Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-25
PUGILISTS OF ALL NATIONS.
Characteristics of Foreign Fighters and How Their
Nationality Affects Their Temperament.
Lavigne Was One of the Greatest.
Chuck Connors' Chink Scrapper.
By Revere Rodgers.

an luea as TO distance. he would have
been giant killer. He could stand more
srueiing than any man of his day and
Wnen you would see Gus after one OF his
furnishing battles he looked as IL he had
Just come out of the shambles.
me Hebrew race has produced some
spiehoid lighters. and though you often
near the remark made by persons that
tne hebrews are not fighting race. yet
those who have followed professional
pusiilsm have more than disproved the
uose assertion. AS far as gameness is
concerned, those who have appeared in
the roped arena in America were each
ana every one nervy propositions
joe Ihoyinski was as game and gritty
man as ever stepped into a prize ring.
and to show that there was not a bit OF
yellow In Joes composition I may men
Iion the fact that man to win from
Cnoyinski had to pound him into uncon-
seriousness. but before this feat was ac-
compiished the fellow who was doing the
pounding would know that he had been
up against prize fighter for Choyinski
was this If ever a man was.
joe most serious handicap was his
iack OF weight. He was built on the
Fnladeiphia" Jack O'Brien order and
ne would tackle any fighter under the
sun He always gave weight in all of his
oattles, and some of his contests were
win men forty pounds heavier. But Joe
would go up against the best, and he
would always make splendid showing
Choyinski was a veritable glutton for
punishment, and the only way you could
make him stop fighting was by the knock
out route. If one of his seconds would
uare 10 throw up the towel when he saw
the game Hebrew had no chance to win
mat man would have the neryy fellow 10
night afterward.
Choyinski Clever.
ehoyinski was one of the cleverest of
me '"o-handed fighters. and his duck
ing ana 1ootwork were the prettiest af-
Ialrs Imaginable He was a handsome
fellow, and one of the most comnanion
aple and liberal fighters that could he
found anywhere. He was always q gen
lieman, willing to fight at any time or any
pIace. After he started going back he
became famous as trial horse for asnir
ants to heavyweight honors During this
period Choyinski thought nothing of fight
ing couple OF times a week The last
.,me met the big fellow he was in
NJ, sc vi me sporting department Of
new YORK department store
II mas always been claimed that Tommy
Ryan, who in his day was one of tina
cleyerest as well as one of the eamest
niuoie weights that ever donned a pair OF
mltts, is Hebrew but he denies there
is any Hebrew blood in his veins. and he
ought TO know. His looks certainly are
oecelVlng, however, and you will not find
one sporting man in the country who is
acquainted with Ryan that won't tell
\"
Why he should wish to deny his origin
is great mystery to every one, but be
that as 1t may, Ryan in his palmy DAYS
was the peer of all the fighters In his
class.
AS far as science and cleverness went
Ryan had no superiors, and 1t has al
ways been claimed that he was q hit
ahead OF Jim Corbett when it got around
70 footWork. Certainly Ryan was
past master in these three departments of
TONED Ryan's courage, yet he had the
greatest disinclination to having his face
beaten.
One thing that made Tommy somewhat
unpopular was his penchant for picking
up easy marks and no man before or
since, with the exception of Philadelphia
JACK y Brlen, ever made SO much easy
money as did Tommy Ryan. Ryan is now
located in Kansas City.
Jimmy Handler and his brother Joe
are both Hebrews, as is Kid Goodman.
Lowe. and several others who are Just
coming. Joe Bernstein is also Hebrew,
and in his day was one Of the best i'm
his class. Barney Aaron, the old-time
one of the gamest fighters that ever
stood within the squared arena. This
latter attribute appears to be possessed
largely by all the fighters of the Hebrew
faith.
good many people think that Benny
Yanger is Hebrew, but he isn't. He is
an Italian, as is Young Griffo," and also
Kid Murphy.
Austria has had one representative
among the topnOtchers in Jack Root of
Chicago, who wise people maintain, could
take more beating than any of the latter
day pugilists. At any rate, Jack surely
would get chopped UP bit in all of his
fights. He and the 'Injun rubber" man.
Joe Grim, were in the same class. 1t
seemed the only way to knock Jack out
was with an AK.
Only Pole.
Tommy Felz is the only notable repre-
sentative of Poland. This little man in
his day was a sure enough fighter and
no mistake The one bad point about
Tommy was his ill temper when he was
in the ring. He was all there in every
department of the fighting business. and
had he been the cool proposition that
young Corbett was. Feiz's name and
deeds today would have occupied several
pages in the pugilistic history book
Jack Everhardt. the New Orleans prod
uct, was one of the best of the German
born fighters. Jack was bruising scrap
per; one of the boring-in kind. and hard
ly any man outside of Layigne could step
the fierce German. He could hit with
the strength of a pile-driver and stand
as much punishment as mad bull.
Everhardts two terrific battles with
Lavigne took a whole lot out of Jack
for both times he received a terrible
beating, and he never fully recovered
from them. He was, when last heard
from, connected with the police depart
ment down in New Orleans.
AL Wienig was another German who
could stand the gait when it came to
stopping sledgehammer blows. but he had
no science, and was awkward to
pitiable degree, yet he was wont to take
some awful beatings at the hands of his
more clever opponents.
The best of all the German fighters
was Billy Meyers. the "Streator Cyclone"
who had in conjunction with his wonder
full staying powers the hardest punch
of any man of his weight. What Billy
lacked most was science, and an obstinate
stubbornness that would not allow him
to do any getaway business. 1t was
stand up and take your medicine with
the Illinois boy, and this mode of fighting
blow that he could have side stepped, but
IL lost him more than one of his excit-
ing fights.
Chinese Scrapper.
Pugilistic history points to the fact
that there was one Chinaman who adopt
ed the smuggling game as his career in
life. but this yellow peril didn't last a
great while. He was a husky youth. far
above the usual size as Cinnamon 20,
and he was constructed along suburb
lines.
He was discovered by that philosopher
and Chinatown guide. Chuck Connors.
who taught the Monaghan all that he
knew about prize fighting. After Chuck
thought he had the yellow man up 10
correct form he announced the fact that
he had discovered the heavyweight cham
rryl..a 10 f.aN 1.n