The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-05-21
YOUNG PETER JACKSON.


XVII.
"You know says Dempsey, Young
Peter Jackson made a fighter of me
trying to get me licked"
And what fond iistic memories the
name OF Young Peter Jackson will call
up In the mind OF the old thine residents
Of Fistiana!
There was q fighter-Young Peter,
otherwise Sin Tompkins, Of Baltimore.
He was contemporaneous with Jimmy
Handler, Joe Walcott, Tommy West,
| Jack Bonner, Dan Creedon, Charley
| McKeever, Larry Temple, the sullivan
twins. Langford, johnson and all that
crew.
Not to mention Philadelphia Jack
O'Brien, II was a meeting with Young
Peter which resulted IN the Philaael-
phian's cselebrated confession OF taking
years back. Confessions of that sort
were not as common then as they have
since become, so Jacks admission Gre
| ated something OF a stir.
But the black Baltimorean, Young
Peter, was none the less u good fighter
In the ring, and he met all the best
| men OF his time, He started out about
'95 and wound up around '07. although
he is not very old right now. He is
perhaps "A, and the last heard Of him
he was In the navy.
He was running a gymnasium under
a saloon on Commercial street In Salt
| Lake In Dempsey's time and was a sort
| Of matchmaker for Hardy Downey. As
Dempsey says, hc was always trying
to dig up someone to lick Dempsey,
for no particular reason other than that
Dempsey was becoming a good card.
That Dempsey cherished no animos-
ity against Young Peter for the latter
energy Is indicated by the fact that
the last time Jack went out to the
Pacific coast TO box Willie Meehan he
A.A JaaLSNn tratninr with him
Young Peter was II Of the Iona
line Of good black fighters which begar
with the man from whom Young Petei
took his name-Old Peter Jackson
and ended with Jack Johnson. 1t wa;
the latter who, as heavyweight cham
pion, apparently put the kibosh on thu
The Old and Young Jackson, Godfrey
Dixon. Cans, Bobby Dobbs, Mcvey
blackburn, Langford, Jeanette. Wal
colt and a dozen others Of greater Of
less renown gave the colored folks {
pretty strong representation in Flstian;
In their respective eras, Today ther'
are only about half a dozen black fight
ers OF any note or ability,
Harry wills, Kid Norfolk and Johi
Lester Johnson are the best OF the bill
fellows. Leo Johnson is called the col
ored lightweight champion, but Leo wa
no match at all for the white cham
| MON, Benny Leuiaiu' hoo 10 Nui
lar cry from Joe Cans, There is n
oolored boxer today in the class ono
occupied by the redoubtable Young Pc
ter jackson, who can be compared witt
that hard hitting bird with the funny
shaped bean.
"He could box pretty good the las
time | saw him." said Dempsey. H
knows most everything about the gam
and taught me some of y. But ne az
certainly want to see me get my bloc
Knocked off in the days when he wa
running that gym In Salt Lake. He di
me a big favor trying to get m
After licking the Boston Bear Cal
Dempsey got a job as sparring partne
TO Eddie johnson, a ightweight frof
Pueblo. Col, who was going to ELY
New. to meet a fellow named iran
Berrio. johnson was a good little boy
who should have become much bette
known than he ever did, but who wa
nrone to taking on weight.
ampsey got on In a relirninary I
Eddia,s match at Ely with one Jir
Hanson. Jim was big and rugged, bu
mat was all. Jack stopped him In shor
order. Eddie boxed a no-decisior. ARIA
with Berrio, HN paid Dempsey for hi
services as spaffing partner. ana Jac
also received $25 for the preliminary.
He retrrned to Salt Lake to find tina
business was showing signs Of lookin
IN for him, He got . match q Frict
I3fah. with a negro named Georg
Christian, who was q rea celebrity