The St. Louis Republic., 1902-11-23
Veteran Pugilist and Second Re-
lates Some of His Ring
Experiences.
MccoY's FIRST APPEARANCE.
Heavy Weight Started as General
Utility Man Around the
Training Camp in
New Orleans.

New York, Nov. 22-Jimmy de Forest, OF
Professor James de Forest as he is now
who first came into prominence as the
trainer and second of Kid Mccoy, and VINO
! has since brought out many prize ring
champions of various classes and aoiiity'
was in a reminiscent mood the other DAY
and he talked frankly and freely, throWihs
some light on the way boxing was con-
Quoted in and out OF the city prior to the
abolition of the Horton law.
De Forest lGvself has at the present time
! no good fighters on his hands, but Is en-
gagged in running a sort OF miniature Mui-
doon's Farm. He comes of famiiy Oh siA
aerial acrobats, all of whom were kilied al
various times in their work ON the Conu-
nent and in this country.
First the father went. missing the net III
a Jump from a trapeze, breaking his spine.
Then the mother was killed. A sister ieii
fis.y feet. Landing on an iron stake. and was
killed instantly, and brother was kiileu
while doing the giant SWING on the nOrl-
zontal bar forty feet from the ground. Inc
gear of the bar broke and shot him on
into SPACE Finally the family got down TO
two James and his sister. She was ulti-
mately killed, and then De Forest gave up
the business and turned his attention 10
prize fighting.
his reputation was that the fighter who had
De Forest behind him got all that was COM
kid Mccoy" said De Forest, first
stumbled across us when we were down In
New Orleans fixing up Bob Fits mmons for
down there. too and we gave Mccoy, job
washing out sweaters. Occasionally he
would put on the gloves with Ryan and
work with him. He was green as grass
then, but he had good head and picked up
"Weil. after Fitz got done, out Of the
time later Mccoy. who had been licking
Tommy West and a couple of others. came
to me and said he wanted me to train HIM
Maspeth. and 1t looked like cinch for
Ryan that the odds were 3 to l. What
ae op to dp keep one ar
the day, every day. We would come over
from Astoria and go on the. Bowery and
news S1 @ got po1E to Ryan an just ' as as we knew it
would. and he felt so sorry for Mccoy that
he hardly wanted tc take the trouble to
21s and 3 to 1. and Mccoy was In the pink
OF condition. 1 had given out the word TO
play him strong at the. odds. and those who
doing IT to beat the band. Ryan walks up
to Mccoy before the fight and says:
",kid here is where knock your block.
The Kid said that he would have twenty
rounds in which to make gooi his boas,.
Well. you know how the fight came out.
just tantalizing him and pulling him along
from round to round to punish him. !
think that Mccoy could still whip Ryan IL
he would take the trouble to get in shape.
I think he Is one of the best men in the
country-in condition
But did you ever hear about how Wild
Bill Hanrahan was first brought out? Well.
I discovered him. A friend came to me
lar Indian over there in Blanks slaughter
house on the West Side. l wish you'd go
there and look him over ] went down to
the stock yard. and there was Hanrahan.
as likely looking chap as ever you saw.
asked him what he could do. and he said
he did not know, that he had licked every
one about the stock yard except one big
fellow. They were rivals and had had a
reached the point Of getting together. Well,
Bill said that If 1 could work up the other
fellow to the point of scrap he would take
him on. l went to see the man. and he
Jumps all over him. and he looked as If he
could lift a house.
IT got up against him and gave him a
CON about Hanrahans licking my little
man who would lick Bill. The big fellow
pricked UP his ears and said he would DO
1t for me. Then ] worked him up some
more and had the fellow ready to chew
place so could get line, on Hanrahan.
took the latter Into my place and began
to put some idea of the rudiments of box
ing into his head. He was quick to learn.
the slaughter-house terror. whom will call
Madden. The fight came on In the s ock
yard with four-ounce gloves. and it was
the bl0cdfest scrap you ever saw. Madden
would ft BIZ clean a on ,an nls @ Fsff ,ad and us gst
up as game as pebble and top Madden
over Finally It came to the seventh round,
and AZ Madden rushed in Wild Bill let 60