Evening star., 1908-01-12
Special Correspondence of The Star.

Special Correspondence OF The Star.
NEW YORK, January II. 1908.
little while ago. in this correspond
ence, I wrote about the desperate straits
to which the emaciated little George
Dixon was reduced. He was then the
sweep-out man for a low groggery In
SD street. l had met the down-and-out
little Africaneser and talked things over
with him. What struck me at that time
was that he didn't have word of COM
plant about the dents he was then get
ting from the mailed fist of Fate. This
was characteristic of the little dusky man
who was buried a few days ago he
wasn't a wilmer He didn't whimper
He took his medicine without murmur
He fully recognized the fact that he him.
self had staked himself to most OF the
hard luck that came his way. and SO he
refrained from blubbering. 1t was a hne
and a game quality in the little man Oh
chocolate hue who had won between
500 900 and S3OO,OOo for himself and his
backers-very, very largely Tor one OF
those backers-during his fighting career.
1t was curious TO see the mowers paiikeu .el
up on Dixon'S bier when his Dody was
resting at the Long Acre Club Ga boxing
OUTFIT awaiting shipment to Boston OF
burial. The flowers were all sent ny
fighting people, ex-eS and i've ones, diio
by dead games about town, who, "nell
Dixon was alive wouldn't have staked
the little ex-fghter to sou-markee. iet
there was no chance on earth TO mora.Ie
and to get bitter and sarcastic over TINS
showing 1t is Just the fair thing TO say
that there wouldn't have been the shsht-
est use in the world for any OF tnese
chaps who piled flowers on Dlxons COZ
fin to have helped the little man WIN
money while he was alive Money was
L.
went through his fingers like sand
through sieve. They might have given
him thousands. and he would nave scat
tered IL to the four winds as II IL nau
been wilted wild flowers. Al Terry NC
Governs benefit not long ago Dixon.
mere wrath. made his appearance In the
ring and went through the poor. dismai
motions of boxing. The bunch started
side subscription for Dixon as soon as they
saw him, and raised the sum OF S0Oo Tor
him. That piece of money tsurely
enough for careful down-and-outer TO
live a good year on) lasted DIXON Jusl
twenty-four hours. Then he was proke
and on the street again, with no place
to sleep. So that the fellows who sent
flowers for the casket could not rlsht-
fully be blamed IT, instead of waiting or
the little fighters inevitable nnish 10
adorn his bier. they failed 10 come
through for him in a monetary way
while he still was in the land of the ilv-
ing. There are some men who can De
helped and Dixon was one OF them.
He had set whisky up on pedestai ana
worshiped it. and that tells the "hoie
story.
Simultaneously with the death and bur
ial of Dixon comes the news that rom
O'Rourke, the manager who got the ouik
of the vast sums of money ,hat Dixon
made in the prize ring, IS broke In Lon
DON How the old shuttle does work.
A lot of these ex-fgAters make bad
hn
rum thing is bound to get the majority
of them sooner or later. Last week we
heard that Terry McGovern was on the
rampage again up in Canada. He ordered
bottle of champaSe at MOTEL In
Toronto. where he was exhibiting with
show, and, because the wine didn't ap-
pear quick enough to suit him. he knocked
all the teeth out of the head or notel
servitor and otherwise abused the man man
be had, somehow or another. for that JOB.
They are not very indulgent toward that
kind of stuff across the northern oorder,
and McGovern will be lucky If he wrg-
giles out of the mess without having TO DO
some kind Of a bit
Now, eight years ago, who would have
supposed that Terry McGovern woule
ever traverse the old rum road? l never
met ND with a fighting individual. big or
little, who was so dead against the drink
ing thing as McGovern was at that time.
He wouldn't even look at 1t. He wouldn't
train with rummleS, no matter now DiS
or important they were in the world of
dead games. He was outsDoken against
the drinking business. 1t was a sort of
bug with him. He had never taken a
drink In his life. and he never meant to.
he said. Him to salt the old dough away
and have e for the day of wet. And all
similar. He was making money in huge
hunks at that time. and it was commonly
predicted that before getting his wind-up
wallop he'd become the richest fighter
that ever put on the gloves. As a matter
of fact, McGovern was mighty comfort
able man. in the monetary way, when
Young Corbett licked him. But that
thrashing was the end of all things for
the little Terry person. He couldn't
stand up under defeat. He had all the
spine in the world in the prize ring. but
none left over to enable him to face the
adversities common to men in everyday
life. Immediately he had been put away
by Rothwell he jumped into drinking like
an ex-rummy with ten years thirst to
satisfy. All of his former opposition to
the stuff was blown away upon the wind
by that one thrashing. That he would go
broke. having made that kind of start.
was inevitable. He did go broke. as the
world knows. and he made sad exhibition
of himself in many public places around
New York, particularly at the race tracks,