Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-28
HOW BILLY PAPKE
STARTED FIGHTING
Entered the Ring to Help a
Sick Friend Save His
Forfeit Money.

Nearly every fighter you meet these
days will tell you about how he went
to see some great ring star perform
and then and there got the amoitlon
to shine in the squared circle writes
Billy Papke in an autobiography
"They will tell you how they took this
man as a model, worshdped at his shrine
and thereafter became celebrities. for 1t
is only those who have accomplished
something that ever get an opportunity to
write about themselves.
Now, in my case it was not like this
at all. 1 never got the fever from seeing
some other fellow perform, nor have l
ever looked up to any one man as my
guiding star. This does not mean that
have not learned a whole lot from some
II the great fistic stars of the past, Tor l
have watched them all and tried to pfoht
by their experience. But through 1t all
lave always followed my own style ana
my own way Of fighting and doing things.
FOR you must know that l am now
in the ring merely by the greatest acct
cent. | had no more thought OF ever
becoming fighter than | had that
might some day become a Mlchaeianselo.
My start is Interesting, and as l nave
never set it down before | VIII do SO
now and set the matter straight, Tor they
have had me breaking into the game in
every Imaginable form.
Started When Seventeen.
1T was when 1 was only seventeen
years old that 1 got my first experience.
At that time my brother, Ed, who is now
my manager; a friend of mine, Billy
Schmidt, and myself were lacking signs.
We took southern trip. On the way
some one introduced a PAIR or boxing
gloves. Ed never used them much. but
'Smitty' and myself put them on every
night.
by the time that we got back to our
home in Spring Valley we were both
pretty good with our dukes. \ fighter
and fight manager we'll known in our sec
ton of the country. Skinny Evans by
name, was putting on show about the
time we landed. We did not have any too
much money, and Schmidt and myself
agreed to go on in one OF the prellmina-
ries. We were to get So apiece, and the
money looked awfully big to us
well, when we got TO the hall that
night Evans came around and tod us
that the house was SO poCr that he could
not put us on unless we would agree TO
go on for nothing. He was to fight In
the main bout himself. l did net care
much, but Schmidt got hot under the col
lar and declared that Re "tu take II
out CT Evans hide So he get real strong
and challenged the winner of the main
bout 1t was a cinch that Il, s would be
Skinny, SO he saw revenge rlght there
We'll Evans was the winner, and they
fixed up a match for a little place named
Grenople Forfets We're posted, and 1t
looked like the real thing. ! thought 1
was out of it, but got interested on &C
count of Schmidt. just few days be-
fore the fight was to take place [ got Il
hurry-up message to go and see Schmidt
at his home. | found him down with
typhoid fever, and the doctor said he
would not be able to leave MS bed for
weeks. will never forget that day as
long as live. Schmidt said to me some
thing like this:
Bill, that forfeit is the last money
! have got i'm the world. ] don't know
what mother and myself will do If We
lcse it, We will lose it if some ore don't