JOHNSON IN MELBOURNE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 449, 21 January 1909, Page 3

JOHNSON IN MELBOURNE.

A Crowd With Brass Band

Melbourne,. January 5

Jack Johnson, the champion boxer of the wotld, arrived in Melbourne from Sydney yesterday morning.

Despite the heavy rain; a large crowd gathered and' cheered Johnson heartily. He was driven away iu a drag to his hotel. A band was in attendance and played appropriate airs. WANTED TO SHAKi; HANDS.

In an interview Johnson, after referring to the contest with said : “ I beat him in a nice way, and I have snapshot pictures to show that he did not conform to' the rules. I did not protest because it would have been said that I wanted to stop the fight. ‘Duke’ Mullins appeared, but the referee overlooked it. My absolute weight when I went into the ring was ißslbs (f3St 31b). All tbe talk about my having been xsst is bunkum. I will bet that I do not weigh that now, clothes and all. Burns is a bigger , man than I am from the waist down, although I measure more across the! shoulders, and am taller. Bums can get another fight with me on the terms that he exacted when he was champion. Mr BreUnan is ready to back me for against anyone in the world. ‘Chaff ’ between men in the ring is a usual thing the world oyer. He started it by using language which it would be impossible for me to repeat. All I did was to ‘ kid ’ him in a uice way, but he used other sort of language. If I bad killed Burns for the language he used to me I would have been justified. When our stormy interview took place in Mr Mclntosh's office, I had a little girl with me. When he started to perform I drew his attention tp the presence of the' child, aud remarked, ‘ I would not ' do that if I were you.’ I sent the child away. Burns grabbed a chair, aud his language was something beautiful. He .could have got to me il he . had liked. though he had a chair and an ink- 7 "’ pot, I said to Mr Mclntosh, ‘‘Turn him loose Mac.’ Burns cabled that he wanted a 14ft ring, and my reply was that he could have il 1 oft-if he!, liked. I don’t move about much —that office would have suited rue as wel| as anywhere. After he was put out of the room he went back to his camp and boasted that he had bluffed the , big alligator. One night I met him in the dark at the Stadium, Sydney. I clapped him on the shoulder, and said, “Come on man, shake hands,’ but he turned his eyes on me. It will tell you how anxious I was to get into the ring with Tommy Burns when I let his best friend referee the fight. Mr Mclntosh has said since that he would have given his right hand for Burns to have won.”