John Matthew Mons

Transcription of the second newspaper clipping

AFTER WORLD’S RECORD- The “Boston Globe” of May 7th gives the following amount of a young gentleman from Oughterard—

Mr. John M. Mons, who has recently taken up his residence in America. As Mr. Mons is so well known in Galway we feel that this reference made to him will be read with interest by a good many of his friends. A life-like photo of Mr. Mons is also given in the paper referred to:—

There will be a new aspirant in this country this year for athletic championship honors in the person of John M. Mons, who just arrived in America and at present is doing some training on the Charlesbank gymnasium. He was born in Oughterard, County Galway, May 29, 1882, and has been in athletics since 1897. He will compete in any line of sport that offers.

He stands 5 feet 11½ inches and weighs 196 pounds. His standing high jump record, carrying two 56-pound weights, is 3 feet 5½ inches. He is in hopes of meeting some with a desire to contest in this sport, which is new in America.

Mr. Mons first competed at Annadown, Co. Galway, 10 an ago. At that time Tom Hynes, cross country champion of Ireland, competed, and when Mons had taken the 100 yard and quarter-mile events, Haynes, who is also a long distance runner of Ireland, induced Mons to keep in the field.

When 17 years old Mons affiliated with the Temperance Hall, the B.A.A. of Galway. He tried for and won the all-Connaught championship at rowing on Lough Corrib, County Galway. The cup was valued at 250 dollars and Mr. Mons successfully defended it many times. The cup is now his.

In 1904 he captured the 100-yard dash, quarter-mile run, and throwing the 28-pound weight at the Crystal Palace, London, and at Stamford bridge. He also captured the quarter-mile championship of Ireland at Limerick, and at Glasgow, Scot, he won the same event against all comers, where he also won at throwing the 28-pound weight. He added to his list that of broad jump in 1904, and last year W. W. Baine, the Scotch champion wrestler, failed to throw him in 10 minutes as he agreed to, and for this Mons was 125 dollars richer. Later Baine issued a challenge to Mons and the latter won, the stake being 2,500 dollars.

Last year he met and defeated Doubleday, Allen, Victor, McAlpine and Connolly in wrestling contests, and he has yet to meet defeat. Last September be won the Connaught championship at hurdles. When he met McGrale, the Scottish hurdle champion, at Celtic Park, Glasgow, in 1901, he was so hard pressed by his opponent that he was unconscious for 17 minutes after he had won the championship for Ireland.

Mr. Mons is independently wealthy and is in the sport for glory. He modestly says that if he becomes the holder of the world’s all-round championship, He will not be the first Irishman to have that honor, nor if he fails will he be the first to have tried and I failed.