The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-13
TTGER-EYE DAL

scalled Westchester, there, is an insti- tuition known as Cannon's old road house. The present boniface of that house of call is a little man who an swers to the name of Dal Hawkins. He is known to the flight fans of the rising generation the proprietor of training camp favored by many of the stars of the fistic world when pre- pairing for bouts in New York. Frank Moran trained there for his argument with Willard, and many another pu- gilist of wide renown has been shelter ed beneath the roof or the old road house.
 As fighter Da1 Hawkins is un- known to the younger set of boxing bugs, but the old-timers remember him as one of the iclassiest lads who ever mixed it in the squared circle A fighter was Dal, and not a boxer, and the possessor of a punch the like of which is seldom met with in so small man. Hawkins was featherWeight, but he fought a number of the best lightweights, and though frequently defeated he was never d1Sgraced-
 '"Tlger-Eye Da1'' some of the fans used to call the ferocious little ring warrior, and it was an apt nickname. zDaPs lamps were shaped very much like the triangular {optics of the big Striped cat of the jungle, and no tiger ever glared more ferocious1y than Dal when he was aroused His face was pale, his hair hung down over his brow, his lips curled in a wicked sheer, and his eyes seemed to flash venom Cat his opponent. A terrifying sight was old 'HTiger-Eye" to the boys who faced him in g1oved combat, and Dal always lived up to his reputation. When Dal was one of the contenders the fans were always sure of seeing fight, and not a mere boxing exh1- sbition.
 Hawkins is entitled to sit in the par sIor of the Native Sons of the Golden west, for he was born in San Fran cisco some forty-five years ago He was about seventeen when he fought his first professional battTe- It was about twenty years ago that Da11 fought the first of his three sensation al battles with Joe Cans. It went fif- teen rounds and Hawkins was de- clared the victor. The following year DaI met another remarkably. clever co1ored. boy, George Dixon, and they went twenty fast rounds to a, draw. It was in the same year, 1897, that Da1 got into the 1imehght by pulling off the shortest fight in the record book. He knocked out Martin Flaherty in four seconds at Carson City, the bout being a. feature of the tournament in which Bob Fitzinqmons took the Heavyweight title from Jim Corbett. % Hawkins won that speedy victory |
 
 which looked to the spectators to be ] mere tap, but which was more so- Nporifio than doubIe-distiI1ed essence of the poppy. No other fighter in history ever had more deadly punch. Dali declared he hit upon the idea by walk ing down stairs in the dark. The last step was farther than he thought it was going to be. and he got an awful s1olt, although his foot travelled only 1 a, few inches. One sometimes gets the same sensation by sitting in a. 1 chair which is lower than one thought l 1t was. Da1 experimented in an en- deavor to put just that sort of a jolt into a punch, and at last he succeeded. 1 His famous 1eft-handed sleep-produc- 1 CT was a wonder. He would slowly extend his left until it was within about half a foot of his opponents jaw. Then he would put all his strength back of a peculiar, twisting, downward-curvin punch If he landed squarely with that twister it wsss us- uaIly good night for the foe.
 In 1898 Dal went to New York and was matched with Spike Sullivan, the Irish lightweight. It was a vicious fight, and lasted twenty-two rounds, 1 when the Hibernian landed a. knock 1 out DaPs next battle in the metro-1 polls was with Kid McPartIand, now a. 1 boxing referee in New York, and this | time he got over his left so effective
 
 stopped.
 # One of the most sensational of DaPs | battles was staged in the Woodward | Pavilion at San Francisco early in | 1899. Frank Erne. who had fought a | draw with George Lavigne, the light | weight champion, was DaIs oppon- l Snt- The Buffalo boy was one of the l c1everest lads in the, business, and he was also game and durable. A ma jority Of the Coast fans thought that F DaI had it on the easterner, and back ed their judgment with much coin of the realm.
 Tn the first round it seemed that their opinion was justified. The flaw kins left foated out, innocentIy, as if to push aside Erne's guard, but then came that whip1ash finish, and Frank went down like a, load of bricks He scrambled up with little time to spare and backed away and covered before DaPs ferocious rush. It seemed to be about all over then, and big odds were offered by the Hawkins contingent without any takers. sErne used all his c1everpess and got through that round, nd began the second fresh and vigor- 1us. From that time on Erne kept forcing the pace, faster and faster, and although Da1 had few equals as a mix CT, hes got more from Erne than he could assimi1ate. He tried in vain to get over another left. In the sev- enth chapter Erne landed a right to DaPs chin that knocked the Califor- ntan cold.
 After that battle Hawkins made an- other trip to.the East. and lost a twen- ty-five round bout with Jack O'Brien in New York and knocked out Jack Carrig in the fifth round at Buffalo. He continued his eastern campaign in 1900. and in May he was matched with Jee Cans. The fight had scarcely commenced when Dal got over his crushing left and the black boy I crumpled up- Joe got on his feet just r-s the referees lips were forming ten" and although dazed and groggy he waded right into DaI. They fought . like demons through the rOund and :