The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-06-08
SPOR Is
Broken Heart
Helped Kill
Boxer Darcy
Career Of FINEST Specimen Of
Physical Manhood Reviewed;
Complication Of Diseases

SAN FRANCISCO, May 25--A boy
81 years old died, practically alone
in Memphis, Tennessee, few days ago
ten thousand miles away from his home
A few men here who had known the
boy, and knew him as big hearted and
generous, sent him message of cheer
as he lay on his sick bed. They hope
It reached him.
James Leslie Darcy, known to the
sporting world as Les Darcy, among the
greatest fighters of his inches in the
history Of pugilism,. and declared by q
surgeon Of the United States Medical
Corps, who examined him for enlist
ment in the American Aviation Corps
as the finest specimen Of physical man
hood he ever had seen, died from q
complication of diseases. Those who
knew him best say that foremost among
these was a broken heart. 10
Six years ago Darcy fought his first
professional fight for So. For the past
few months, promoters in all parts of
the country have been bidding for his
: services and as high rs $4,000 has been
offered him to step into the ring. The
spectre Of tragedy came with the CLINT
Of gold. ls,,M..t ".,s.. d.. 49,
Idol For Six Years .r.~', x
I For six years Darcy was the idol of
the Australian ring. Born in West
Maitland, New South Wales, October
2s, 1895, he began life in black.
smith 3 shop and IL was TO this severe
form of manual labor he ascribed much
of his superb strength and physique.
During 1912 he entered the profes.
sional arena afteR having met and dis.
posed of all amateur competition. He
engaged during the following four
years in thirty-seven prominent bouts
OF these he lost only four. In twenty
of his thirty.three victories he won by
knocking out his opponent. The news
| of his prowess spread to every part of
the word. American promoters beseig
ed him with offers to come to this coun-
try. ..a."s Z.
With the outbreak Of the great war,
and the young men of England and her
colonies anwering the summons to the
colors, il was inevitable that wide
curiosity should attach to the actions
of the young Australian athlete in the
! face of the crisis. 1t was the begin.
ming of the boy 8 tragedy. F..-, ..
Just As q Prima Donna ., &. =.
Not yet of age, with aged parents
and younger sisters and brothers Deepen.
dent on him, with the easy prospect of
making lot of money in the ring on
the one hand, and the example of other
young men of his age Offering them.
selves to- their country, Darcy was
torn between two conflicting emotions.
His mother is said to have opposed his
enlisting as he was under age. Promo
tiers anxious for his services threw the
weight of their arguments in the same
/ direction. But, TO the men who were
going to the front, and TO the women
who were giving of their men to the
cause of of the Allies, Darcy no longer
was the popular favorite of yesterday
News that Darcy had secretly ship
ped out of the country was confirmed
with the arrival in New York on
December % last of the Standard Oil
tanker Gushing from Chilean ports
with Darcy on board under an as
sumed name and in the guise of n
stoker. A delegation of fighters, pro
moters and newspapermen, who had
been Informed of his coming, met the
ships in tugs, and he was received with
all the pomp and ceremony accorded q
prima donna.
Darcy Immediately was overwhelmed
with attention. Promoters scrambled
for his services, wOuld-be managers
fought for the opportunity to look after
his interests, theatrical men urged him
to exhibit himself on the stage. Dazed
and confused, without any helpful
hand to guide him in a strange country
the boy became the football of thu
men who sought to exploit him. He ac.
cepted theatrical contract. II proved
a failure. The public wanted to see him
fight, not act Several prospective
matches which were arranged for him
fell through. Finally he was matched
against Jack Dillon to meet in Madison
Square Garden, New York, on the
night of March 5.
Beginning Of the End =.
Then it was that on March 9 Cover
nor Whitman of New York first official
ly designated Darcy as a "slacker".
when he directed the state athletic
commission TO prohlDlt the bout. In
outlining his position the governor, in
statement, said:
lies Darcy, so / am informed, is a
runaway from his own country. In dis.
guise and under an alias he left his ma
tive land because he was afraid to fight
in the cause for which his fellow coun-
tTymen are sacrificing their lives He
prefers to give brutal exhibition at
some personal risk for u purse Of $780,.
600. !"
In his own defense, Darcy said: 81
did not leave Australia because / was
afraid / would be forced to enlist as
reported. left because / couldn 4
make the money there TO make my
father and mother independent Of me.
As soon NJ l make that much money in
this country IN going to Canada and
enlist. l do not care then what be-
comes of me"
Other states followed the action of
New York - governor and barred Oar
cy from fighting, and then il became ap-
parent that the Australian 3 dream Of
making a fortune in this country ire.
trieyably was shattered.
Takes Oath Of Allegiance