The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-12-11
BATTLING NELSON
AND HIS CAREER
Comes From Sturdy Danish
Stock in Copenhagen.
QUEER NAME GIVEN AT BIRTH
WINNINGS co TO SUPPORT HIS
MOTHER AND FATHER.
QUEER NAME GIVEN AT BIRTH

The history OF Battling Nelson has
been discovered. and it is not an un-
interesting one:
Battling is no nickname. When the
boy was born in Copenhagen on the
5th e June. 1852. his parents pondered
duly before giving him his name. but
his mother, who had brother Battl-
ing and wished 10 DO him honor, in
sisted that her third son should bear
IL. The Oscar and Matthew came
Easy enough but neither was nearly so
distinctive as Battling. so Battling has
his name been, for short ever since.
Probably the original Danish name is
not spelled that way. but that is as
near as the English title approaches
,he original.
Whether the boy was attracted into
his calling by his name does not di-
roCtly appear. but that the title had
influence that way is certain. As boy
among his mates at school he was not
-u De tTi6ed with. Not that he was un-
iCly belligerent seeking contest with
out cause, but once the gage had been
thrown down Battling Nelson was
youth TO be reckoned with.
Battling, enc Of ten children. comes
n good old Danish stock. Possibly he
has inherited some OF the traits which
Of old made the Danes such sincere
lighters when warning Or their enemies
Possibly he has imbibed some of the
spirit Cf the vikings ana OF the men
u old who believed implicitly I'm the
Wooden and Frithjofs and Siegfrieds Of
he Scandinavian mythology. Hammer
Of Thori Who can say?
But the boy has put such fighters as
Herrera. Candle. Hanlon and now
Young Corbett behind him. and in
cooking for yet greater laurels has
shown that i'm him runs the blood Of
worthy ancestors.
Family Is Thrifty.
The family is Of the thrifty Scandi-
naVian type. the kind that makes good
citizens, good Americans. The father.
Ncls. carpenter. works at Indiana
haTbOr The mother. a little woman
about -, takes care of the cottage and
-akes immense pride in her children.
Albert. the oldest is IS, and is a ma
chinist in the Northwestern shops.
Henry. -, is a blacksmith at Wash
ngton Heights Then Genes Battling.
2. Johnnie, 20, is 4 holder in the
Hegewisch works: Charlie. "A bright
ooy of Is, is in High school Ida. i6
The only daughter, is learning dress
making, and Arthur who viii be II
IN January. and Harry. 10. the baby
of the family. are In school Two chill
dren are dead.
The Nelson's live modestly. comfort
ably. in a little cottage at 1916 Superior
avenue. Battling has helped materi-
ally i'm providing for the home. and his
mothers testimony that ne is a good
boy is enough recCnpense for any
aspersiOns that may be cast upon his
Ealing.
One day as he was acting as black
smiths helper IN the Hegewisch shops
an iron fragment flying from a broken
laying it open. He was taken, more
dead than alive, to Mercy hospital.
where he lay UNCONSCIOUS for forty
eight hours. He came cut after If
teen days with a distinct aversion for
the job Of smiths assistant.
So. when urged and legged not to
take up Mother" he said.
III 1 run such risks i'm the shops how
ran fighting be more dangerous than
that?" An unanswerable argument
Tor his critics.
Mother Interested in Son.
tling's fight with Corbett? Yes. indeed.
even the mother not uumindful Of the
fame-Of however doubtful a variety
that would accrue to her sen and 70
the family if Battling should win. wait
ed until her husband and the boys re-
turned from the telegraph Office at >
o'clock in the morning with the news
that Battling had won.
Il could not sleep until I found out
The result. said the little mother in
telling OF the incident. ITO a certain
extent / felt that the boy was i'm some
danger, but 1 was not very anxious on
that account. for / know that he is
strong and has been always able TO
hold his own in anything he has gone
into.
"Of course his father and brothers
we're deeply concerned in his contest.
and they We're not alone. for many OF
Battling's friends in this town were
NTH them getting he returns"
Neis Nelson and his good wife Mary
came to the United States when Bat
Ting was 10 months old. After less
than a year spent M Oshkosh. Wis.
the family came TO Chicago, whence
n went 10 DOltOn TO take TO farming.
But this did not prove as profitable as
might have been and the prospect Of
work in the Hegewisch shops attracted
The Nelson's there. And there they have
been ever since.
Battling went TO scnooI until he was
-. and then. because there was no
work in Hegewisch. he started out ON
his own hook and found himself one
day i'm Huron. s. D.. unknown and
without money. He was a strong boy
and speedily landed" as helper in a
butcher shop.
A year at this and then the war with
Spain broke out and Battling enlisted.
The Huron company Travelled south
as far as Sioux City, Ia.-when, for