Saturday, April 25, 2009
Herriman Saturday
Wednesday, July 31 1907 -- Two boxers, both characterized as over-the-hill in the Examiner, clash in a 20 round bout in San Francisco this evening. The paper declares that the loser will surely retire. Well, Battling Nelson lost the bout but would go on in the prizefighting dodge for another thirteen years or so! Jimmy Britt, too, would keep on slugging, though only for a paltry three more years.
Friday, August 2 1907 -- Battling Nelson is eulogized in this Herriman cartoon, consigned to the sepulcher of the boxing has-beens.
Saturday, August 3 1907 -- Negro boxer Joe Gans arrives in town to a huge and enthusiastic crowd of well-wishers, the vast majority of whom are black. Sportswriter C.E. Van Loan thinks this is just hilarious and takes the opportunity to write an editorial just dripping with light-hearted fun-loving racism. If Roget's has a need to beef up their list of synonyms for the race they need not look any further -- Van Loan covers all the bases and comes up with a few probably never before heard.Labels: Herriman's LA Examiner Cartoons
