The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-05-01
4 Tale of
TWO Fists
The Life Story of Jack
Dempsey.
~ N N Y
A TRIBE OF NoMAps.

*
Those ~rallroading experiences of
Dempsey's which l narrated in the last
chapter prove our hero q lad OF some
natural resoureefulness, and certainly
Of vast agility, but that course Of train
ing is scarcely to be recommended to
the aspiring youth Of the land. Hobo
ing is too hard on the stomach, what
with lying on 1t while riding the
rods" n going without regular
meals.
However, Dempsey, 10 not the first
fighter to start out gathering no moss
as a rolling stone Of that type, though
he specialized In 1t more than most.
In the old days there used to be
veritable shoals Of pugilistic persons
travelling the country as best they
could. Many a man who later became
esteemed in that calling was forced to
start out by carefully retaining from
paying railroad fare.
Jack Johnson was one who spent the
early period Of his fistic career cling
ing like some bird Of somber plumage
to tho brakebeams. Jim Flynn nearly
always utterly abhorred the idea Of
turning any change into the Golfers Of
the grasping railroad magnates, but
Jim picked up the profession Of firing
a railroad locomotive before he became
union card. A union card will carry a
man far.
II you look up the histories of the
leading figures Of the American prize
ring for years past you will find that
fe" OF them had a very easy time q It.
had knocked about the West quite a
spell before he came East and won
fame by licking Terry McGovern. He
was never exactly a DO, but he had
a deep experience in the well of life.
Battling Nelson saw some mighty
| tough fimAQ hpfnPa anVhNdV UU0VId ar
cept him as more than a pork-and-
beaner. Freddy Welsh knew Brother
Vicissitude very. well indeed. Freddy
dealt 'em off the arm" in his early
days, meaning he was a waiter in time
OF stress. Kid Mccoy saw quite lean
days.
Oddly enough, the man Dempsey re-
sembles to some extent \in fighting
style. and particularly in $he matter
OF execution with his punches, is the
SAM man whose early career was
similar to .Jack's-the fistically i'm.
mortal Stanley Ketchel. He, too, had
been a hobo, journeying up and down
the Western country as Dempsey later
journeyed. Ketchel's experience in that
line was not as varied as Dempsey's,
however, nor as extensive.
But Ketchel lived close to the seams
Of life before he rose over night to
pugilistic prominence in his fight with
Joe Thomas out on the coast. Demp-
sey,s conversation is often a reminder
of ketch.
In these days fighters seem to have
a much easier time acquiring fame-or
at least pu~blicity-than In the old days.
They do not have to have as much be-
hind them in the way of accomplish
ment. Either that, or their %opportuni-
ties develop more rapidly. Then again
some fighters are luckier than others
in ducking the rocks of vicissitude as
/ thew 90 al0nH.
Jimmy Britt is a chap who was to the
fistic manor born, SO to speak. He be-
came famous and won a fortune with
out having to, go through the long pre-
liminary grind of hardship and disap-
pointment, as Young Corbett did. Benny
Leonard is another to whom things
have come comparatively easy. Packy
M~cFhrland's bed was a bed of roses
compared to Nelson's. Mike Gibbons
never experienced much stress before
he was taking down big purses. Maybe
Mike would have been a greater fighter
II no had.
Jess Willard was regarded as a big
joke when he first came drifting around
the outskirts Of the game, hat In hand,
looking for someone to manage him. No
orally as Jess before he beat Johnson,
He served a fairly rough apprenticeship
He has made up for 1t by taking II
pretty. easy since winning the cham
pionship.
No one will contend that Dempsey's
colorful experience has been of any
particular benefit to him. save as u
pertains to his chosen calling-the bust
ness of prize fighting. He kept at that
game steadily while travelling around,
and the fighter who keeps fighting. is
the best fighter. He Is always keeping
himself polished up in his business.
Had Willard, from the time he won
the championship, kept fighting. meet
ing all Corners and maintaining a good
physical condition, 1t Is doubtful y
Dempsey would now be conceded such
a strong chance against him. Jeffries
Is the only heavyweight champion OF
recent years who kent himself busy
after winning the championship, and
not until he laid up and let the rus,
of disuse gather or his fists did he
become vulnerable.
They say, on the other hand, that II
a man fights too much he becomes
stale. There has been little danger oil
any Of our heavyweight champs since
Jeff's time becoming stale from tina
reason. Dempsey says he intends go
ing right on fighting, even If he wins
the title from willard; that's what they
all say before they win the title.
After they win the crown they gen
orally set up the claim that they are
entitled" to made some money out o.
the thing. That Is, to make som,
money by any method save fighting; Il
reap a harvest from the mere glamor O
their accomplishment. but not through
fighting. Heaven bless you, no! Any
thing but fighting.
Big Jeff was the only one who reall!
went on fighting; jeff was a grea'
champion. though not as popular al
some. Who or what entities these
but that's the way they always nut 1t
II 1t wouldn't take too long, I'd like 4
tell you what I think they are "enti
Dempsey now strikes one as inca
pable OF laying off from the prize rim,
nature an active chap, He is a rove
at heart. He could have remained on
Western farm no doubt and become
prosperous tiller Of tho soil. but it wa
not In him to lead that sort of exist
enee any moro than it is in some fel
lows TO so transforming haphaz Ear,
around the country.
His experience with the shack an,
;. the jumping coupling. pin cooled hi
ardor to some extent for a short time
and he went back to Montrose rathe
inclined to the belief that life on tn
road was a bit too free. He attache
himself to a bunch OF chaps who wen
around the Western slope pickin,
peaches, and Jack claims he was a
good a peach plucker as you woul
IT could make fair wages at It 4
those days, too he says musingly
"But picking peaches isn't so very ex
citing"
I have gone to some pains and delve
into the subject at some length. and
am inclined TO the belief that Jack |
the only peach-snatching heavyweight
pugilistic prospect the ring has eve
had. II l am wrong I stand corrected
We have had blacksmiths, sailors, ban
clerks, COW punchers, la crosse players
craps shooters and boilermakers, but n