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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 9, 1906)
ID THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND, SEPTEMBER 9, 1906. DUBLf DANE IS -DURABLE NO MORE Bitter Significance in Fake Report That Battling Nelson Had Died. NOLAN HIS EVIL SPIRIT Dethroned Idol's Dirty Tactics Were Taught Him by Hated Manager. Guns Opened All Eyes by Skill and Stamina. (BY W. O. MacRAE.) Was It the work of some Jokesmith or of some one whose wish was father to the thought that started the rumor that . Battling Nelson had died 7 . .The fake came out of the East and wasn't true In one sense. The Chicago battler is not physically dead, but he Is trembling on the brink of being a dead one bo far as the ring Is concerned. It has been a great many years since a fighter that had gained the height that Battling Nel son had fought himself to fell so com pletely from grace. The American prize ring perhaps has never before lost a popular Idol so completely and suddenly as It has Nelson. Nelson, in spite of the unpopularity of his manager. Billy Nolan, was1 admired by all fighting fans because of his ability to assimilate punishment. His route to the top of the pugilistic ladder was pained by hard plugging, and his game neap was never questioned. All of his fights up to his defeat by Gans. and his fight of Monday last can be called noth ing else, were of the slashing order, and in all of them he showed a willingness to take all sorts of wallops in order to get " close in and punch. " Durable Dane No More. This earned for him the title of the Durable Dane, but this title, like his rep- .. utation, went glimmering when Gans got Into action before him. Gans demon strated two things when he faced Nel son. He showed that the Battler was without that cardinal principle so dear to the hearts of all fight fans "sportsman ship" and that he was not as durable as he had been touted. Never a clever boxer or a great ring general, it was naturally expected that the Baltlmorean would chop him to pieces during the early rounds of the fight, but men who have feen Nelson In action and those who have followed his ring career never be lieved for one second that when beaten he would fall to the depth of a ring rowdy and ruffian. Nelson's style of fighting Is with head lowered, and when he rushes in at close quarters it is prac tically Impossible for him to keep from butting with his head. That he did so deliberately was never charged to hira before, because this was the way he fought all of his battles, and referees had nver disqualified him. That his 'wire hair and Iron head butted him into most of his victories or helped very ma terally to bring home "the bacon" can not be questioned. . Upper Cuts of Head and Shoulders. In his battle with Martin Canole, Young Corbett, Jimmy Britt and the rest of the boys he toppled over, Nelson used his head to good advantage. He also has a tjlck of uppercuttlng with his shoul ders that was also sure to cut and bruise the face of his opponent. Other fight ers who have Invented new .punches and tricks of the fighting game have always ,had press notices showered on their new Inventions, but for some reason the scribes overlooked Nelson's face smother er. Young Corbett had the trick of placing his head on the other fellow's shoulder and walloping away. This was where Nelson got his Idea, only he im proved on It by ramming Iris cocoanut Into the other fellow's chin. This was just as bad. If not worse than a stiff wal lop to that point, for it was always star-producing when it got home all right. The use of his head was also a great blood-producer, as was shown in his fight with Gans. The way he used his shoulders is also a money-getter. Tse of Head In Britt Fight. It 1s true that Nelson did not get much of a chance to use his head and shoulders In his fight with Britt. Yet George Slier, who refereed the fight and disqualified the Battler for hitting Gans low, called my attention to the way Nelson was using his head during the fight. Slier was my .seat companion at Colma, and from where we sat, we could see Nelson mak ing use of his head and shoulders. My surprise, after reading the account of the fight by rounds, was that Slier had not disqualified Najfon before he did. His subsequent explanation of his reasons for not doing so was hardly an excuse. Be cause other referees had not closed the Dane out for using his head was no rea son why Slier should not have done so. Siler was easier on the Dane than he should have been. Undoubtedly had Nel Bon's butting tactics have injured Gans and his chances of winning, Siler would have disqualified him before he did. No Excuse for the Foul. Judging the fight from this long range. It is hard to offer an excuse or offer any extenuation to Nelson for his foul. That he deliberately hit Gans low is the opinion of all the sporting -writers who sat at the ringside. With out equivocation, they declare that he delivered the blow because he knew he could not beat the negro. Even al lowance is made for these statements because it is made by San Francisco fight writers, and none of them love the Dane, not because he beat Jimmy Britt, but because they hate Billy No lan. If Nelson hadn't struck Gans in the mid-section after being helped to his feet and hadn't kicked at Gans at the close of one of the rounds, all these statements . would have been weighed for Just what they were worth. The truth of the matter is, . that the story about the fellow who lies down with dogs must expect to get up with fleas is applicable In Nel son's case. Without any trimmings, Nolan is a bad one. Those who know Nolan and his methods feel sorry for Nelson, for they are confident that all the dirty, rowdy work he did at Gold field was done under the instructions of Nolan Nolan Is not a clean sport himself, and it cannot be expected that kelson would remain so after so close a relationship with a man of Nolan's reputation. Jimmy Coffroth, the king of the fistic game in San Francisco, Harry Corbett, Colonel Brady and every other lover of clean fighting In the Bay City predicted Nelson's downfall when ;ie tied up to Nolan as his manager. The wonder is that Nelson's disgrace did not come before. At that. Nelson is more to be pitied than censured. Ho is of a low order mentally. All th.-it can be said of him is that The is a ' toush, rugged, unscienced fighter. Fans Didn't Know Gans. . Gans' snowing was a surprise to a great many of the fght fans. Even those who knew the Baltimore black well haven't known for years what was hia best fighting weight. They A t - PICTURES OF THE GANS-NELSON BATTLE TAKEN IN THE RING AT GOLD FIELD, ' NEVADA shook their heads over 138 pounds. So much had been said about his Inability to do the weight and be strong that many wise followers of the game picked Nelson to win. The truth of the matter is that Gans has been fighting up and down the scale for so long that his best fighting weight was known only to himself and Al Herford. It was Gans' best asset and he kept the In formation to himself until last Mon day. The fight that he put up and the TAYLOR TO TEACH RUGBY CALIFORNIA GETS "OLD RELIA BLE" TO HANDLE GAME. New Coach Has Seen Game In New Zealand and Wales and Is Star Football Man Himself. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Berke ley, Sept. 8. (Special.) After a year's ex perience with a coach from en Eastern institution, the University of California students will this Fall receive football In struction from a graduate of their own college, Dr. Oscar Nettleton Taylor, bet ter known about the campus as "Old Re liable" Taylor. He Is already at work with his men, and promises to make Rugby as interesting to them as was the V X Dr. Oscar X. Taylor. x3 - i mm m &m&jmmM III v & -vw-ou K- s.i jzz- " - - - - ? .- - I we - Hfrr;; v ,;ri. ir:wzF&t!$sz . .. ': siyd if". tvp - ; Y hF vniir t . V "' XII JP urn J I 42 rounds showed that he can do 133 pounds and still be strong. It may not he his best fighting weight, but he demonstrated he could make the weight and travel a roTite. It is not surprising that he could keep out of the Dane's way, but he must have given his backi ere some anxious moments when he met Nelson at his own game, infighting. With a cleverer man Gans would have never gone Into close action. It will be a long time before Nelson old game which has been played so many years. Before coming to college Dr. Taylor played Rugby in New Zealand, and later was captain of the Oakland High School team, which played the season of 1890 without a defeat. Then Dr. Taylor came to the university and made the varsity eleven, playing half or fullback In three games with Stanford. It was his steady, consistent playing that won for him his nickname. ' He received the benefit of coaching from MeClung and Heffelfinger, of Yale. After graduating he coached Oregon Agricultural College and the Olympic Club team, from San Francisco. He later coached Belmont school and developed such men. as Bill Reid, of Harvard, and Ox Aloerlson, Johnny Moore and Bam Stow, of California. During the past few years he has been studying the game in the East, and was hired two yeans ago by California to coach the old American game. When It was announced that California and Stan ford would play Rugby, he went to Wa,les and watched the game as played by the leading teams in that country. He is now engaged in working out the most difficult item In the development of California fpotball history. TOWNSMEN COMPETE AT GOLF Western Amateur Championship 'Is Won by Chicago Man. ST. LOUIS. Sept. 8. Handicapped by being 3 dowd at the end of the morning round. D. B. Sawyer, of the Wheaton Golf Club, Chicago, relentlessly pressed his opponent, and, after carry ing the match an extra hole, won the amateur championship of the Western Golf Association from his fellow-townsman. Warren K. Wood, Homewood Golf Club, one up, on the Glen Echo links to day. When Sawyer and Wood teed off at the first of the 36 holes, it was under condi tions that were very disagreeable. The links have been drenched almost dally since Monday, and a heavy early morning rain made the going loggy and uncertain when the championship round was started. Wood had Sawyer three down at the end of the first 18 holes. P mm I'll v" -K --tT 1 m . w ,n Rich Purse at New Orleans. LOUISVILLE, Ky.. Sept. 8.-3ecretary Nathanson, of the Crescent City Jockey Club, New Orleans, has announced that the Crescent City derby to be run March 23 will have a guaranteed value of $10,000 I mmmtgm. . & V 4 4ks4 1 works himself back Into popularity, while on the other hand Gans has been forgiven for his past In and out per formances. This does not mean that he Is above suspicion. It simply means that from now on he is the dictator. Naturally the fans will demand another fight between Gans and Nelson. Gans may fight Britt. This would be a great drawing card, but It Is doubtful wheth er Britt would have a chance wltk Gans if the fight was on the square. STROKE ELEVEN II SIGHT IDAHO HAS GOOD FOOTBALL TIM . . BER IX PLEJfTY. ' University Ambitious to Have "Winning; Gridiron Tenm for Coming Sen son Probable Line-Up. - i..,-,..... . ...... ' MOSCOW, Idaho, Sept. 8. (Special.) Despite the fact that last Spring- the University of Idaho suffered a severe loss by fire, believed at the time by some to be almost Irreparable, there never were brighter prospects for a more successful school year than the one which will begin September 17. At this time the students, alumni and other friends of the institution are es pecially Interested In the coming foot ball campaign, and a special effort will be made to turn out' a winning team. Coach Griffith has again been selected to head the coaching staff. This will make his fourth year at the univer sity. His coaching has been a success from the beginning, and it goes with out saying that he has a "life-time Job at Idaho." This year Griffith will be assisted by Rogers, who will takecare of the linemen, and Middleton, who will look after the backs, and more especially quarter. By the first of next week the members of last year's team, together with Coach Griffith, "will be on the ground to commence practice for the season. Idaho lost several or her old players by graduation last year, but because of having so many players In the squad, many of them having pushed the members of the team for places. It s thought by football enthusiasts here that a team can be turned out that will equal If not outclass the one that carried off the championship last year. Coach Griffith has been heard from repeatedly and Is very sanguine of the results he expects to attain this Fall. The members of last year's team lost by graduation are Snow (center), Rog ers (tackle). Captain Middleton (quar ter), and Sheridan (guard). The re mainder of the team, who will return next week to commence practice, are Captain Larson. Small, Charley Smith,. Thomas, Henry Smith, Roosevelt, Oakes and Keyes. All these men have been working In the mines, in the tim ber, and on the farm. They are con sequently in the best possible condi tion, and. will oome to Moscow pre pared to give the newcomers a tussle for their places. Some of the men lost by graduation will be sorely missed. This is espe cially true of Captain Middleton. He was a star player and one of the best field generals in the Northwest. Mid dleton will be succeeded at quarter by Rodney Small. Small played last year at full most of the time, but was con stantly being trained to succeed Mid dleton, and during the times he played that position he handled, the team with such rare skill and ability that Middleton will not be greatly missed. Griffith considers him a fine quarter and is perfectly willing to risk him in that important position. Billy Robertson and "Little Cap" Horton, a brother of the redoubtable "Cap," have played quarter with credit and will be on hand ready to take that position If they can convince Coach Griffith that they are better for the position than Small. The position of centre, so ably filled last ,,i4v,( a 7 L ! " - 7 dl V Kelson In His Corner J nut Before tne ls cue. year by Snow, will be contested for by three men this year. Nesbit. who crowded Snow for the position last year, and who weights 210 pounds is the most likely can didate. Stein (170 pounds) and- Foresman (190 pounds) have played on the scrub for two years, and will again this year try for centre. Roosevelt, Sheridan and Henry Smith were last year's guards. Sheridan will not return, and It is likely that Smith and Roosevelt will hold their places, al though several other men will attempt to maae mis position.. Among them are Barto (170 pounds), Saalabake (190 pounds), Ross (175 pounds), and Jewell (180 pounds). From this number there Is no question but that first class guards can be secured. The loss of Rogers at tackle will be sorely felt. He was a steady, consistent ground gainer, and especially strong on the defense. His will be one of the most difficult places to fill. Gus Larson, who was elected to captain this year's team, has had -three years' experience at tackle, and has frequently been mentioned as an All-Northwest tackle. For a successor to Rogers there are several promising can didates. McPherson (190 pounds) is likely to succeed 1n securing the shoes so ably worn by him. McPherson has every In dication of being a good man for the posi tion, and bis work of last year will entitle him to line up with the team when It commences practice. Besides McPherson, Jellick 075), Perkins (180), and Pauls (190) are first class men, and will work hard for the position. Pauls made a splendid record last year, and many of the students think he will play the position this year, Furthermore, if it is found necessary, "Teddy" Roosevelt will be shifted from guard to tackle. This, however, will not be done unless it Is found absolutely necessary. Roosevelt can play at either guard or tackle. - The two last year's ends will be back and can be depended on to give a good account of themselves. Oakes and Thomas filled these positions last year. They will, however, have to work for their places, as there are several likely candidates for the position of end. Frank MaGee played end two years ago. He has taken on some weight and has signi fied his Intention of trying to play again this year. Burley - (160 pounds) made a ' good Impression last year, and will be In tne mlxup again. Balderson and Myers are also fast men and will try for the position. From these men there will be no scarcity of ends. With the exception of Middleton all the old backs will return. Elmer Armstrong and Charley Smith will doubtless be the strongest material for the halves. They have had three years' experience to- TV t gether. weigh about 175 pounds each, and are especially fast. They know the game of football, and there is no doubt of what they can do. Keyes played full two years ago. He . will , again try for his old position this year. He will be op posed by several men, but is likely to win out. Keyes is fast and can stand much punishment. Of the other men who will try for places back of the line several will doubt, less give a good account of themselves. Frailer will try for half or full. He 13 a track man and will make an especially fast back. All of the men mentioned played last year or the year before. Besides the old men there-will doubtless be much new waterlal from the high schools throughout the state. Some of them may make good, as this is often the case. However, without a great deal of bad luck, a team can be picked from among the old men that will doubtless be able to keep up with the fast pace set by last year's team. The final line up of the team will very likely be as follows: Nesbit (center), Roosevelt and Henry Smith (guards), Larson and McPherson (tackles), Oakes and Thomas (ends), Small (quarter), Armstrong and Charley Smith (halves), and Keyes (full). is ft 7 " 5 The Bat Is Blndlwc His Hands With Tape. AUTO RUN TO UTER LAKE KLAMATH FALLS MR.N FIRST TO 'MAKE TRIP. Find Most of the Road In Good Condi tion and Without Heavy Grades. KLAMATH FALLS, Or.. Sept 8. (Spe cial.) The honk of the automobile has broken the solitude of Crater Lake. Four Klamath Falls men were the first to make a trip from this city to the crater that was at one period of the world's history probably the greatest vent of the many volcanoes which ejected the basic formation of the region lying East from the Cascades. The distance from Klamath Falls, at an elevation of 4090 feet, to Crater Lake, elevation 6239 feet. Is 63 miles and the route of travel Is by the stage road to Fort Klamath, thenca by the main road up Anna Creek canon to the rim of the crater. The hardest part of the road 4s the first five miles out of Klamath Falls and the stretch through the volcanic sand just below the summit of the crater. Harry Pelts, owner and chaffeur of a 16-horse power machine, J. B. Auten of the American Hotel, Clay Taylor and Sam Carmicheal were the men who made the Journey. The actual running time of the trip was seven hours, but stops were made for fishing and meals, so that it. was not a direct run. Anna Creek canon, which the automobllists thought would present some difficulties was found to be an excellent highway with a gradual ascent on a grade of about 6 per cent. Reaching the crest the occupants of the machine were able to look down on the stretch of deep blue water some five miles in width ami more than seven In length, with Wizard Island rearing Its head some 840 feet above the water level. So vast is the lake and so great Its depths as to deceive the visitor regarding its proportions. Its magnitude was 'em phasized to the auto travelers. Over a portion of the trip going North from Modoc Point a speed of 35 miles an hour was attained for some distance. The outing wasone of novel Interest and was the first of a sort that will certainly be come popular when tourist travel begins to turn this way to visit this wonderful National park. a v s Ik , fir 4 " 7 BRITT SEEKS 11 GO WITH GiS Frisco Lad No Longer Draws the Color Line as of Old. NELSON ALSO AFTER MILL Recent Fight Has Whetted Appetite of Fight Fans and Another Big Battle May Be Looked for Before Very Long. BY HARRY B. SMITH. SAN FRANCISCO, Cal., Sept. 7. (Spe cial.) Never in years, it is said, has there been such an original fight as the one that occurred In Goldfield last Mon day, when Joe Gans beat Battling Nel son at hia own best game endurance. But you don't want particulars of the fight Itself. Doubtless you have read over and over again, the long story of those 42 rounds that went to make up the greatest lightweight contest of the cen tury. Gans surprised his best friends. When the fight went more than ten rounds, when Nelson stock began to climb a bit, there was gloom among the friends of the colored man. They did not think he could stand the pressure. Indeed, it appears to have been his ring generalship, his ability to Btall and rest up, that 6aved the day for him. Would he have defeated Nelson but for the foul? That is the all-absorbing question among the sports today. Georee Siler, in his account of the fight, practically ad mits that when Gans disabled his good right hand that he was doing well to stay put and not go out. In fact, Siler says thatrbut for the accident to the Bal timore lad, he would have been able to put out the battling Dane before there had been 30 rounds of the go. It was a hard fight for a time. Then both men had to rest, and but for the foul, the men might have strung the affair along until darkness stopped them. I can see trouble ahead for the fight trust. Jimmy Coffroth sent a message to San Francisco, following the match, in which he declared that he could hear on all sides the cry for a fight between Jim my Britt andGans. That is the match that .Coffroth would like to pull off, and the wish Is father to the thought. Cof froth has the sublime nerve to say that some one will prove to be Joe Gans' mas ter, and that he thinks Jimmy Britt can turn the trick. Jimmy Britt, who has also furnished one of the San Francisco pa pers with a signed story, expresses him self of the same opinion. Here is what Jimmy says: "It was the most dlBgust lng fight I have ever witnessed. It proved one thing that I am the master of both Gans and Nelson." Inasmuch as either Gans or Nelson could put the flatowner out of business so quick it would make his head swim, It is too laughable. Eddie Graney Is not looking for a match between Gans and Britt. At least you would not Judge so, from what he says. He says that Gans won fair and square, and that he would like to see an other match between them. That means, I take it, that the Tuxedo artist and Morris Levy will endeavor to frame up a battle for San Francisco between the two men. I think that Nolan would be quick to grab at such an opportunity, es pecially if he 1b offered a good end of the purse. Unquestionably, the victory was a pop ular one. Nolan did not endear him self to the miners of Goldfield, and neither did Nelson when he commenced his head butting tactics and kept them up. Gans received half a hundred messages before the fight, all of which were from well wishers. Mrs. Larry Sullivan, of Port land, sent one of them. "Joe," she wired, "go in and win. I have bet my house and lot and all my diamonds on you." "And the madam dirt that very thing, if she said so," injected Jack Grant, who happened to be on hand when the message was received. "She Is a better gambler any day than Larry." Eddie Graney has been revamping that story sent out from Goldfield by the press to the effect that Joe Gane was offered $25,000 to lay down, but that he refused. This story may be true, but It would have more weight if the blacksmith would come through with more data, as to how and when the offer was made. I heard that same story floating around San Francisco prior to the fiKht, but con sidered It merely a rumor set afloat by some man who wanted to be saying something. Jimmy Britt has quit drawing the color line. He is ready to fight Joe Gans at 133 pounds, so he says. Anywhere and any place Is the way Britt puts things now, but as Gans has an opportunity to cut into the theatrical game at $1000 a week. It is presumed he will take ad vantage of the offer. Never have the baseball crowds at Oak land been better, since the game com menced this year. The Sunday crowds have taxed the capacity of the grounds, while during the week the attendance has been encouraging to the backers. For another year, the magnates are already planning, although there has been no an nouncement as to what will be done with the San Francisco team, as far as a home is concerned. Los Angeles Is In good shape, and the new backers are enthu siastic. The Oakland team, so it is said, will be entirely reorganized. There is a vast amount of internal dissension. The players do not-like Van Haltren, and If he remains In charge, most of the men will be traded or sold to other parts of the country. MAY SUTTON DEFENDS TITLE Defeats Iter Sister In Close and Ex citing; Match. . CINCINNATI, O., Sept. 8. (Special.) Beals C. Wright, of New York, today won the tri-etate open tennis champion ship, and in so doing carried off the far famed Governor's bowl. He has won the championship three times in succession. Miss May Sutton, of California, de fended her title as tri-state champion by defeating her sister. Miss Florence Sut ton. Miss Sutton perhaps was given the hardest match of her career in this match, for her Bister not only ran her to a deuce set. hut. was within two points of winning the set at one time during the game. The Wrlght-Leroy match went the limit. Wright captured the first two sets after hard ana exciting play, when Le roy took a brace and won the next two. Wright, however, had the endurance and won out in the final sets. Results fol low: Men's singles, championship round Beals C. Wright beat Robert Leroy, 6-4, 6-4. 4-6, 4-6. 6-2. Ladie.s' singles, championship round Miss May Sutton beat Miss Florence Sut ton. 7-5. 6-2. Mixed doubles, finals Miss May Sut ton and A. C. Way beat Florence,-Sutton and Joseph Belden, 7-5, 6-2. 4 i