Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-26
TRUNK

"
Denver Republican,: Happy Cal
of the Milwaukee,, was telling several
men recently about a pugilist he hired.
when I was in the minstrel business"
said Wagner, ST was showing in Lincoln,
Neb., when a young, wiry fellow came to
me and wanted a job. l gave him that
of looking after baggage, and he dis
played phenomenal strength. There was
a fighter in Kansas City, to which place
we went from Lincoln, who thought he
was a wonder, and who was backed by
everybody. My baggage hustler came to
me and said he could lick him for money,
marbles or mucilage. I didn't think
much Of my man, but backed him.. Say!
He sailed into that stockyards mark like
a cyclone and 1t was all over in a few
minutes.
w We're a week in Kansas City, and
that hustler of mine tore up the town.
They brought fighters of all sizes and
colors around and he polished them off
with an ease Il a rapidity that was
wonderful. I was so much in love with
his pugilistic abilities that I wanted to
take him off the trunks, but he said that
was his training. Imagine a pugilist
training by throwing trunks around!
well, we went all through the south
n everywhere the fame of this man
spread and everywhere he Won Of course
he got mixed up in several bar-room
brawls by friends of men he had defeat
ed, but he stacked them up like cordwood.
In one of his fights the men hit the floor
SO fast it sounded like hail on a roof.
What I'm getting at, however, is how
we got out of Havana with a barrel of
money-slathers of it, in fact. We were
showing in Havana, and they had down
there a Cuban who was a wonder. He
1,nl hnofnn nynryyhndNy NJ 49, 49,
been heard of, and so one day a match
owas made with him. The Cuban was
fully a head taller than my trunk hustler
and he had arms on him like pump ham
dies.
1.-THE fight was pulled off in the opera
house on the percentage plan. The peo-
pie turned out in droves. It's an actual
fact that money came in so fast that l
just showed it into sacks, for l was taxi
ing the money SO that I wouldn't be
,thrown down by the Spaniards who were
in IN the fight, backing the Cuban. My
men We're backing our man to a stand
still.
Before the fight took place I divided
the money. You may not believe it, but
there was a couple of wheat sacks full
of the stuff. Spanish money of course.
We were going to get out Of the town i'm
mediately after the fight and had every
thing in readiness.
"As soon as the men faced each other
in the ring they did a little fddling and
then my man punched the Cuban a stiff
one on the jaw and he went down like
an OK. 1t vas all over then. We got
our man and broke for the docks and
into our o n were rowed out for
the steamer that was to sail in an hour
for Tampa.
TN Tampa we cashed in the Spanish
money for American coin and actually
we had more money that we knew what
to do with. For years after the Span
iards and Cubans in Havana were thirst
ing for our gore. for they are hard losers.
you know. and are always looking to
give you the worst Of it. We knew this
and that was the reason we were in a
hurry to get out Of town.
"Who was my man? He was Billy
Mack, the Australian. and a cracker-jack
In his day, which was when he was with
me. He now lives in Chicago and has
/ several plumbing stores" ~ as5