The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-01-18
eleventh WAS DOC.
REID'S JONAH DAY
THE PRIZE FIGHT PROMOTER,
WHO WAS LAST MAN TO MAN.
AGE WALTER WHITEHEAD, HAS
THURSDAY AND 18Th HooDoo's
BACKED OFF BOARDS.

Are there "hoodoo" days of grim
actuality that dog a mans footsteps
from one end of his span of life to
the other, or does he, merely from a
set of condolences, get the annoying
impression that an unkind and UNI
waiting to snap at his heels when the
calendar turns up certain day or
date?
Our old musical friend Joe How
ard, with the rollicking and lifting
soul, seemed to think there was some.
thing to this feeling, which many try
to make us believe is a superstition.
when he had Happy Johnny Hicks
sing to the audiences that Thursday
Is My Jonah Day."
Another man who is certain that
he has been afflicted by the Jonah
day. is Doc. Reid, of Chicago, the
promoter, ;tnc curiously enough
Reid was absolutely confirmed in his
belief by the stabbing of Walter
Whitehead, of Duluth, early i'm the
morning of jan 5, from the effects
of which the negro pugilist died
Thursday morning at ST. Luke's hos
pitaL Reid had experienced Il sue
.cession of set-backs on his "hoodooH
day, but the Whitehead stabbing was
the climax.
The Chicago mans interest IN
Whitehead came from the fact that
he took the latter's management
when preparations were being made
for the Whitehead Goodale fight in
Hancock, Mich. Dec. /. Reid was
managing Goodale and he was in the
copper country with his man and
watched the Duluth negro, work out.
obtaining a favorable impression of
Whitehead from his rangy, rugged
build and his sledge- hammer wallop
and his proposition to secure series
of battles for the local mitter was ac-
copied and Reid at once began COM
municating with boxing club ,pro-
motcrs.
Right here was where Doc Reid's
crajbby old hoodoo day bobbed up
again Tommy Ryan, former welter-
weight fighter, along with Doc. Hot
tom, of Memphis, Tenn, had organ
lied a new boxing club down in this
sporting center and they offered Reid
bout for Jan. IL between White
head and George Cotton. another ne
gro. And I wish never had accept
ed that date" declares Reid. No
more Of that 18th of the month thing
for me. I'm not afraid of fight in
the open with fair field and no ia
vors, but when 1t comes to stacking
up against that sour nugged trio of
fates I'll pass after this.
THAT 11tn day in the month has
been filled with all sorts of disagree
able and mysterious misfortune for
me and twice whitehead has been
involved. Just to give you some re-
cent instances
'On Sept IL, 7 had frankie White
at st. 10, Mo, TO fight frankie Con-
ley. This was return match and
fully 1900 fans were at the hall to
See the milling About a half hour
before they were to have entered the
ring. White was arrested on state
warrant from Chicago, charged with
grand larceny. They refused to re-
lease him on bond and the fight was
called off with all those people watt
ing there
"Nov. i'll had Tony Caponi
matched with Billy Papke, before the
West Eend club of New Orleans. I
suppose after my first experience /
ought to have known better than to
have articles signed for this date
was only nalf surprised when, after
the match was all made, Papke held
out for more money, and the club
substituted the Wolgast- Pet fight
ION the 1.-THE day of December i
had All. Goodale OF Chicago. matched
with. whitehead at Hancock. Mich.
Still@ trying to slip that hoodoo the
knock out drops, you see. Well, ey-
erybody knows that tne day the fight
was supposed to come on, Governor
Warner wired Sheriff Jim Byers to
prevent the bout
"The climax came this month in