed to take a hand in the matter and throw nolan over seated in a box close to the ringside were mrs kettrles Jett rles mrs gaorge siler and mrs william delaney accompanied bv a party of gentlemen manager coffroth came into the rans thaw V called beltt up and told him to bring jimmy in have told nolan that I 1 would give him until 2 to your contract calla for alm men to bo in ho ring at p si if Is not on hand at 3 thep will be no fight chy dont you provide a dressing room for my man said nolan seeking an excuse to hill time you have a room iho aadne AS beltt said nelson immediately afterward nolan went out no ono knobb whether ho all havo nelson in the ring by 2 or not says there will be no pictures nolan demanding guarantee as bis share from tho picture privilege refused to accede to any such demand and hen said there would be no lectures there Is some betting the arena the odds being 10 to 7 the crowd sat very quietly and pa awaiting the britt party put in the time in pulling soft surgical bands orf jimmys hands the moving picture people look many snap shots with cameras bu had not up to this time attempted to use heir machines wlllie britt that Nelson be produced at once adding im not going to keep my man here all day that fellow was to be here at I 1 30 it isnow is now just 3 its tough said con roth p m britt came inlo the ring accompanied by his irB lher spider kelly sam berger bresing Kr eSing britt selected the southwest corner beltt was fully wearing a long overcoat over a thick sweated and trousers he was apparently as unconcerned as the most casual spectator johnny areld loa nager of wilhe fitzgerald gave 1000 in cash to billy jordan and challenged the winner to meet his man As soon as beltt got into the ring manager coffroth send word to nelson that bettt was on hand and ordered the battler to appear immediately BEFORE THE FIGHT failure to select the referee gave much concern san francisco the crowds that will make the trip to colma toda to see the beltt delnon glove contest started out this morning without any definite information as to why will fill the all important position ot referee for one brief hour lato last night it looked ats it all were settled an announcement no being made that finally nolan had withdrawn his objections to I 1 lettries Jet tries and all would be smooth sailing there was a rush to place bets on this report and an overwhelming amount of beltt money forced tho odds to 10 to 6 the satisfaction was short j lived at II 11 nolan turned another mental flip flap and declared pos ho would not accept jeffrees Jeff rles there the matter stands this morning the weather promises to be favorable tor tho taking ot pictures of the contest the forcash given out last by the local weather bureau promised cloudy shies and fog and the picture people were much worried at 10 this morning however th tog was whisked awa to sea by tho breeza and tho clouds dissolved leaving a clear sky A continuance ot these conditions this afternoon alwill boako the work of the moving picture machines easy all sorts of rumors were flying about town early today some bieard that eddie graney would ftp in at the last moment and act as a referee with the consent of both men and the management thia would not occasion much surprise to those who have followed tho tiresome talk regarding a ret croo there has been a strong suspicion all along that things wore being arranged tor graney and that britt would accept him if nelson persisted in bla alon to jeffries until the men got into the ring there may be nothing in this report as it Is impossible to fathom the plots and plana of pugilistic promoters it was also reported lute ast night that the sheriff of ban mateo county would take a hand awl stop the fight this probably ariae from a quoted interview with the sheriff in which he is said to have remarked that if the fight degenerates into a slugging match and it appears that one of them is likely to be seriously injured he would interfere with all the uncertainty that exists as to just what will halpen at colma this afternoon there will be an jiu manso crowd at the ringside ring side manager coffroth now acknowledges that the delay in naming abo referee has materially teri ally affected the box receipts many persons who had reserved seats became disgusted and cancelled their reservations battling nelson weighed in promptly at 10 today at harry corbetts as provided for in tie articles of agreement his weight as 12 1 2 pounds just half a pound under the i stipulated figure beltt was seven minutes late but the forfeit might have been claimed was calvel by kelson beltt tipped tho scales at exactly pounds there was no manifestation ot ill feeling though it is believed that the anal of tiro question will only be biado at the ains sida |
