River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1906-03-15

When | went looking for Carroll he
couldn't be found. / didn't see him
all that night, and in the morning
found he had taken the purse, and
taken it to the bank, where he'd put
$4,000 to my credit, and the same
amount to his own. Then he went Oft
again. 1t was a queer game, because
everything had to come out Of my
end OF the purse, all the training ex-
penses, and so forth, while Carroll's
was velvet, and he had it all to the
good.
Even then didn't go back ON him.
because / don't quit sn old pal that
way. An offer was made to me to go
out under the management of Otto
Flotow, and was to get $1,000 week
for myself. / STAYED it off, and
insisted that I'd have to have Car
roll along, and he'd have to get $500
for his bit, too, but they couldn't see
it that way, and found out afterwards
that they wanted to split us apart.
q lot of folks went TO him and told
him bunch of lies about what I'd
said about him, and then came back
to me and told me what he'd said
about me, but / never pay any atten-
lion to that sort of thing, and laughed
at them.
He believed them. though, and the
next thing | heard from him was \
telegram one of the boys showed me
ENriC i'm
which he said he was on his way, was
through with me, and was glad of it.
That ended that, and / don't know
that l was sorry, because that was
surely dirty trick he put up on poor
Jack.
/ went round to see the little man
afterwards, and tell you he was a
white one. l told him about how he'd
been trimmed, and how I'd been
steered that he was a gutter, and we
talked it over. That's the real truth
about Jack Dempsey, and the brutality
that was used by yours truly in the
fight. Jack never was gutter, and
wouldn't know how to try. found
out afterwards that it was all plan.
Some of the gang down there had the
fight doped out to turn, and the club
figured it out that I'd probably knock
Dempsey out in the first round, and
the whole thing would fi1zle out, be-
cause the men who had come from
other cities would kick at the short
ness of it. I've heard they took Car
roll into the game, and fixed 1t up
with him to tell me that he was vel
low, and would quit if hit him hard.
and that the only way to make the
thing go off right was for me to coax
him along, and just sort of feel him
ont for eight or nine rounds, SO
the sports could have run for their
money. 1t was low-down game ali
the way through, and it's about the
one thing | regret.
Ever since then I've been a little bit
sore on New Orleans, because it was
Just two years later that l had It
handed to me again in the same town
by the same crowd, and this time
got it for $4,000, which is something
I'm going to tell about before long,
I'd always been square with that New
Orleans gang, and i thought there
were nothing but friends in the town,
but it only goes to show you that
when a mans pocket is in the case,
there is mighty little friendship going
around loose.
Poor old Jack Dempsey is dead and
gone now, but he knew all about Ii
right after the fight, and we were
good friends, for he knew that Ia
been played for a sucker, and he'd
been the victim. He was the middle
weight champion, and was the best
man in the business until / happened
along. and he knew in the first round
that / could put him away in a punch,
but he never wilted for minute, and
while the blood was running down his
face he gritted his teeth and came
back at me for more of the same.
The last time put him down before
the knockout / didn't hit him. just
put my glove against his chin and
showed him, and nc went over in
heap. his head struck the dirt, ana IL
was all up with him then. We fought
on q dirt floor, or, rather, the bare
GROUND, and he had about AS much
mud on him as anything else where
he'd rolled about in it.
Now it's all over, and has been this
IA years, but / want to pay a tribute
right here to the best little man that
ever wore a glove; the gamest fighter
that ever stepped in ring, and with
no more yellow about him than there
is about blue peacock, and that's
Jack Dempsey.