South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-04-08
WILLARD KNOCKED
OUT BY GULF Of
MEXICO IN HURRY
Giant American Heavyweight
Champion Proves to Be Bad
SaiIor-0n Way to New
York.
BY Ed Smith.

KEY WEST. Fla. April s.-Jess
willard, new champion of the world,
didn't keep his title As hours The
Gulf Of Mexico scored as complete
knockout on the big white streak as
Willard scored Monday afternoon
over Jack Johnson. The champions
party hadn't been 80 minutes out Of
Havana harbor before the giant fight
er began to get a CLASSY look about
the eyes. The good ships Gov. Cobb
was about a mile off MORO Castle
when the surf began to tumble itself
around. Jess made a feeble dive for
his state room and was seen no more.
The champion proved himself
mighty bad sailor, but he had plenty
of company, for the sea would not
behave
The champion was still green
around the gills when he stepped on
American soil and boarded his special
car on the way to New York over the
oversee road.
leave Willard. The champion stops
off in Baltimore Friday night. and
will show at the Polo grounds Satur-
day afternoon.
Met by 5000 Fans.
style and when the new champion
put his foot on American soil for the
first time as boss of all the boxing
men he was greeted by the wild cheers
Of s. 900 people packed about the pier
The east coast trains run on to the
pier, so Jess didn't have to go into
the city at all. Long before the Cobb
received by Tom Jones asking that
he hermit Willard he taken into
the city proper. Local people say the
reception was the biggest ever accord
ed anybody here and exceeded the
ovation given to a president.
Jess rode through the city and
everybody had a chance to see him.
Willard has called upon time and
again for a speech, but always waved
his arms negatively and cOntented
himself with merely making sweep
ing bows to the mob.
Departure from Havana was both
comedy and pathos First of all near
ly everybody connected with the fight
was pinched for debts of different and
doubtful character. and forced either
to settle on the spot or appear before
magistrate.
Curley Gets Soaked.
Jack Curley got it several times for
lot Of fictitious debts he claims
never TO have heard of. So did Dick
J Klegin, John Robinson and several
. OF the others. Curley finally was
smuggled aboard and locked in n
state room while an angry horde
stormed the purser at the gang plank
and attempted to raid the boat. Hav-
ana was getting it's last crack at fight
promoters and was making the most
of it.
willard and his immediate party,
consisting of Tom Jones, Tex
| O'Rourke, Walter Monahan, Jim Saw
age and Jack Hemple, alone came
| clean out of the mess but Jones had
| fifty arguments before he got aboard.
| johnson is Sad.
| Jack Johnson came down to the
wharf 10 see us off, and the big black
| presented a sad picture. He shook
hands silently all around, and when
| Willard came down from an upper
deck and grabbed both of his hands,
Jack choked up and was on the verge
| of tears.
I'm the only one that can't go
back he said and then he broke
down and, turning. left the boat He
| returned in a few minutes and, call
ing to willard, said: IF you ever
come TO Europe look me up as / want
to know how you are getting along"
! Then followed hearty expressions of
good wishes and the mutual hope that
luck might follow
| Johnson had only Guard Rhodes.
! his nephew with him. and they drove
away as rapidly as possible in the
! automobile before the boat left
Real economy. Mrs Austin's Rolled
/ - n la rfrfN a