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Show 'Jim had no trouble at all I" hitting 1 him. Doesn't Dread Coming Fight. Jcrt and tho '.vrlt'-r bavo been the closest oi friends tor yearn, and wnen he talks to me he rather loigets my connection with tho press nnd expresses ex-presses himself quite lrccly. Ju our conversation yesterday ho tried to Impress Im-press upon me how little he dreaded his coming light He looks upou Johnson like he has lookvd upon all his other opponents, und then buddeu-ly buddeu-ly he blurted nut. "You know 1 have ?en Johnson in six or seven fights, nnd I am not go-Ins go-Ins to let nnyne tell me ahout the black nnn. 1 know all ahout him myself, my-self, und I know Just how good he is. When I gel at htrn he will find out how .different It is. It w ill recall his meetings with 'Hank' Grlflin and Kred Russell without the quitting rpjiuli. cations ca-tions they displayed on those occasions, occa-sions, when to all appearances they r.hould have won. However, leaving all theso things go by the boards 1 have my own reasons for feeling the utmost confidence In tho outcome of the fight." WRITER WHO KNOWS I BOOSTS FOR JEFFRIES Orto Floto, Kansas City Critic, Figures Big Fellow as Good As Ten Years Ago. Jim Jeffries, the undofeated champion, cham-pion, the hope of the white race, who will be Jack Johnson's opponent In the world's heavyweight championship champion-ship battle July 4 next, has no closer clos-er friend in the newspaper world than Otto Ploto The Kansas City Post's new sporting editor. Floto mad his reputation In Denver, and for upwards up-wards of 20 years has ranked as one of the foremost sporting crlUcs, particularly par-ticularly on fighting matters In tho country. He and Jeffries have been close friends ever 6lnce Big Jim became prominent. Th Jeffrles-Gotch ehow j performed at Convention hall In Kansas Kan-sas City Tuesday night The chief of police and the captains under him permitted Jeff to box with Sam Ber-ger, Ber-ger, his sparring partner, who retired re-tired as the undefeated heavyweight amateur champion of the country a few years ago and who fought In the A A. U. national events In St. Louis, world's fair year. Floto's "story" of tho performance is given In part: Tho popularity of James J. Jeffries was never better proven than when he crawled through the ropes at Convention Con-vention hall and the crowd cheered him to the echo, throwing hats In tho air nnd waving their arms until exhausted. ex-hausted. "The hope of the white race" must have felt satisfied way down deep In his heart when he glanced over the vast crowd that camo to witness his performance on one of the worst nights of the year. Of course, the tour has been ono of grand success from the start, but I dare say in no city visited by the combination has his greeting been any warmer than the one he received last night In response to i call for a speech Jeff said: "Ladic6 and geutlemen: I thank you from tho bottom of my heart for this reception, and I know that after the Fourth of July 7011 will all be j satisfied with the result and that tho chamnionshln will n?alu bo where it belongs." What the crowd was mosty Interested Inter-ested In was the condition of the retired re-tired champiou, and after carefully looking him over there can be no doubt but that It was all that has been told us through the telegraphic reports re-ports from other places at which he has appeared. Jeff Looks the Athlete Again. All that stomach is gone. He looks the athlete once more and is now In splendid shape. His dally training stunts on the road have made blm hard a6 nails, and he looks like the Jeffries of 10 years ago. His double cbln is gone, hJs muscles again ap pear about his arms aud nhoulders, and tho fat ho accumulated during his siege of Idleness In Los Angeles ha all been worked into good hard flesh. There Is no doubt but that a few months' traluing will bring him around all right. We have heard much ahout his wind that his breathing apparatus needed the most attention, and was tho only thing that was causing worry wor-ry to hl3 friends. Last night his bellows bel-lows seemed In good working order. We could not detect any weakness outside of the little breathing that comes from any unusual exercise, or one that Is at all strenuous. Then we have heard a lot of talk alout how he has lost his judgment of distance. His aim was at true as It ever was, and thero In no denying tho fact that Sam Berger Is one of the shiftiest men in the buslne. He was considered one of the very best when he won the heavyweight championship cham-pionship of the ouiaieur ranka. Yet |