The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-06-17

They were all fond of boxing, and Dempsey and McAuliffe used to per- form in the open lots. Dempsey seem ed to care more for wrestling and was found more on the mat than he was in the ring. McAuliffe got his chance when Billy Madden gave an amateur boxing tournament in New York. He was so successful that he became a professional. He has since boasted that he never trained in the real sense of the word after he left the amateur field. Dempsey did so well at graphing that one day John Shanley, now dead, wanted to know why Dempsey did not become boxer. Dempsey declared that he never had the chance, but the pF--' portuIlity came when Shanley match ed him for s2O0 side against an ''un- known" Demsey knocked his rfvtl out in jig time, and his career as a full f1edged pugIist began from that hour.
 Gus Rubin worked in printing shop before he became puglistic. He began by whipping town bullies and wound up by becoming an enthusiastic football player. Ruhlin's first test was when he fought Steve O'Donnell, who travelling around the country meeting all comers., Jim Corbett struch his present career by accident. He became a member of the Olympic A. c. of San Francisco because of his fine achieve ments on the baseball field. One day he entered the gymnasium of the club and watched Prof. Walter Watson, the Clubs instructor, teach several mem- bers the mysteries of the art of self defence. Corbett after a while though that he could do as we'll if not better than the members and asked for chance to put on the gloves with Wat son. Corbett, although he acknowledge ed that he did not know the firts du- ailments of boxing, made such sur prisingly fine showing that Watson became enthusiastic and volunteered to take Corbett under his wing then and there. In just three months Wat son had coached his pupil so we'll that he won the amateur heavyweight and I middleweight championships of Cali fornia. After this Corbett's progress in the ring was comparatively easy. A fragment from piece of iron which lodged in his head gave Battling Nelson his first inspiration to become a pugilist. The Dane was employed in a machine shop in suburb of Chicago with fighting far from his thoughts. He was always a tough youngster and had lot of narrow escapes from death After the accident had sent Nelson to the hospital he was lying on his cot ref1ecting on what he would do when |, ilreturning to the shop would be dis tasteful to him. He wanted something more ambitious, and then and there hit upon the idea of becoming a pugi- l list.
 1 T don't know just how the thought seized me-" explained Nelson after ward. Tt just came over me. told myself that if ever recovered would go into the ring. I said that being hit on the head with piece of iron was worse than being struck with a glove and that if could stand the iron I dcertainly could stand the punch. So [ took the sport up and have been at it ever since"
 Abe Attel1 says that cartoon of a lighting exhibition in San Francisco fgave' him his first idea of taking up 1the profession. Attell though that it would be a fine thing to have his own picture in the paper some day and but ted into one of the preliminary bouts in San Francisco. Jack O'Brien of Philadelphia is natural born fighter. His fathers hayloft was his favorite stamping ground and all the boys in 1 the .neighborhood felt the sting of Jacks knockout blows. George Dixon began life in a photograph gallery. Dixon made the acquaintance of a modern Job Trotter while delivered orders. He met another negro from whom he tried to. glean some important Iinformation. The negro deceived him and Dixon made up his nljIld that if he ever met the fellow again he would give him a thrashing. Fate, brought the pair together again, and the lfeatherweight kept his word with such dispatch that the negro never deceived any one afterward. Dixons success prompted him to take up boxing, and before long, the colored boy startled the sporting world with his wonder Iful achievements.
 Jem Mace helped Bob Fitzsimmons to become a fighter. The Cornishfnan worked as a blacksmith and when the retired English heavyweight champion appeared in Australia and held an amateur boxing tournament Fitzsnin- mons was one of the first to volunteer. | Fitz, with his long, lanky frame had no trouble in making the required weights in two classes and the lnaner