PADDY SLAVI.

NZ Truth, Issue 143, 14 March 1908, Page 8

PADDY SLAVI.

SENDS HIS RESPECTS TO

ALL GOOD SPORTS.

A Few Words About Bill Squires.

Wanted, a Good Big Colonial Boy.

The well-known American boxer, Frank P. Slavin, who is npw a mining engineer and sharebroker— also a commissioner for affidavits— at White Horse, Yukon Territory, Canada, has forwarded 1 the following letter to the proprietor of this journal, m Sydney, m which he touches on various matters of interest :— ' Friend Norton,— No doubt you will be a bit surprised to hear from me, but a youngster from the antipodes, Sydney, named Foley Kay. has been telling me that your paper, "The Sv-dney Sportsman," is booming over* there", and I said, "Well, if Norton is like he was when I first met him he. will surely make it hum." Now, old pal, I am sending by this mail a couple of papers of our little, town, and. m the first noted you will sec I am still on the track and can make the bpvs go a bit. I won the two mile walk m the snow here at our winter sports. I can still do my two miles m 18 minutes —not so bad for ah old "has been," though he was one of the smartest of the v old bunoh. Not a pound of surplus flesh on me. We are going to have a great country here m the Yukon Territory, Canada. The population of the territory is made up of people from all parts of the world, and there is a very strong percentage of kangaroos and New Zealanders. Dawson City, is 350 miles further down the Yukon River, and north of this we have good sport— horfj racing and cricket, base-ball, curling, and skating and hoekev matches. . I had the privilege of being the first starter m this territory. I started the first horse ■_ race m this part of Canada and the farthest nojrth m the world, anil en that part of the glorious Empire . which the sun never sets on. m 1898. ■■ Mv sou,' Frank, is quite a stood lad with the gloves. He is now 16 years old. and I have apprenticed him to tlie engineering. , He has now put m a year. He is a very bip boy for bis age. sft. riOin. high and weighing 142 ft; and can go some, but I will not let him go out of the amateur ranks. I have two girls, • one- 14 years and one 18 months— a native daughter. The following letter received by me from Bill Squires soon after he landed here may interest your readers : Shannan Villa, ' ' San Rafael, California, [ May 19, 1907.. 1 Mr Frank P. Slavin. . \ White Horse, Y.T. Dear Sh\— Thanks for your, encouraging letter of 7th instant. Although of a younger generation than yourself I have heard, enough of you m your .. native' land 'to make me feel 'proud of .you as a countryman whose deeds are still spoken of m the dear old Kangaroo land with admiration and honor. One point that might be of interest to you as it is to me is that I have often been spoken of by old sports as a. fighter of the Slavin order. I will, as' you sup-prest. strive to do my best for myself and mv. country and countrymen. Once more thanking you and wishing you good luck, yours sincerely. BILL SQUIRES. This was m reply to a letter I wrote Bill when he landed m America. I gave him a line' on the men he would meet m the ring, but he was a false alarm, poor fellow.- He writes a nice letter, but he cannot fight. Fighting is a gift born_ v with the man. You cannot make a champion if he is not gifted that way any more than you can make an artist out of a navvy unless it comes natural and is m him— has a genius for. 'fighting. - Do try and dig up another Paddy Slavin or a good old Peter Jackson. There is nothing to beat but little men. A man like myself that can use both hands at the urmer cut would chop the head off men like Burns, who crouch and rush m. Fighters of our day hit straight out or swing, and if that docs not land they run to a clinch— a wretched habit. In America the referee is m the rine with the men, and you see three men tugging like a icrimmage at a football match. I have seen men separated by the referee eitrht times m three minutes. Not like the pood old days, when we had good, clean boxing by two competitors m the rinir without a referee. With best wishes to all sports of the ereatest' sporting community nn earth for her population. Yours sincerely FRANK P. SLAVIN.