The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-03-20
KNOW LOAN CAME
Former Mayetta Banker Tells
OF Jess's Business Ability.
He's in the Fight Game Merely
for Money in 1t.

1t is an admitted fact that more
columns of reading after nave APP
peared during the past three weeks
anent Jess willard than any other
man who ever held the championship
title. Yet with all the stories, pre-
dictions and other dope that has
been served to the eager public little
has been printed about the personal
side of the big champ, and nothing has
appeared telling the real story OF
Wizards business cleverness.
Yet it is "a fact that Willard ent
into the fighting game purely Tor the
money there was in ii. He knows
more about real estate values in the
Missouri valley than perhaps any man
in the middle west. He is mortgage
and loan expert and has executed
some of the shrewdest loans ever
"pulled" in real estate circles in kan
sas. He has always made money, but
aspired to earning great big money.
The route to his aspirations looked
best via the squared ring, and when
he really went to it" he made good
his judgment that the fight game
would net him a golden shower.
Mum About Business.
No one but the very few who are
close to Jess know these things, for
he doesn't talk about his business
dealings As young man he used to
run up to Wyoming, bring back a
bunch of wild horses to Topeka, break
them in and then sell them for
healthy profit.
Ray O. Archer. a quiet, sharp eyed
young man whom few have taken
note of-the man who kept tab on
the tickets a the Pioneer club where
Willard is training, and who is Jess
partner in many deals. told the real
eide of Jess Willard recently. Archer,
who has been described in ChicagoeSe
as 1.-THE keeper of the kale,' is Will
lard's auditor aid has in the past five
years kept tab on over a third OF
million of dollars for Jess.
Jess and l have been pals for the
mast ten years" said Archer. 1--WE
were practically boys then. Jess was
10 years old and he is just 20 now,
even though some papers nave II that
he is SO. Indeed l wouldn't be sur
prised if they had him so. We lived
in Topeka. and Jess favorite meth
Cd of making dough was to hike 10
wyoming, bring back a bunch of wild
horses and break them for the To
peka market, cleaning up nice profit,
/ can tell you. He sure was some
bronco buster.
Weighed $50 Then.
AT the time he was weighing about
$50 pounds. But he always had an
idea. which | shared with him, that
he could make good in the ring. He
could run faster, jump farther and
swim better than any of the other
boys, and we all thought lot of his
athletic ability. Besides the horse
the Indian reservation near Topeka
and trade horses, corn and in fact al
most anything.
@"So, you see, Jess could always
make money but he had big aspira-
tfons. We often figured out the box
ing game We knew he could learn
to box, but somehow we didn't know
how to get started. Finally we took
a trip to Kansas City and went to Jim
Porteous, a well known boxing man.
But the best Jim told US was to go and
join gym.
= 1--WE delayed that somehow, and
soon I went to Mayetta, Kan, and or
ganized the Exchange bank. Jess
went down to Oklahoma and went to
trading horses and mules, which I
read was Tex Richards game, too.
About that time Carl Morris was get
ting a lot of publicity.
Morris had leaped into the lime
light by beating Mike Schrek at Sa-
pulpa. Jess went over to Sapulpa
and saw the mill. The papers began
printing stuff touting Morris to take
the championship from Jack Johnson
and Jess wrote me that he was sure
he could lick Morris, even though he
didn't know how to box
Met Jones on Coast.
HE started in boxing in gymna-
Sums right away and kept in touch
with me always. 1 used to go and see
him fight, and he looked so good to
me that it was easy for him to induce
me to resign from the bank. We hiked
to the coast, and it was 1 who brought
him and Tom Jones together in San
Francisco. 1 guess that is about the