A Night Out for John L. Sullivan
Famed pugilist John L. Sullivan ignores local fans while passing through town on a train.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
John L. Sullivan passed through Yakima Friday on his way east. Local admirers telephoned ahead to the famous pugilist asking him to put in an appearance on the depot platform, but the 'big 'un' was having a good time in the drawing room of a Pullman with boon friends and plenty of whiskey and told the porter to notify those who wanted to see him that he was asleep in his berth and must not be disturbed.
“The 'big 'un' was having a good time in the drawing room of a Pullman with boon friends and plenty of whiskey.”
Railroad travel was the primary link between isolated boomtowns like Yakima and the wider world, making the train depot a focal point of civic attention. Sullivan, the first heavyweight champion of the gloved era, was a massive celebrity, highlighting the town's eager desire for connection to national culture.
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