Naturally, after I had virtually defeated the world's champion in four rounds, I was the man of the hour. I won't attempt to be modest because I wish to stick to the truth. The papers the day after the fight agreed that Corbett could not have lasted another round. That helped out. People followed me on the streets and pointed me out to their friends.

                  I did not see Corbett again until about two days after the fight. Then I ran across him at the place of his brother Harry, on Ellis street.

                  I could see that Corbett was feeling badly and that he was doing his best to appear cheerful and unconcerned. He clearly indicated how he felt by his eagerness to engage me in conversation.

                  "Well," he said, "you did pretty well."

                  I agreed that I did about as well as could be expected considering the conditions I had to work under.

                  "Yes," said Corbett. "you are a very strong man. You ought to make a good wrestler. You'll never make a fighter."

                  I won't tell what I said in reply. But the reader may rest assured that it wasn't anything very polite.

                  I wound up my little talk with an offer to fight Corbett at any time, any place, for any amount of money and for any number of rounds.

                  "And when I finish with you," I said, "you will have found out whether I will ever make a good fighter."

A NEW MATCH
                  The upshot of the thing was that Corbett and I before leaving the place had agreed to fight to a finish for a side bet of $10,000. Each of us put up $2500 to bind the match.

                  But Corbett, as foxy a man as ever drew on a glove, had no idea of going through with that match. This we ascertained later, when it developed that in the articles we signed he caused to be inserted a clause which prohibited either of us before we met again in the ring from participating in a contest with any other opponent.

                  This clause resulted eventually in the match falling through, though it hung fire and was written about for several months.

                  This second run-in with Corbett gave me additional publicity and in a week or so I made my first appearance on a stage at the Alcazar theatre, across the street from the Orpheum. I did a boxing stunt with Danny Needham as my sparring partner.

                  When we finished at the Alcazar Needham and I started on an eastern theatrical tour with Danny Lynch as manager.

                  This tour took us to many cities. At St. Louis I used as sparring partner Jake Holtman, who since then has gained fame as a starter of horse races. Jake was a strong, willing young fellow, and in those days had his own ambitions to star in the prize ring.

                  We reached New York in August of 1896 and Lynch arranged to have me engage in a three-round exhibition with John L. Sullivan.

                  Sullivan then, of course, was old and fat, but it was quite a treat for me to put on the gloves with a man whom I had looked on through my boyhood as the greatest fighter that ever lived.

                  At the conclusion of our exhibition Sullivan met me in the center of the ring, shook my hand and said:

                  "Tom, I'm pleased to have met and sparred with you. You are strong and rugged and game. If you keep on you'll be the champion of the world. You'll whip them all."

                  I never had a higher compliment paid me than that. When I had dressed and left the building I must have been a couple of inches bigger around the chest.

SULLIVAN'S FRIEND
                  Sullivan and I became very friendly and when we happened to meet on the street and in other places he gave me pieces of advice which I was very thankful for.

                  One day he told me that the reason he liked me was that I had walloped Corbett.

                  "He's a parlor fighter, that Corbett," said Sullivan, "and he never would have whipped me, old as I was, had he dared to stand up and trade punches with me. In my younger days I would have caught and beaten him down."

                  That trip east did me much good. It gave me the opportunity to meet many prominent sporting men whom I had heard of and to see many things which I did not even know existed.

                  We remained in the east several months, the fact that I was then supposed to be matched with Corbett making me a live theatrical card. But all good things must end, so in September we began working toward the Pacific coast.

                  We arrived in San Francisco in November, ascertained that the match with Corbett had fallen through, and then - now comes a big chapter - I was matched with "Ruby" Bob Fitzsimmons.

(This was the end of the last article in my possesion.)