5
HOW 'JEM' BELCHER WAS WHIPPED, NOT DEFEATE:
TIIE SUNDAY OREGON! AX, PORTLAND, MARCH 6, 1910.
John Jacluns J Id not appear again In the
Tin after his defeat of Mendoza and his
accession to the championship, but held the
THle for five years through lacK of a claim
ant to It- He became the most famous of
the contemporary "professors' of the science
and his rooms In Old Bond street formed
tha rendezvous for the athletically inclined
vwrnf men of rank and wealth. Byron -was
among" his Tmplla, a list of whom have in
cluded one-third of the peerage of the time,
and for mora than twenty years he upheld
the standing and reputation of the sport.
In, 1600 the remarlutila victories of "Jem"
BxloBer, "the Bristol Youth," made him the
logical succasior to the -championship. His
several fights with "Joe" Berks left him
without a competitor until "Hen" Pearce.
"the Game Chicken." came to the front
""rough hla terrtnc battle with John Gully.
In 105 Belcher received an Injury to one
y while play Ins at rackets and announced
hla retirement. Pearce. who had also de
tested Berks, was thus In line for the title,
bnt Belcher reconsidered his decision to
To It the zing and decided to hold his
laorela
fOoprrttrnt, 1910, by the New York Herald
Company. All rights reserved.)
Dang It, pot down as I say and let
be with yapping: about my eye," said
Belch er, angrily.
Fletcher Reld regarded tho cham
pion doubtfully, pen poised above pa
per. Belcher vaa walking: the floor
In ainns agitation. The two men were
the sole occupants of the public room
of the Jolly Brewers. Wardour street,
Soho, where the pugilist had been mine
host for two years.
"Think again, Jem' said Mr. Reld
at length. "Tou sent Pearce word that
you would befriend him and aid him
to another fight with Berks. He is
your fellow townsman and the best In
the fields. Here Is your chance to re
tire gracefully."
"Til fight him myself," said Belcher,
with decision. "Since beating Gully
he swaggers It and Berks could never
pull him down."
"Jealousy, eh?" commented the other,
mlling.
"Will you back me? Is it fear Til
lose keeps you holding ' off?" asked
Belcher, coming to a stop In front of
his friend.
"No," said Mr. Reld. "I thought only
of you. Tou have earned your laurels
and the right man to rest on them.
But if you are determined I'll back
you for 600 guineas, for well I know
Pearce could never stand to you,
thouglj you have but one eye."
"Let be about my eye!" cried Belcher
again, flushing. "Danged If I can pass
the time of day without having It
shoved at me. I'll show some of these
chaps. I'm not done yet; no, not if I
was to be blind. Put down for your
S00 guineas, then, and the time to be
within two months, pay or play."
Two days later Pearce himself came
to the Jolly Brewers, accompanied by
Captain Halllday. bis backer. He
walked up to Belcher and confronted
him directly.
"Is this a way to treat an old
friend?" asked Pearce. "Look now,
Jem, I never thought to mill a bout
with thee except by way of good feel
ing." "Do you mean you won't fight then?"
asked Belcher.
"No," said Pearce, stoutly. "But I
mean Its unkindly like."
"He means he would never have
sought to dispute the title with you."
interrupted Halliday, coming to the
Rid of the pugilist. "And I must say
the sentiment does him credit. Tou
deliberately withdrew, Belcher, and en
couraged Pearce here to come up to
London and establish his claim to the
championship. Now you Jump out of
retirement and challenge him. He has
no wish to fight you, with your game
eye."
Belcher went crimson. "There It is
now. My eye again!" he cried. "Al
ways It's "Poor Belcher, he's lost his
eye. He'll fight no more." Be done
with all that. xo you fight or not?"
Pearce looked at his old comrade
and patron sorrowfully, shaking his
head. "It's a pity. Jem. But ir needs
must have It I'll fight, of course. Cap
tain Halliday is ready to cover the 600
guineas."
"Then say no more of It," returned
Belcher, roughly. "Now we want no
interference. We'll find the place 150
miles from London. Will you toss?"
They tossed a coin and Belcher won.
"I'll send thee word of the time and
place within two weeks," he said. And
so the matter rested.
Ready to Fight,
The news of a meeting between the
champion and "the Game Chicken"
stirred sporting circles next day. It
had been formally announced that Bel
cher had given up all Idea of contin
uing In the ring after his unfortu
nate accident and the turn of events
came as a surprise. Opinion was di
vided, for there were some who be
lieved that Jem had lost none of his
prowess In losing part of his sight
But many thought that lie had made
a mistake and were not backward in
saying so.
Belcher himself breathed, defiance
when the affair was mentioned In his
presence. Reference to his handicap
made him furious. He was distinctly
one of the type of pugilist which Is
constitutionally unable to feel or rec
ognize the slightest Inferiority. To him
the battle was already won. and the
expression or doubt as to the outcome
had no effect but one of Irritation.
t,.Brn.,n J781' Bc'cher had gained the
title at the age of 21 years, after a
rise of unprecedented rapidity and
brilliance. He was now only 24 logic
ally in the height ot his powers. The
loss of his eye had temporarily de
pressed him. but had no effect on the
man's moral courage and stamina In
the slightest. Acting on a passing
Impulse, he had consented to step aside
from his position, but the suspicion
that he could not hold it now that he
wished to could find no lodgment In
his mind.
Belcher was a natural fighter en
dowed with the physical and mental
dualities that bring success in the
ring, and had been able to master the
best of men of tho time with little or
no training. On his mother's side he
was a grandson of the redoubtable
Jack Slack, second champion of the
world and conqueror of the great
Broughton It was part of his heritage
to do battle and to win. Defeat was
something he had never learned. To
his dying day defeat remained some
thing that he never learned. The word
held no meaning for him.
"Hen." or Henry, Pearce, though four
r U,"n B". alwavs
regarded the younger man as his mas
ter and his model. Belcher 'had prac
tically made hirn. had brought him
from obscurity in Bristol and had
matched him for the fights that brought
h m his reputation. He had earned
his cognomen of "The Game Chicken
through the great resolution and abil
ity he displayed in the ring; possibly
also, as, a play upon his nickname of
Hen.
Pearce chose a small common about
three miles from Barnby Moor and nine
miles from Doncaster as the place of
meeting. It was the required 150 miles
from London, a precaution made nec
essary by recent difficulty with tho au
thorities over the holding of public
prize tights. Here several hundred en
thusiasts gathered on Friday, Decem
ber 6. 1S05. Lord Say and kelp. Cap
tain Mellish, Lord Kardley, the Honor
able Berkeley Craven and other dis
tinguished followers of the sport were
present. Betting ran high, five to four I
being offered on Pearce.
The ring was staked out on the turf,
a traditional stage for pugilism. It
was 20 feet square to prevent crowd
ing and hindering. In support - of a
custom which had recently found fa
vor the partisans -; the rival boxers
wore colors' to Indicate their prefer
ence. Adherents of Pearce showed blue
silk handkerchiefs with white spots.
Friends of Belcher wore the little yel
low striped flag which the champion
had adopted some years before as his
eirfblem.
The combatants were driven over
itora the Blue Bell Inn, Barnby Moor,
and arrived about 11 o'clock under a
chill gray sky. At half-past twelve
the arrangements had been completed
and they climbed through the ropes.
Pearce was seconded by "Will" Ward,
with "Bill" Gibbons as his bottleholder.
"Joe" Ward and "Dick" Whale per
formed like services for Belcher. The
fighters Immediately stripped and ad
vanced to the center for the salute,
while the throng cheered and displayed
the rival colors.
In the Ring.
The gladiators presented a magnifi
cent picture of manly strength and
grace. The champion was five feet
eleven and a half Inches in height,
welglng about 170 pounds. His figure
was slender and of such fine propor
tions and mould that he had frequently
been called the Apollo of the ring. He
followed Mendoza's style closely in
attitude and tactics, relying upon great
swiftness of action, a clever guard and
an effective right drive. ,
Pearce was about five feet nine In
ches in height, of a stocky and muscu
lar build. In appearance he resem
bled "Tom" Johnson, and, like that
hard-hitting champion, possessed great
strength and endurance. He was cap
able of taking heavy punishment, never
relied upon technique so much as upon
his fists, and was a terrific hitter, par
ticularly with his left.
The champion moved to battle with
his customary eagerness. Pew fighters
ever showed themselves so confident
and willing in the ring as Belcher.
His fighting expression was a smile and
his gayety was no affectation, for the
man rejoiced In the sport and his pro
ficiency. The sight of his adversary
stung him like a tonic, and he sprang
to the handclasp with a word of greet
ing a defiance on his lips.
Falling on guard, the boxers sparred
for an opening. Belcher led off with a
feint and sent In a tap with, his left,
but Pearce was not to be tempted.
They circled slowly, giving an exhibi
tion of fast and skilful work that
brought roars of applause from the
spectators. Pearce seemed to be cau
tious and a trifle uncertain, standing
rather on the defensive. The cham
pion maneuvered in conquering style,
forcing the pace and warming to his
work in a way that cheered his friends
mightily. If he bore himself like a
master it was because he reit nimsen
to be one. He had feared no 111 re
suts from his eye and could not find
that It inconvenienced him in the least.
Noting "the Chicken's" caution, he
decided upon a spurt of aggression that
should bring him an immediate and de
cisive advantage. Sparring lightly, he
feinted thrice with his right at the
body. Pearce covered easily, but after
the third feint the champion drove In
with a swift right-hander that passed
over Pearce's guard and landed heavily
above his right eye and drew the crim
son. The blow staggered Pearce for an
Instant, but he came back with good
will and swung savagely with his left.
Belcher warded, but was able only to
break the blow, not deflect it. Pearce
followed up 'by rushing in and closing.
This department of the game had
been the champion's pet study and he
welcomed the grips. They struggled
desperately, spinning against the ropea
and back to the center. Here Pearce
slipped his thigh over for a cross but
tock. Belcher failed to see the move
In time and was caught off his stand.
Pearce hurled him heavily, retaining
his own feet, and the packed and
breathless crowd broke Into a fluttering
sea of blue and white as the men re
tired to their corners.
Belcher was surprised, but not Irri
tated. He had been a trifle slow in
working into his gait, that was all.
True, it seemed that he had judged
Pearce's swing a quarter of an inch
off and had not been quick enough in
meeting the cross buttock; But that
only meant that "Hen" was a prom
ising pupil, in the crushing of whom
no little honor and reputation was to
be gained. Sitting upon "Joe" Ward's
knee, he smiled cheerfully upon his
supporters in the first ranks and
planned a campaign of brisk and pre
cise hitting that should bring the other
down in short order.
At the elapse of the half minute he ad
vanced as quickly as before and had no
sooner fallen on guard than he launched
himself Into one of his triphammer at
tacks that bad intimidated and crushed
many a formidable enemy. He was all
over "the Chicken" from the start, and
iPearce gave ground doggedly and warily.
Beating down tho other's guard with
smashing blows, the champion found an
opening and swung in to the face, cutting
Pearce's cheek open. He followed the
advantage fiercely, landing again on the
body and slashing up with a hook that
took Pearce fairly on the point of the
chin and all but floored him. "The
Chicken" was game and met the charge
vigorously, but was no match for Belcher
at the tricks. The champion got home
a thumping drive to the ribs, duplicated
It, and Pearce, to save himself the gruel
ling punishment, rushed forward to a
clinch.
"Watching the Point.
But Jem was not sure that the grip
was welcome at this point. He was
minded to leave hi3 mark upon the other
in this round and to sap him with de
cisive blows. As they struggled he
twisted suddenly and disengaged, dancing
away for renewed fist work. Pearce was
equally ready and met him knee to knee,
slugging blow for blow manfully. Lung
ing in he swept Belcher's guard aside and
whirled a crashing right hander to the
jaw. Bolcher saw it and caught up his
arm. He was quick enough, but again
erred in the direction and felt part of
the force of the terrific blow. Pearce
had put himself so heartily behind the de
livery that he was a trifle exposed and
the champion stepped in smartly. But
Pearce was able to stop the jolt and In
the rally got one, two to the ribs with
full steam behind them. This checked
Belcher and Pearce made dexterous use
of the opportunity. He feinted for a
drive, then closed, and catching the
champion swiftly threw him to the
ground.
In the Jnterval it could be seen that
Pearce was by far the worse sufferer on
the surface. The cut over his eye re
ceived in the first round gave him a
deal of trouble and his face had been
further slashed, while hla body showed
raw welts where Belcher's tough fists had
found him. The champion's wonderful
guarding had protected him, but his wind
was tried and he found the half minute
respite most welcome. He was elated at
the execution he had done and felt con
fident that he had the situation in hfs
hands. Meanwhile bets had risen to six
to four on "the Chieken."
At the opening of the third round
Belcher was rather surprised when Pearce
took the initiative without hesitation. He
forced no fiercely that the champion gave
a step, where he stopped, and they rallied
prettily. Pearce feinted and swung hard
-HEN- PEARCE. TH OA MS
CHICKEN"
fW --rodHstiev the Hisewy
' British Boxlag'
with his right. Jem was on time, but
the blow came on his blind side and he
no more than grazed tho other's arm be
fore the blow crashed home under his ear.
He had to foot to keep his balance, but
returned hardily to the exchange, ripping
in with a drive that lengthened the cut
on Pearce's forehead. "lien" seized
close quarters as an opportunity to grip,
and after a brief struggle he obtained the
advantage of holds, tripping his man and
throwing him under the ropes with great
strength.
Again on his second's knee Belcher was
still smiling and cheerful. He explained
to Ward In an undertone that he must
try to anchor his feet more firmly in the
wrestling, but that it was a good sign
when an adversary was so ready to clinch.
He counted that some of his earlier blows
had left their effect upon "the Chicken"
and that it could not be long now before
be had the fight all his own. way. ,.He
added that another blow" to the forehead
would make them even as to sight, for
Pearce would be blind of an eye.
Pearce led off the fourth round as he
had the preceding, driving in with a Jolt
to the body and a ripping hook that
grazed Belcher's chin. Jem covered him
self with a notable display of science
against the shower of blows with which
the other forced the pace, bringing shout
after shout from the crowd by his agility
and speed. Pearce seemed bent upon
planting a solid smash, but could not get
beyond the champion's guard.
Two 31iss.
Twice "the Chicken" seemed to have
found his chance and launched a tremen
dous drive, but Belcher was out of dist
ance each time. The champion showed
what stuff he was made of In this round
and brought all his 6kill into play. He
Jolted in with some stiff body punches
and again cut -Pearce about the head,
taking receipts, however, in tho form of
several swings that lie stopped with his
face. He fought away from clinches,
though Pearce attempted to close sev
eral times. At length "Hen" caught him.
Belcher put forth all his powers to shift
the result of the struggle, but his op
ponent's great strength told in the end
and he went down, without damage.
At tills stage of the battle the cham
pion adopted the policy of allowing his
second and bottle-holder to half carry
him to his corner. He had found this
of great assistance in a keenly-contested
and wearing fight, when every ounce of
energy would be needed. Although he
was still strong, he did not move until
the two picked him up. and in the inter
val the veteran Ward nursed him with
great care, swabbing and refreshing him.
Belcher's wind was plainly bothering
him. but he was not conscious of any
great distress.
When they came together for the sixth
round the champion had decided to play
cunning with Pearce's evident desire for
aggression. There was nothing to be
gained by waste of strength in meeting
the attacks which were sure to cost "the
Chicken" dear. He therefore remained
on the defensive. Pearce - was willing
and resumed his hammering. He ap
peared to have lost his diffidence and to
be much surer of himself as a result of
having won the end of each round. He
forced the champion to give ground con
tinually and it was only at the expense
of continual watchfulness that Belcher
was able to avoid telling blows. "The
Chicken" drove frequently with his left
and Belcher's arms were torn and swollen
with stopping the smashes.
The champion's caution served him
well, and while Pearce's fists were fly
ing he found several opportunities to slip
In blows. One of these shot through such
an opening as .ho could scarcely hare
asked. Pearce was carried far around
-zr Jw Tbco He Went Over to Shako Uif9ff -
f&r p 1 Haa with FirastMrts Belcher Jjpr
' am
HAMPION Fought His Last Great Fight wiih
Pearce When He ' Had
Battered to a Standstill,
Beaten,
with a spent blow and every man on the
field saw, with a sharp intake of breath,
that Belcher had & magnificent chance.
He was alert and planted swiftly for the
neck, but his aim was bad and the blow
glanced. At this point his friends be
gan to understand what the loss of his
eye meant to him. His sight lacked that
marvellous quickness essential to the
fighter. He lost . here an opportunity
such as he would never have missed in
his prime through his inability to judge
distance and direction accurately. Bel
cher himself was unaware- of this fact.
He regarded the miss as an unfortunate
accident and It gave him no warning.
On Pearce's next attack the champion
stood firm and they rallied with great
spirit, both landing several good blows
when "the Chicken" closed again. Bel
cher clung to him and evaded dangerous
holds, with the result that they fell to
gether, the champion underneath.
Having fairly outpointed' his man in
the last two rounds. Belcher now deter
mined to put forth every endeavor to
win a decisive lead. He was satisfied
that Pearce was greatly weakened and
that a resolute attack must give him the
upper hand. Pursuing this plan, he
came to the center for the seventh round
very slowly, craftily feigning a reluc
tance that he was far from feeling.
Once his foe had touched the mark he
sprang Into the fray- with astonish Ing
vigor, leaping forward with a drive that
snapped Pearce's head back and drove
him across the ring. "Hen" covered
well, however, and got his bearings,
when he slashed back with a wicked
right-hander. Belcher parried the
threatening blow neatly and returned its
double, which was well directed and
caught Pearce full upon the mouth.
Belcher Is Vary Xoiv.
"Hen" tottered and almost fell under
this, smash, attempting to close imme
diately to save himself. Belcher was
wary of the clinches and followed up
with a rattle of blows to the body which
gave Pearce much trouble. "The Chicken"
backed away . from the Belcher whirlwind
and was very careful to avoid another of
those drives to the face. Belcher felt
himself in the full tide of victory. He
had the enemy In retreat, was not in
jured and could land three blows to the
other's one. Twice he countered on
"Hen's" Jaw and again, with slashing
body blows, cut Pearce's side. Stepping
in for a Jolt, he gave Pearce an oppor
tunity to feint and run in to a hold. He
was not quick enough in judging "the
Chicken's" purpose and Pearce caught
him around: the neck , with his left arm.
Holding the champion this way. he bat
tered Belcher's face with his right and
Jem suffered before he could break away.
They closed again and -fell together,
Pearce underneath..
This was one of the most desperate
rounds of the fight and was plainly In
Belcher's favor, though at heavy expense.
Both mea were exhausted and Pearce was
willing to take his cue from the cham
pion and allow his attendants to remove
him to the corner. Belcher was per
fectly satisfied and informed Ward that
he expected to win in the next round.
When they came together again the
champion led oft with redoubled vigor.
He peppered Pearce about the face al
'most at will, . though twice, on attempt
ing to strike a decisive blow, he mis
Judged distance or direction. "Hen"
seemed to have fallen back to his earlier
unreadiness in face of the attack and
had great difficulty in keeping Belcher
away. Jem now ran a remarkable series
of blows, catching Pearce's drives with
his right and countering with his left an
regularly as clockwork. Several smashes
got home on "Hen's" ribs. He made
sure that the moment for masterful tac
Only One Good Eye, and.
Did Not Knew) He Was
tics had come and for the flrwt time in
the fight deliberately sought to wrestle.
Catching Pearce to great advantage, he
whirled him off his feet and threw him
with great force. Pearce hurtled upon
the ropes and fell outside the ring.
The crowd went wild at this wonderful
display of strength and skill on the part
of the champion and yellow took the
place of blue In the color scheme. Bet
ting dropped to even money. Belcher him
self felt that the end was near. His chief
thought was of satisfaction at having
proved to his friends that with one eye
or two eyes he was as good a man as
ever he had been.
The Childhood and. Youth
tenant-General Dinwiddle, Major and.
District Adjutant, and In 1752, at the
age of 20, he was reappointed to these
offices for one of the four consolidated
districts of the colony, thus foreshad
owing the contest between the French
and English, which was so soon to
ripen into active hostilities and ulti
mately lead to Braddock's unfortunate
defeat. Washington wan now a man
In everything except legal age. He was
not yet 21 when the northern borders
of Virginia were being harassed and
plundered by the savage allies of the
French, and when'Siarquis Duquesne
boldly took the decisive step for
France, which made it imperative that
Governor Dinwiddle should send some
trusted messenger to meet the French
and attempt by diplomacy to stay the
advance of the Invaders. The man of
the hour was George Washington, and
he. was but little past his majority
while performing this perilous mission
with skill and courage. He had re'hed
manhood's estate, and was a colonial
figure, known to the colonies as an
intrepid officer, a brave Virginian,
schooled in the hardships of those early
times, and about to enter upon a great
career. -
At this point we pause to note the
chief elements that have thus far made
the character o this wonderful man.
He is the product of environment and
clean blood, but he was singularly for
tunate in his childhood and youth. His
ancestry were educated freemen of
England, In the best era of her great
ness. They came to America full of
the patriotism that has carried the flag
of. England Into and over all lands and
seas, and they at once attached them
selves, like true Englishmen who love
home and country, to landed estates
in the colony. The family became at
tached and loyal to the soil of Vir
ginia, and so strong was this trait that
it was sufficient to make of them de
fenders of home against the mother
country when oppressed. He had the
misfortune to lose his father when he
was only 11 years old, but. his sorrow
and loss brought him under the close
guardianship of his elder brother and
the tender solicitude of the best of
mothers. It taught him self-reliance,
decision of character, and his poverty
and misfortune chastened and sweet
ened his proud and Imperious spirit
and gave him that wonderful capacity
for leadership among all classes and
conditions of men.
Nor was this all. v Virginia at that
time was comparatively a wilderness,
and its people weae pioneer settlers, in
hearty fellowship and full of human
sympathy, with all the gentler virtues
JAMES BELCHER
tnm -Pogiftstfca. lbs HJslorr
at actta Bexls"
. The champion went Into the ninth
round to finish the fight. He forced again,
while holding himself together for an
opening. It came and he delivered, but
again he had' misjudged, and the blow
was spent. He tried desperately to rem
edy tho error and repeated the drive
catching Pearee on the cheek and split
ting It. but with little effect. Pearce had
pulled himself together and they rallied
for a moment, then closed and fell.
The tenth round was brief. In a sharp
rally Pearce's friends were encouraged
to see that he had still further recovered
and that Belcher gave before him. Pearce
was on top In the fall.'
CONTINTTED FTtOJI PAGE IX) UK
of life. There was nothing artificial or
false in the community life, it was a
time of character building and of indi
vidual and personal responsibility. The
young men of his time were, like him,
schooled in. patriotism., in hardships and
in struggle. There were Patrick Henry,
Thomas Jefferson, James Madison,
Thomas , Paine, Benjamin Franklin and
others aflame with the spirit that made
the revolution and gave background
and position to the great name and
character or George Washington. His
merits were quickly and at once recog
nized. While he was past 21, when he
left Williamsburg, on November 14,
1763, upon his dangerous mission, and
did not return until late in Deeember
of that year, he had sounded the depths
of French diplomacy, and England and
the colonies knew that French aggres
sion was at hand. He was honored by
the Legislature of Virginia, then In ses
sion, and a vote of thanks was tendered
him, every member of the House rising
to his feet as Washington was greeted
with an enthusiastic burst of applause.
This young man was the great leader
of the English, and he was never more
completely the Idol of Virginia than at
this time. It Is said that the Duke of
Wellington, when once looking on at
tho boys engaged In their sports in the
playground at Eton, made the remark,
"It was there that the Battle of Water
loo was won." And so we may say
that in the childhood and youth of
Washington there was every element of
his greatness, his goodness and his im
mortality. His tenderness at Valley
Forge, when he could give the freez-,
ing guard his own cloak to shelter him
from death, was learned in his own suf
ferings In the mountains of his beloved
Virginia, and his thoughtful solicitude
for the armies under his command, was
born while he himself was suffering
the privations and sorrows of war, long
before he became known to fame.
Washington Irving was born at New
Tork, April 3, 17S3, when Washington
was 61 years old, and his name was en
rolled among the world's greatest men.
And so the mother "of Irving gave him
his name, and when this baby so named
grew to be a little boy, he was one day
walking with his Scotch nurse girl
when she saw General Washington go
Into a shop, and she followed with her
Uttle charge and said, "Please your
honor, here Is a batrn that is 'named
for you." Washington, full of that gen
tleness that has endeared him to the
world, gave the child his blessing and
at the age of 72 years although
Washington had been dead 5s years
that wonderful master of English prose,
the great American author, novelist and
essayist, Washington Irving, wrote a
The Chicken" was now decidedly im
proved in strength, lie landed seventl
effective blows at the beginning of . thi
eleventh round, but overreached himself;
in a drive and they closed. Bclclicr
twisted away and struck to tho face.
Pearce closed again and threw his man
cleverly. This round, though Belcher had
no such idea, was the turning point in
the struggle. The champion's chance had
come and gone with Ills inability to laud
at a crucial moment, Pearce's power
was coming back, while Belcher, under
the terrific nervous strain of poor eye
sight, had exerted himself to the limit
and now began to weaken fast.
End of the Struggle.
In the twelfth round "the Chicken" re
sumed the offensive. He went after Bel
cher hard and the champion suffered two
smashes to the face and a body blow
that he was not quick enough in ward
ing. To the watchers his weakness wa3
apparent, though not to himself. There
came now a singular turn in events.
Pearce closed and threw Belcher back
ward. He struck the ropes and the sup
port was enough to keep him from fail
ing, but not enough to send him back
to his balance. He floundered there help
less, fair prey and an easy victim.
Pearce stood before him. Twice "the
Chicken" raised his hand and twice he
dropped it. the heat of battle urging him,
friendship and kindliness restraining him.
"No, Jem." he said finally, "I wont'
take advantage of thee; no, lest I hurt
thy other eye." With that he turned and
walked to his corner; Belcher slipped
to the ground and the throng cheered
the generous act until It could cheer no
more.
This incident, though he could not re
sent It. hurt Belcher more than anything
that had happened. There It was. his
eye again. He determined once mors,
savagely, that he would yet win In spite
of it. The resolution lent him new
strength and after a brief rally In the ;
next round he closed and threw Pearcf I
a masterly cross buttock. This proved I
but a flash of his old form, however :
Hnd in the fourteenth round Pearce bat-1
tered him terribly before sending him
down in grips.
In tho fifteenth round the situation was
clear. Belcher dragged himself to the
center with difficulty, while Pearce was
getting stronger every minute. The
Chieken" landed the stiffest blow of tho
battle after a short rally. It was a ter
rific drive to the lower rib and sent tho
champion down like a sack. To decide
many bets the umpires officially credited
Pearce with the first knockdown blow.
Belcher was almost paralyzed when he
was helped to the center. Ward whis
pered to him that he had better quit.
The champion turned on him in anger
and amazement. What! Give in when
he had the battle won? Here was strange
advice, truly. He was calmly and se-:
renely confident that the next moment
would bring decisive victory. At the ex
change he hit Pearce squarely in the-
mouth, but the blow was feeble. "Hen"
smiled, shook his head and whipped Into
a rally in the course of which Belcher '
stumbled against one of the posts, in
juring the same rib which Pearce had
struck. It was thought to have been
brokon. In the clinch the incident of
the twelfth round was repeated. Belcher
hanging helpless on the ropes whflo
Pearce refused to strike. In the sev
enteenth round Pearce landed heavily,
then threw his opponent.
At the opening of tho eighteenth
round Belcher could scarcely stand
without assistance. Face and body worn
slashed to ribbons. His left arm was
crippled and he was doubled over by
the pain in his side. His good eye
was all but closed. But he was un
beaten. As firmly as when he had en
tered the ring he believed that ho was
the winner. Twice he tried to raise a.
hand, but the body would not obey the
dauntless spirit. He was literally un
able to make a move. Ho could not
understand It. His muscles, his nerves
were traitors to his will. The realiza
tion of this fact swept to him in a
flash. First his eye, now his limbs, had
played him false. Inwardly ho had not
begun to yield, but physically he had
reached the end. Once more he tried to
fall on guard, and then with a sob col
lapsed, a victor in defeat.
While the crowd gave tho yell that
was a salute to the heroic fallen and to
the conqueror arisen, Pearce gave ampin
proof of his own condition. He leaped
over the ropes out of the ring, hack
in the same manner and turned a
somersault. Then he went over to.
shake hands with the prostrate Belcher.
But he said nothing about the game
eye.
of Washington
loving biography of George Washing
ton "A mighty hand from an exhaustless
urn
Pours forth Hie never ending Flood of
"Y ea rs
Among the Nations,"
But the name of Gcorga Washington re
mains tho common heritage of all English-speaking
people throughout the
world.
Bigger Tlpa Fmm Vegetarians.
New York Sun.
The man who had foresworn meat
wound up his first vegetarian dinner
with the accuitonifd Hp. The next day
the service was Indifferent, the third
day it was abominable.
"What's the matter with that fel
low, anyhow?" he growled. "He used
to be a good waiter. Now lie simply
throws things at you."
"That is h'Miise you didn't tip him
enough." said the nian opposite. "Wait
ers always expect bigger tips for serv
ing a vegetarian meal. Jt takes fvnch
r variety of things to make up for
meat that they have to handle more
dishes and make more trips to the
kitchen. Any good waiter had rather
serve one meat dinner than two of
vegetables, and unless he gets tipped
generously he gets ugly."
At Sixteen Tears.
St. Tslcholas.
She studies "Macbeth" and '"King liar,
And the classics of long afro;
She thinks they are "perfectly glorious,"
The teacher she loves tells her so.
What she likes sre the antics of "Patty.'
And stories with "sparkle and go."
Long hours over Kipling and Dickens
She Is only a schoolgirl, you know.
She keeps up her "physical culture."
And plays basket-bull with her might;
Studies T.atln and algebra problems
And goes to bed early at night.
What she likes is to dance until mornlng
In ruffles all frilly and pink.
To "scoot" tip the drive In a motor.
Or to gayly roll round at the rink.
She practices Grieg and Moszkowki.
Though her brain wanders off In a dream;
She goes to hear symphony concerts.
With Damrosch expounding the thema.
What she likes Is the waltz of the "Widow.'
Gay two-steps that tingle and stir.
The resonant chorus of "Boola,"
Or the lay of the "Little Chauffeur."
She goes to hear "Julius Caesar."
With note book, not Just as a lark;
She visits Greek casts In museums.
And sketches hare trees in the park.
What she likes is Maude Adams as peter.
Or a Jolly good Hippodrome show,
A comrade to laugh with and caramels
She Is only a schoolgirl, you know.