Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-06-03
KID WEDGE" FIGHTING
PARSON, HAS STORY
Tsls Of Song Sung in Beer Hall on
the Barbary Coast Shows Turning
Point In Pugilist's Life.

10 was night in beer hall in San
Francisco. The glaring lights, the
sound Of fiddles and piano aud drums,
the babel Of voiees-some nigh pitched
with excitement, some nuftlcd and
thick with the soddenness of intoxica.
tion-the discordant peals of laughter
lit was scene that might have
tempted the pen Of Dante in searca
OF an added chapter to his "Inferno. "
In all that crowd the only face that
seemed 10 retain traces of former re.
finement was that OF a girl who stel-
ped cut onto the stage and stood look
ing out over the rough throng while
the orchestra played the opening bars
70 song strangely different from
those usually heard there. Then she
eang. Somehow souls yearning was
voiced in that song. A bit of husa
fell ON the roistering crowd, and then
a storm of applause, mingled with
drunken yells, greeted the close of the
tfirst verse. Just at that time a gray.
haired little woman, accompanied by
a stockily.built young man, entered the
place. No one noticed them. No one
needed the smothered moan that came
from the lips of the gray-haired little
woman. No one heard the words shr
spoke to her companion, and no one OBJ.
served that his lips came together in
a straight line as he led her 10 seat
in a booth close to the stage.
The girl was singing the last verse
OF the song. From one of the boxes
party OF men were leaning over the
rail and throwing flowers at her. She
gave them no heed, but sang 40 if she
had forgotten her surroundings Then
the song ended. The young man had
left the gray-naired woman and was
standing close to the box, watching
the party in the box and the singer OH
the stage. A yell of approval wen;
up as tho song ended, but the girl,
scarcely pausing to bow, almost ran
from the stage.
In the box the men with the flowers
shouted rough words of praise to her,
but she paid no attention. The dem
onstration Of approval continued, ana
the young man watching the scene saw
the stage manager literally push the
girl out from the wings onto the stage
again. As she came forward one of
the roisterers in the box, with q shout,
climbed over the railing and stepped
onto the stage The girl saw him ana
turned away, but the fellow rushed to.
ward her with his arms outstretehed.
while q chorus of drunken encourage.
ment came from the party he had left.
1 There n fpnr,, h. x..,
echoed by thin, quavering cry from
the gray-haired woman in the boota
as she came to the front where she
could see.
Tnen something happened. just how
no one knows. But over the footlirhts
bounded the young man who had been
watching the scene, there was n
'sput' as elenched fist met the rush
OF the ruffian from the box, and then
pandemonium reigncd. When it was
all over and the police were clearing
the place, the young man brushed the
dirt OF conflict from his clothes ana
then tapped at the door of a certain
dressing room.
Come, Grace" he said, when the
door was opened. of you and your
mother are ready IN see you home. -
And little, gray-haired woman threw
her arms about his neck and sobbed.
The man who found the girl and re,
stored her to her home was Frederick
Il. Wedge, formerly "Kid" Wedge,
the prize-fighter. Now he is known as
"The Fighting Parson of the Barbary
! Coast. And he is TO Lecture hero a,