Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1913-1920, 1916-02-24
JACK DILLON GOT
NAME FROM HORSE
Self-Made Boxer Keeps Silent
Iy Plugging Ahead.
(sy United Press.l

Indianapolis, Feb. 93.-only the
home town crowd knows how many
thousand dollars in publicity meant to
Jack Dillon to be mentioned in the
same breath with Jess Willard. Jack
the bearcat and the mankiller. never
had a publicity agent, He never has
had manager who knew the game.
He's a self-made boxer.
The only kind of boxing allowed in
this town is the hot stove kind, and
when the fans gather round they tell
stories of Ernest Cutler Price. who,
as Dillon. has placed Indianapolis on
the sport map against her will. Dillon
probably is the only topnoteh athlete
in any branch who deliberately chose
the name of horse for his own. When
Ernest was skinny kid he used to
frequent the barn where Sidney Oh.
Ion. sire of long string of good trot-
tiers, held forth. His friendship for
the horse caused him to take that
name
Jack is silent fighter. too. He
goes into the toughest contest and
never says word. He keeps his head
down and works silently. depending on
his ruggedness and fighting spirit 10
win. When you find Jack ON the
street he's silent When asked about
fight, with set jaw and CLEAN i'll
his eye he remarks;
I'm going into that fight to knock
him out" Jack always tries for a
knockout. When the sport boys down
east refused to see Jack. his friends
tried to argue him into taking on Il
new manager. but Jack steadfastly
refused to drop his old friend Sam
Murbarger.
Only the home guard understood
what it meant to Dillon to knock ont
Tom Cowler, Jim Gorbetts protege.
Local boys remember back in the
spring of 1910 when Gentleman Jim,
who was entertaining the idea that
he could wrest the title from Jack
Johnson, came here in his vaudeville
circuit. While here Jim announced
his come back and undertook to
demonstrate his skill at the Marion
Club.
Shortly before Corbett's arrival
Price had borrowed hts fighting name.
He was little more than ~elter=
weight and unknown outside the city
His friends. got him the chance for
try-out against the great Corbett.
Dillon showed enough to make Cor.
bett take off his gloves and forget his
comeback aspirations, but in doing so
he seemingly acquired the former
champs enmity. Since that time Cor
bett has steadfastly refused to see"
Jack. Thus Dillon got more out of
the fight than showed on the surface
for he fioored the man Corbett was
grooming for the heavyweight cham
pionship. Jack was 25 the day he
met Cowler.
Dillon's record, though fraught
with knockouts. is an eccentric docu-
ment confirming to the moods OF a
tempermental fighter. The IIoosier
lad has changed in recent months and
became more bu8nesslike, but in the
earlier seasons Of his fighting career
it was well known in fighting circle
that If Jack Dillon didn't feel like
fighting he wouldn't fight On the
other hand he frequently went into
the ring feeling rocky and vented his
crouch on the mckless weight before
him.
There's one incident in the Mar
Killers career that never fails 10
cause him considerable irk That is
the bout with Chicago Knockout
Brown in St. Louis when the fans
tossed their chairs at the arc lights
and Referee Eddie Randall jumped
out Of the ring declaring the fight the
veriest hippodrome 1t was tame
bout but Dillon claimed his hands
were sore and said anyhow he let
Brown carry the fight to him when
ever he fought the Greek, which in
those days was often. The manage