RANDOM SHOTS

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 161, 9 July 1910, Page 14

RANDOM SHOTS

BY ZAMIEL"

Some write—vain thought—for neeoTnl cash Some write to please the conntry clash And raise a din. For mc, an aim I never Tash I write lor fun. ■'Johnson wins!" It doesn't say much Jtor human nature, I suppose, font I don't , believe that any two words ever cabled since cabling first began, aroused so many varied emotSons throughout the, world as that insignificant little message. You see, everybody had been wafting so j long fox this fight; and though -I couldn't explain -why, everybody seems <£o imagine that he is competent ,to express an opinion about fighting; and so everybody 'had made up his mind beforehand exactly what the result would be. Personally, I liad always believed in. Johnson. It's, easy to say so now, I know; hut I never could see what there was iv Jeffries' record to make ,the Americans so sura that he was 'bound to win. The genial John Arthur Johnson had never been really extended, apparently, and the few years he had to his credit, and the fact that Jeffries -hadn't fought for a long ±ime, were, of course, in the eoTouxed gentleman's favour. No, I am not ashamed to-repeat that I always thought "liT Arthur" would win; and I am doing any best to refrain from enjoying the luxury cf remarkiEg "I told ,you «o" to every other man 1 meet. Of course, there is a good practical reason for saying nothing about the fight to some people; it's a tpiestion of personal safety. I am sorry to have to say so, but there are a number of men here so angry that Johnson beat Jeffries that they regard any reference to the fight now in the light of a personal insult. It is a somewhat remarkable coincidence that these ahe the very men who before that- eventful Fourth, of July were quite positive that Jeffries would win. Some of them spent a lot of their spare time, to my knowledge, in explaining to anyone who- cared to listen that the cheerful negro, with Ms "golden smile," would simply "fade away" when he saw the great white champion bearing down upon ibim. Johnson would jump out of the ring, he -wouldn't 'face the music," he ■wouldn't stand two rounds, he would dis of heart failure the first minute he was left alone with Jeffries, and so on. And now, if you ask them who won the fight, they scowl menacingly and growl out something rude and inarticulate about niggers and the sort of people who sym*>athise~with them and back them up. Now, I don't mind saying that I am really glad that Johnson won, because ■he was clearly t3ie better man. I can understand why .these ardent baekeis of Jeffries feel hurt. It isn't only money that has been lost over this fight. But they ought to have thought about that before. I quite appreciate the feelings of the people who have said all along that Jeffries oughtn't to fight Johnson ibecause if the negro won it would damage the- prestige of the white race, and might cause trouble in America, or Africa, or India, or wherever else coloured folk are gathered! together. But seeing that Jeffries made up his mind to fight, and his friends were so amazingly confident that he would wia, it seems to mc that the least they can do is to stop talking about the "colour line" and the awful indignity of being baaten by a "nigger." If it is no dis-1 grace to fight a negro it is no disgrace to be thrashed by him; and in any case the winner ought to get the credit of ■being the brave man and the skilful fighter he.has shown himself to-ibe. j Biit-so far -as the Americans are concerned, I am afraid that their notions of fair play hardly come up to the British standard. We have had a whole eheaf of cables describing the horrors of the "ra«e-war" engendered by Johneon's victory. But the most instructive of them all was a "par" telling how a party of marines at a "Virginian seaport, having followed the "wires" from the iight carefully round by round, and having learned finally that Jeffries was ibeaten, started out to .hunt "niggers," end having found one set upon him, and nearly beat ihim to death. That is so characteristic. The best white fighter in America ttas just been beaten 'by a coloured man. TNever mind," said theee gallant tars, "if. one white man can't ■■whip a nigger, we'll show them that twenty can;" and 'they proceeded to-act accordingly. Fine "sports," don't you Aliink? Ix is iardly necessary for the cable-man to explain that most of the riots and assaults chronicled for our l>enefit have been, caused by whites who resented the victory of Johnson and the enthusiasm displayed by his compatriots. I have always had my doubts about the moral effects of prize-fighting upon the general public, -but after the -exhibition "White America -has made of itself over this conflict, I think it is high time the. civilised world put its foot down on this -sort of'thing for -the.-future.

±±±±±i±±ii The humours of Continental r.duelling are not yet exhausted. Count Ishmael ac Lesseps and Count Just de Poligny have been doing their best to wallow in each other's gore in a variety of ways for some time past, but up to-date they iiiave failed to accomplish, the desired end. They began with a stand up "scrap" at the Paris Horse Show; followed naturally enough by a duel with swords- After ien minutes' exercise one of them "felt a sudden pain in his leg." Investigation showed that he was not •wounded, .but the seconds decided that he must wait until he was quite well. After a weeks rest they went at it again, and once snore, after a lew passes, that unfortunate pain in the leg came on again. The principals thought about retiring, but the seconds called for pistols. Then at 25 yards distance they were given the word, and botih blazed away. Anybody hurt? Nobody. Very well— loadi One! two! three!" Fire! Anybody hurt, etc., etc. —and so on for six separate and consecutive shots. Both eombat'ants f still survive without a scratch; and though their seconds contemplate suggesting battle-axes as an "appropriate weapon the gentlemen cMefly concerned are satisfied that they have done their level best to meet the claims of -Honour. "Winy don't they play foofc■bali in France, and work off their duels thai way? (P.'Slr—Since I wrote these touching lines, these blood-thirsty warriors have met.again, and this time somebody is hurt. I don't know which, but on the above evidence I shouldn't suppose that his injuries are likely to be fatal.].