The Washington herald., 1915-07-05

Here's a yarn about how a whole fam
lily of about fifty, brothers, cousins,
uncles-everybody but the aunts-was
knockout cold at a glove contest on the
East Side.
p. J. Carroll. who used to operate ex-
tensively in the boxing game. now with
club or two and then again with a fighter
or two. had a lightweight on his staff
named Frankie Baker. and he was one
of the toughest little bits of fighting
machinery one would find in a years
travel
This P. J. Carroll I speak of now is not
the present senator who did much to
push a boxing bill through at Springfield
this spring. but a veteran boxer and
manager, who has been around Chicago
for years and years.
The Baker boy came from a good fam
lily on the West Side and was a wildly
enthusiastic young fellow who fought be-
cause he loved it. and fairly reveled in
the game. There was no stopping to him
n all.
Now. the Baker family frowned on
Frankie's athletic ambition. They couldn't
see such career at ali for their dear
little boy and as a result things were
a bit unpleasant at home for frankie
But he kept on fighting just the same,
kept on winning and kept on arousing
the family curiosity by his feats.
Encourage frankie.
Finally. after Baker had won eight or
nine contests the family decided it was
about time TO give the boy little en-
couragement by lending their august
presence at the ringside at the Twelfth
time show was staged at the Twelfth
STREET Turner Hall fifty tickets were pur-
chased in block and the Baker family
deposited itself therein TO watch the
young offspring do himself proud. and
incidentally. do the other felolw good
Frankie's opponent that night was the
redoubtab,e stockings Kelly. who was
pretty good Just then and could battle
like an cnraged tiger
And they went at it like a couple
OF wildcats-Baker to show the home
folks how good he was and Kelly to
demonstrate that the folks ought to
keep Frankie at home.
In about thirty seconds both men
were busted" and covered with blood
Baker got an early lead and was ham
merinS Kelly freely during the first
two rounds, but in the third the old
fox in the lrishman began to crop out
in his Generalship and frankie was
having a rough passage.
Frank Takes a Tumble.
Suddenly Frank got a wallop on the
10" anu uO"n ne tum DleQ. he tried
TO wink a. Uncle Bob and Cousin Lou
through the gore that smeared his fea-
lures The wink being a failure, he
essaYed grin just to show that
everything was lovely and for the
folks not to worry.
The grin settled it. None of the
home folks ever having seen a ring
combat before-nobody had ever seen
a bloodier one than this. by the way
dt,rt l. h.,
but in few seconds Uncle Dave real
lied it must be something dreadful
Hes getting killed." yelled a rela-
tive. and straightway he made a wild
dash for the door of the hall In
stantly panic seized the other forty
nine members and immediate friends
of the Baker boy. They bolted in a |
body. not one of them even looking
back at the ring.
I've never heard what they said to
frankie when he got home that night
or the next morning, perchance. after
getting boiled out in a bathhouse, so
that the evidences of combat were not
quite so prominent. The refree called
it draw. but both men were badly
beaten up. At any rate. frankie kept
on boxing. but never after that did
the relatives gather to see him per-
form.
fnnocent-looking Youth.
Baker was an innocent looking
youth even when he donned the war
paint Of the oueensberry arena He
always looked much as the calf Is
supposed to look when the butcher
walks in on him.
One night they took Baker down to the /
Sheridan Club TO box German athlete |
who had been wrestler. He was q |
ferocious looking chap who fairly bristled |
with muscle.
My. my. what shame to have that |
nicely looking boy slaughtered" the
members said rs they looked at the men |
In the ring.
They lost this feeling soon After the hat
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