The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-09-19
RUN DOWN BY A
MISS|ON-STREET CAR
Deacon Jones' Escape From
Being Crushed to
Death.
A DUsKY LITTLE LAD.
The Hero of Many Battles Sue
cumbs to Winnings Troll
ley Car.
HIS INTERESTING LIFE.
He Came Here as the Valet to
Clarence Greathouse, the Min.
lister 10 Korea.
LIFE.

He is little mite of a man, stocky in
build, a nose so fat that it takes up most of
his black face, which is illuminated by two
big eyes, the whites of which seem always
rolling. This is Deacon" Jones, the
valet, coachman, wrestler and prize
fighter, who is very i'll as the result of the
last encounter in which he engaged, on
the 18th of this month.
The Deacon" who has fought more
men than he has fingers and toes, who
has never suffered defeat in the prize
ring or out of it, and whose boast that no
man who breathes of his sizeA feet 2
inches-could throw him in a wrestling
bout, struck game, or rather was struck
by it, to which his sturdy little frame had
to succumb.
It was on Wednesday afternoon last,
when the Deacon" was making bis way
home and crossing Mission street, at the
corner of Fourth. The little fellow was
deep in thought and unmindful of car
1165, westward bound, which was rapidly
bearing down upon him. The motorman
apparently did not see the little bit of hui
mainly on the track, and, to the horror of
the passengers on the dummy. the col
lision occurred. There was a sickening
thud, and the Deacon" went down.
The car was brought to a halt thirty
IeeG away anu q TuSn WAS maQ6 10 see
what had become of the little colored fell
low. Bruised, bleeding and generally dis
figured, with but few strips of clothing
left, he was found wedged partly under
the fender, which had rolled and pushed
him all that distance.
Passers by helped him to his feet and
the last the passengers saw of him was as
he was rolling his eyes in the direction of
the vanishing car.
But the Deacon is a very sick little
man and his friends have to take gooo
care of him to pull him through.
The history of Deacon" Jones is some
what interesting.
When Clarence Greathouse, the promi-
nent attorney and United States Minister
to Korea, came to California from the
South he brought Jones with him. This
was about fifteen years ago and the lad
was only nine years OF age. He was
solemn of visage and filed with that sort
of religious superstition not unusual to
the people of his race living on planta-
tions in the South. Greathouse dubbed
his valet Deacon" and to this day the
little dusky fellow does not know himself
by any other name.
Greathouse was a lover of sports and
always took his boy with him wherever he
went. II was in the days when Harry
Maynard was in the zenith of his fame
and was coming money in his sporting
prize-fghters, professionals and amateurs
of more or less note, for the amusement of
his patrons.
One night big Swedish sailor on May
nard's stage whipped a much smaller man
than himself, but his work was so clumsy
that the Deacon" who had learned q
thing or two about the sport his master
loved so much, exclaimed:
Hes no good. | can do him myself ~
Greathouse admired the spunk of the
boy and decided to TRY him out"
The match was arranged, and sure
enough deacon" chopped the big Swede
to pieces. The big fellow couldn't hardly
reach the black boys hard head, it was so
far below him, and the lutte fellow
pitched in regardless of consequences,
beating an uncomfortable tattoo on the
other fellows wind and winning a purse
OF nearly as much as So 50-a big one in
those days for impromptu set-tos.
As soon as the deacon" learned he was
a pugilist, he forsook his master and was