The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-02-08
ST GOSSIP
oRToGRAPH
BY "Gravy."
Ad Wolsast, 81 Today, is the Hard
Luck Kid.

Adolph Wolgast, the Michigan wild
cat who used to wear the lightweight
crown upon his dome, will celebrate
his twenty.seyenth birthday today.
Ad was born in Cadillac, Mich, Febru.
airy s, 1885, and he still resides In his
native town, where he owns pros.
porous farm. Between bouts the hard.
hitting Dutchman follows the pillow
and engages in other agricultural ae.
tivities. As champion Ad made his
pile, and he has dragged down a num-
Der Of big purses since them. He has
no kick coming. financially speaking,
but in the matter OF accidents he has
certainly been the hard luck kid.
It was his appendix that made Ad
hit the toboggan. The Michigan wild
cat looked good enough to hold the
title many years VIXEN, on the eve OF
bis scheduled battle with Freddie
Welsh in 1911, he was suddenly
stricken with appendicitis and rushed
of to a hospital for an operation. In
his subsequent bouth his blows lacked
their old steam and sting, aud in the
latter part OF 1912 he lost the title to
Willie Richie. Later he was defeated
by Tommy Murphy and Joe Azevedo,
and 1t looked as 1t Ads scrapping
days were over.
Last year Wolgast pulled a come.
back, and in several bouts showed
flashes OF his old.time% form. He
looked to have a chance to regain his
lost honors when he broke a couple
of small bones in his left hand while
preparing for a battle with Joe Rivers
in California. Last September he
fought q draw with Joe Mandot in
Milwaukee. and was matched with
Freddie Welsh. He met the cham
pion in Madison Square Garden, New
York. and was going along swimming.
ly when he broke his right arm and
had To quit. Despite this series Of
~misfortunes, Wolgast expects to stay
in the game. As a man Of German
blood he has several old scores he
hopes to wipe out, as. he has been de.
feated by an Englishman and a .Por.
tuguese and held to draw, with
perhaps a shade the worst Of 1t, by
a Frenchman. These defeats ranklc
in Adolph's buzzum, and he is. de.
termined to revenge himself iuponthe
hated Allies. Besides his Michigan
farm, Ad is said to own much other
real estate, including a ranch in Ore.
gon, and he is in the position Of one
who should worry. {
Not long ago a st. Louis paper
stated that. Jack Skelly, the once fam
GUS featherweight. was killed in a
bout with George Dixon. Gentleman
Jack" now a prosperous Boniface in
Yonkers, N. X, declares that this re
port OF his demise was considerably
exaggerated, although he admits that
the Chocolate Drop gave him a lknock-
out wallop in the battle staged in
1892 at New, Orleans. Skellyi and Dix.
on fought for $17,500l and the worlds
featherweight title, at. the time Nc
Auliffe shipped for the lightweight
crown and Jim Corbitt took the heavy.
weight belt from John L. Shelly is
forty-fve years old today, having been
born in Brooklyn on February s, 1870.
Jack Dempsey and Jack McAuliffe
were Skelly'sG boon companionsin his
youth, and all three Jacks worked in
a copper's shop in Brooklyn. Since
quitting the ring Sicily has been run
ming a hotel in Yonkers, but he hasn't
lost interest in the manly art. He
owns what Is perhaps the finest col
lection of pugilistic prints and pic.
lures in the world, numbering more
than $500. Jack also writes boxing
dope for several newspapers. and 10
a staunch advocate Of iboxingS in the
public schools.