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Show Johnson Has Whipped Jim Jeffrey's Brother (By C. E. Van Loan.) New York. March 23. A large, dark person by the name of Johnson, wno arrived In this country some days ugo, has bem the recipient of a great deal of attention at tho hands of the literati of the various cities at which ho ha3 touched en routo from the west and the question addressed to tho re-1 tired undefeated champion of all champions cham-pions has arisen jto a shrill scream: "Oh, Jeff! He's hero. What are you going to say to him?" The other night Johnson sat down at the end of a telegraph wire in tho hope that Jeffries might bo Induced to come to tl other end and talk with him. Messengers explained that Johnson John-son was waiting. "Yes. and let him wait," said Jeffries. Jef-fries. "I wouldn't waste time talking with him." Regarding his Intentions. Jeff maintains main-tains his deep, unbroken silence, but there aro times when the mountain mutters and a faint rumble comes from it. Jeff says Johnson is no new ono. Several years ago JohnBon was tlrst mentioned as a candidate for the championship. It camo about through his match with Jack Jeffrtco, tho brother of the champion. Brother Jack at one tlmo harbored the suspicion that pugilistic lightning might strike his family tree twice on the same bench. He made a match with Johnson against his brother's advice, and after the knockout Jim grinned and remarked: "What did I tell you?" Now, Jack Jeffries was rather a husky citizen, but when the right up-percut up-percut landed on the point of his chin, Jack's 190 pounds were lifted clear off the floor. It was then that tho first meeting of a Jeffries-John son match found its way into print. The idea was treated as a groat joke and the champion was never called upon to discuss it seriously. Later Johnson whipped Denver t,a Martin, a tall, yellow negro with an educated left hook, thus becoming the negro heavyweight champion. This time the mention was a tririe more insistent and Jeffries stated that he would not meet a negro under any circumstances. A third time Johnson bobbed into the limelight. This was berore bin Squires was discovered by Burns. There waa talk of bringing the retired champion back Into the game. During Dur-ing the era of frenzied finance in Nevada Ne-vada somo forgotten whistling station in the sagebrush offered ?40.UUU tor a Jeffries-Johnson baftle to a finish. ' "I wouldn't give that negro a chance to make a dollar by meeting me," aaid Jeff. ' I Now, for the fourth time ho is up again. There Is a difference in their positions. Tommy Burns, the pretender, is down and out Johnson holds his championship. cham-pionship. Burns was never a great fighter, but he hold no small skill in culling lemons. His one bad matcn wan the one which -coat him the championship, cham-pionship, and in a few years the sports ot this country will have some dlttt-culty dlttt-culty in remembering whether Tommy Tom-my was a fighter or a poet. The big black man says that he will tight Jeffries at any time, winner take an. He repeats the statement that It was his battle with Jack Jeffries wbich caused tho holder of the title to cross the color line. He also remarks that Jeffries, when in his best form, never whipped a young man who amounted to anything. But all this Johnson talk is sure to lead to something. Something has driven Jeffries to work. After each performance he has a long seance witn the skipping rope and the 6hadow boxing. box-ing. The big fellow Is not working for the fun of the thing. He la not working because he feels he must be In better condition for his performance. perform-ance. When Johnson's name is mentioned men-tioned he growls. His temper is none of the best, but his wind lengthens as hie temper shortens. He is more like the old Jeff. "I don't believe." said Jeffries, "that the people want to see me fight this fighter before I'm ready." They do not. But one thing Is sure they want Jeff to promise to light him, and then make it his business to get Into condition to put up a good battle. Jeffries' word has always been good. If he says he will tight he will go through with iL Tho effect of Johnson's talk would cause several people who would not ordinarily pay any attention to a tighter, tight-er, riso and ask Jeffries to remove Johnson from the map. And back of the drop curtain, witn 1 only a few stage hands to see, Jeffries Is working every day. When his wind is sufficiently improved he may add a few sentences to the speech which ne makes twice dally. "Oh, Jeff! There's a black man needs something. How about It?" |