The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-01-20
Freddie Welsh Not the First vese.
tartan In Ring History.

Freddie Welsh is rot the first
prominent boxer to become addicted
to the practice OF the strange rites of.
vegetarianism. The Welshman has
got a lot Of publicity from his meat:
less diet stunt, but he is pulling old.
stuff. The original vegetarian
Champion was Kid Parker, who was
a prominent w%elterweight some fl.
teen years ago. The Kid was OF
Scotch descent and hisreal name was
William Elroy Parker. He was born
in Boston Just thirty.eight years ago.
today, January 90, 1877. Incidental:
ly, today is also the anniversary OF
the birth Of another famous weller:
weight of that period, Jim "Rube"
Ferns. who made his mundane debut
in Pittsburgh on January 20. 1874.
The "Rube,n one Of the most eccen.
trio of modern boxers, held the vel.
terweight title for a short period:
Parker, "the Vegetarian Champion,
never quite attained to; that honor,
although he fought q ten:round draw
in Denver with Mattyl Matthews,
shortly after the latter had attained
stellar w~eltcrweight honors by defeat
ing Mysterious" Billy Smith.
The original vegetarian Cham.
pionr-as he was known to all the
followers OF the ring because of his
neatless training diet-started fight.
ing in 1896. and shortly after his de-
but he fought a draw with Danny
Needham, the famous Minneapolis
weiterweight. A little later he held
Young Peter Jackson, he clever Balti:
more black, to a draw in twenty
rounds, and in a second meeting de:
feated the negro. Parker then de!
feated Bob Thompson. n Of the
best and most popular negro boxers
OF the time. In a second meeting
Thompson turned the tables on the
vegetarian scotchman, but at their
third session the Kid was again vic.
torious. Poor old Thompson made q
fortune in the ring, but spent 1t all.
and became a street-cleaner in Los
Angeles.
In 1900, after fighting Matty Math.
ews, the champion, to a draw, Parker
was defeated by Young Peter Jack.
son and by Goe Cans. After that he
began to slip back. His last import
ant bouts were staged in the nowth-
west. Maurice Thompson, the Dan
ish lightweight, knocked him out in
Spokane and repeated the trick a
little later in an Idaho town. The
vegetarian Champions last ring
appearance was in 1906 at Phoenix,
British Columbia, when he fought o,
draw with Barney Mullen.
Jim Ferns. who was born in the
Smoky City forty-one years ago to;
day, was a typical "Rube" in ap-
pearance. Long, gawky, ungainly,
numbering and awkward in appear
ance, he had none of the marks OF
the athlete, but he could fight like a
demon. He strapped his way up to
the top of the welterweight ladder.
Rube won and lost his title in Can
ada. He knocked out Matty Math.
ews in the tenth round at Toronto on.
May "a, 1901, and in the following
December he lost his honors to Joe
walcon in the fifth round at Fort
Erie, Ont. Rube had more eccentrici;
ties thean could bn described in sew;
erals columns. One OF them was an
aversion to railway travel. He would
never take a train to the scene of q
coming battle Il he had time to hoofi
1t. In his travels he avoided cities
and towns as much as possible, and
put up at farm houses. He always
tried to induce the farmer OF his
hons or hired hands TO put on the
gloves with him, and this constituted
almost his sole training. His long
walks kept him In fine condition. Yet.
In spite Of these ..rubes ctaracteriss
tics, Fern was immenself fond otI
newspaper publicity, and many old
time sporting editors can recall how
the aRube'' tried TO work them for
ifiorid and enthusiastic puffs.
--o-
en- p..t c.+,