The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-31
STANLEY KETCHEL l SHOULD HAVE BEEN
 WORLDS CHAMPION
HOW SHORT AND BRILLIANT CA REER WAS CURTAILED BY THI "GREAT WHITE WAY" BEFORE THE MURDEROUs BULLET
BY W. W. NAUGHToN

San Francisco. October 3o.-with tn untmely taking off of Stanley Ketche the fighting game loses it's most pictul esque character The pity of it is. fror the present outlook of things, Ketche at the time of the tragedy was about t, enter into the simple life in earnest ana endeavor to atone to himself for the in roads he had made on his wonderful constitution by careless living.
 If letter received from Ketchel not long before his death can be taken as an earnest declaration of his intentions, he proposed to devote himself to the lumber business and to that end had purchased tract of timber land near Springfield, Mo. He intimated that he was through with the games of the gloves, but I'll be bound if Ketchel felt his dash re- turning after sojourn in the big tree country he would have been found fight
 ing again and fighting the very best.
 Ketchers rise to fame was indeed meteoric. A little over three years ago the youngster was unknown. While Bill Sduires and Tommy Burns were prepar- Ing for their Fourth of July contest in 1907 Ketchel found his way into Cali foInia and secured a match with Joe
 homas the San Francisco favorite. They were to box at Marysville and when Ketchel arrived in the town mentioned, unkempt and unshort, some one asked: Who's your trainer?"
 "Trainer!' replied Ketchel; I'm lucky to be here myself"
 He was more anxious about being sent to the nearest restaurant properly cre- dentialed than he was about Marysville training facilities. and it might really be said that it was on Squire meals Ketchel conditions himself for the match.
 His confidence was intact He wrote me from Marysville prior to the fight, say ing naively:
 You don't know me; but want you to watch my career and give me bit of a send off if you think I deserve it.
 Ketchel and Thomas fought on the same day as Burns and Squires, and when the world was ringing with Bunrns' praises the wonderful showing of novice Ketchel provided a companion topic. Ketchel certainly demolinshed the Cali fornia idol; and so that there might be no doubt about it he administered defeat to Thomas a second and third time.
 KetcheIs wonderful natural fighting talents were quickly recognized. He was compared to Fitzsimmons on account of his employment of the shift punch; but 1t is doubtful if Fitzsimmons in his palm jest days ever kept an opponent guess ing the way Ketchel did. With his sway ing, twisting motion, his undulating shoulders and his feet almost aligned there was no telling which side the fear ful shift was coming from, and wher it landed 1t was certainly deadenint smash.
 If Ketchel had only conserved his nerve force and stamina. there is reason to believe that he would have become not only the hope of the white race but it's reliance in the maintenance of puglistic supremacy.
 A gamer lad never peeped over a glove. Many of the men who have attaineG greater heights in the pugilistic profes- sion have shown unmistakable signs of trepidation in their early fights, but to see this fellow enter the ring was to know that he loved fighting for the ex- citement it afforded him.
 If it ever came that he was suspected of avoiding a. prospective opponent It was because of the common human fail- f ing that he had tasted the delights which hinge upon popularity and was averse to taking any chance that might tumble. him from his proud position.
 There were others before him that felt that way about things when they became acquainted with the higher rungs of the ladder of fame, and I have no doubt 1t was the same, far back in the misty past.
 Many gladiator was spoiled when con tinued successes enabled him to lead the life of a dandy. Acquaintance with the feshpots and wine fagons converted him into thoughtful individual and allowed moral cowardice to usurp the place of physical courage.
 Ketchel was a likable fellow and will be remembered by all who have taken an interest in the pugilistic happenings of the past few years.
 As a Queensberry entertainer his work stood out in such fashion that it cannot be we'll forgotten. It was believed that he showed signs of impaired stamina dur ing the second of his San Francisco fights with Billy Paple, but even though 1t was claimed that the lure of the auto mobile boulevards and the great white ways of big cities would soon result in his downfall. he managed to sustain his reputation as a sensational slugger right up to the last time he donned the gloves.