DISTRICT NEWS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 318, 8 January 1909, Page 4

DISTRICT NEWS

KAHOTC. (From Our Own Correspondent). •Mr. Crockett. Stock Inspector, is at present ou a tour of the district inoculating calves. Another competition for the trophy presented by the Hahotu Kith l Club took place on Saturday. The conditions were seven shots each at ."illl) and I>oo yards. The winner turned up in C. Ilughson. who scored (ill with a handicap of Hi. The .-.cores were as follows:

oUO lino lip. Tl. 0. llugh-on. .. :J2 21 lii ti!) 11. Baker .. ~ 2U '\-> r> -- i;;; E. Baker .. .. 24 27 11 <l2 -I. I). Christian .. :J0 HI 0 J. Shepherd .. .2o 27 (i •I. Cohner . . .. :>1 2.') 0 r>(! •I. Kothery.. .. Hi 27 10 v'A If. Barrett.. .. is 21 7—1!) A competition for a small wager took place between .). I). Christian and If. Barrett at the same time. The conditions were seven allots each at 2(H). 500. and lino yards. Christian to allow Barrett a handicap of As, however, at the conclusion of the above two ranges. Christian had a lead of 1!), there was .no necessity to lire at (he short range, and Christian won easilv.

The following tenders were received far the erection of the Kahotu llall:Ward and Cooper C-IIS lOs (accepted). W. Howe C4IIS. Penwardcn and Hart C.")2i). Turner and Beadle C.VI 4. •). Ryan and Sons C(sl!>. The building has to be completed early in .March. A meeting of the Hall Bazaar Committee was held on Tuesday evening. Mr. J. fJarcia presided. There was* a good attendance. It wa> resolved to hold a grand bazaar in the new hall on March lil-d. April K|, 2nd, and IJrd, and arrangements are well under way for this function. A social is to be held in the present hall on Tuesday January 12th. ami as thi< is absolutely the last, that can he held in the hall fit is to be dismantled on the Wednesday), there will no doubt be a record altendance. All those who are present that night will be able to hand down to posieriu the fact that they were th" la-i to dance in the old hall. The weather ha* .been-very misty and muggy for thejiu-d. week. ~ud il is now we have seen the sua. except for a glimp-e. The weather N good for the farmers, inasmuch as il fre-hens the grass ami keeps up the milk •>npply and also fetches ahum Ihe turnips. etc.. but for tho-e who have hay ready to cut or already cut and waiting I" be taken iu. it is the reverse of pleasant. TUttgftr-t cattle sale of the year was held ou Tuesday. There wa» not a vcrv large muster ol' cattle, probably owing to the closeness to the festive season.

detals :;i:;'o„ 'rJ^^l^K great K-nglli papers. In the course of a leading article, the .Sydney Homing Herald refers to tiie light iis "a nakedly brutal scuffle." The .same journal- ,snys : " The interests excited by the meeting of the American champion Hums and the Australian Squires, great as it was. eonld not compare cither ill intensity or extent with the interest which centred on the event which resulted on Saturday ill the pussing of the belt to nil American black. A crowd, csliinlilcil to number between 1.1,(100 and 20,000 persons, paid high prices to witness it. nioreliiau

as many again were unable to gain admission lo tiie Stadium, and lingered in the vicinity, lien were there from the oilier States and from the furthermost corner of this Slate. Tile cables we-c kept busy for there were corresponding sections of people who wanted to know the results in both Britain and Ameri-

TilK l'Alli ENTER THE HlN't!. In the Daily Telegraph's account of the light tiie preliminaries are thus referred to: 'Mi was twenty minutes to eleven when .Johnson ilinibcd into the ring with his attendants, and leceiveii the cheers u, the crowd. Tommy Hums followed, and was hailed with e loud cheers and erics of '(!ood boy, Tommy,' but the white champion did not seem pleased with things. He looked actu s, and his smile was not a real friendly one as he acknowledged the salute of the assembled people. 11 is looks were far less cordial, too, when Johnson crossed the ring, smiling nriiadly, and showing his heavily golden tilled teeth, as he approached ' the little fellow.' and saving "Taimiv.' held out his hand, llurns took the' big black list in the tip of his lingers, anil let it drop. That, was all, but to tho*c who were near enough to see it confirmed much of what rumour had s» : d of the personal feeling between' the two. A MITCH.

After some trouble, caused by .joluson insisting upon Hums removing the elastic bandages he was wearing on bis arms, the fight began at 11.0 a.m. They moved round each ntlu»r for a moment or two before .lohnsuii led a light left, and the pair got to close ipiarters, fighting fiercely, while the referee frantically endeavoured to separate tlieui. Johnson punched a heavy blow to the Hi in while they were close and sent Burns down to stay figlit seconds.

Rising. Hum- worked in, and landed blow's on the body. Then there was more clinching until the referee interfered again. Johnson swung a right to the jaw. and sonic scuffling, during which llurns pounded at the body, followed. "IX HOLTS." Johnson held his man with both hands, and tried to get an upper cut home, but liiirns was too clever for a while, ntiniatcly Johnson's right mafic a heavy impact with the ear, and Hums Went, down, to rise quickly. After a short lull Johnson swung the right, and missed badly through Burns's clever ducking. Johnson essayed that effective uppercut of his again, but failed. So far it became plain that Johnson was much too big and heavy and strong for Burns, and. besides, he fought very (Holly.

! (Jreat cheering followed the men to j their chairs. 1 E.UiKR IN'-KIOIITIXO. In the second round, Burns's friends were better pleased with him. and during the next .lohilsoa looked more serious for ;i while, there being some good punching exchanged. The fourth round was remarkable for some eager infighting. and in the fifth there were some hot exchanges. ])0 OR DIE. JSnrns made a line efVort in the sixth round, but the other man had too much over him. Johnson made a fierce rush at tile beginning of the seventh, and following up. literally showered blows about the head of his opponent, whose capacity for punishment proved truly wonderful. The expression on Burns's face at this stage indicated thai he was determined to do or <lic, and another heavy right bander saw him .still coining on. During a clinch Burns right to the ribs and head brought applause from thousands. Johnson upper-cut the jaw with the right, and then scut home a stingful left punch as Burns came in, and the latter fell to the lloor, to rise quickly, and rush his man again. Johnson dealt out a verv great amount of punishment in this round. Johnson continned to make things warm thronghonl the eighth, and it now looked certainly only a matter of lime when he mist win, but Burns kept going bravely, nad here and tlier;* scored a good blow, bul his punching didn't, appear lo have anything like the power expected. .Ml. CM JOHNSON'.

It; was very much Johnson during tinninth. and Burns's pluck and persistence evoked admiration on all sides, while every now and again he would do something that encouraged his friends to 'hope he might yet succeed . But the odds Were too great. The tenth round saw Johnson put in some great work. though n- couple of times he sprawled clumsily. Burns scored a line left to the nose, and, jumping olear, knocked against the referee, ft seamed fortunate for Burns wlien the -corners" command clanged. as lie apThi' lighting was still viinful and cx■citiug. in the eleventh round. Johnson did a lot of damage with those uppercuts and short-arm jolts to the head and jaw, and once lie held and hit his opponent, twice—both right upper-cuts that certainly troubled the recipient. With all the wear and tear he had Siill'ered. Hums still seemed strong, A TOlililD TI.MK. The twelfth round was somewhat similar to-tile preceding one and the hell found llurns on the lower rope, enduring a torrid time, A ipiick succession of heavy punches landed on Hums in the thirteenth. One of them—a particularly severe blowcaused his already badly swoolen face to become worse. 'lite fourteenth was tile last round. Johnson got, to work quickly and served out punishment at such a rate and ill such heavy doses that ultimately Hums v.is sent down for eight seconds, and as Johnson rushed to finish him after he rose Police Superintendent Mitchell culled a halt, and Mr Mcintosh dec-lared Johnson the winner.

.MOHIO I'OWKIiITF, I'HiIITKK WON. As to the light itself (says the Herald) all that need lie said o'f it is that the more powerful lighter won. That jloliiison won fairly and decisively enough hardly anyone questions, although liiirns believes that had not. the police interfered he still had a chance. It' in the absence uf such intervention Dunis had eventually beaten 'his man it v/ould have been a greater testimony lo his superior morale than to his fmhtiug skill. Nn one who witnessed the affair will agree with the ex- :hanipiiiii I hat tiie police intervention was illtimed or unjuslificd. llurns was outclassed by an opponent, who, in addition to skill, had on his side much grosiler size and weight. The smaller man i therefore sutlers no ignominy in going down in a struggle iu which the fa'clor's were so unequal. Johnson, however, has robbed himself of any acclaini which an Auslraliaii public, or llial, section of il Hint concerns itself much with these exhibitions, might have ai-corded liini on his victory by Ihc display of what the circle he moves in would understand as llasinless.

I XO JiclilM I'OK A WHAXfi],]•:. XKliliO AI,H'.\VS ox TOP. Duucdhi, .Mniiilnv • ('nnrcniini; Hi'' '"K lijjlil at Ituslinil-ti'i-s liny on llnxinji Day. fln- Star's Sydney correspondent writes: As lor the itself, the onlv lyni;} circumstances is that (lii-i-'c Ts m, i'»"in for a w rankle a s to the result [•'nun tin- hc<rin,,i„ K j ( ~v il| , Uii|l Hi!' tvliilf ma 11 was outclassed Tim negro sccncl to knock- liiiu alioiil pretty much us lie pleased, laii^lij,,,, all the tinil'. I],, .cornel I»|' "lit for a holiday rather tl.au a engaged in a life and death s,Vtii„„j,. Xot only was lie physically on Tnii tiiron-honl the struggle, l.t.i'nhviousl - -too obviously-h,. i,|( r i . In the S'tat ( s, wliciv d,,. colour prejudice is strnmr, (|,e would probably Have been rushed had :l I hatcil negro Haunted his superiority over a whit, tagouist in sih-Ii galling ami cxasperathig I'asliinn He pot- smile shrewd hits, ,7f course] nit ho only anjrlinl nI ilmm, a:u| (hem back with terrible Interest. Burns t laugh: he took puishmcni with it gvim determination which showed dauntless crmrage nncl endurance, and if the police had not stopped the fMil nil the fourteenth rotwd lie would lure come for his grn'e] ns\«iig as he was nble to slnnd. Hut IIR i-ae\f Hint i,„ I

a inan^^H the face of tiie t can give this big, active, cunning two stone and heat him. Burns e big, active nuin, who knows cverv ni^W 0 in the game, and lights with his' limit* as well as his fists, but so does .lohnsoL and he has, moreover, among othit I i'l things, the advantage of Unrns's hooMf ■- in which the cx-champion impartc*' 1 many valuable wrinkles in the fist si , art. Other things being epual, tI,J ;i heavier man wins. That, in brief, is the' )■ history of the Hums-Johnson light." j