The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-05-13
A Tale of TWO Fists
THE LIFE STORY OF JACK DEMPSEY
Observation-Disclosures BY DAMON RUNYoN OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
IN OLD PocATELLo.
XIII

IN OLD PocATELLo.
XIII.
| want to warn you now that | may
not get Jack Dempsey's earlier rms
battles In their chronological order.
may forget to put one in exactly where
1t should occur in his history, and have
to skip back later on n stick 1t III
just anywhere, but that's not my fault
1t is due to Jacks memory. His
mind does not work IN a groove. 1t
hobs about. Every time l see min he
says:
Hey, there! forgot to tell YOU about
my fight with HooZis. It ought 10 go
in at Observation-Disclosures in the
story"
Well. anyway, after knocking Jack
Downey kicking in two rounds and re-
ceiving $3.50 for same, Dempsey took
things easy around a Lake city Tor
a time. He was still tnrusting his largr
feet under the old family board with
great regularity at meal time n had
no occasion to worry about much OF
anything, so he did NOT worry.
Despite his defeat by Dempsey, Jack
Downey was still q better drawing card
In towns outside Salt Lake. and one
day he got a match in Pocatello, Idaho
with a fellow named Hagan. They
wanted a preliminary 10 this match
and Dempsey was offered a chance
against one Young Chief Geronimo, "A
fellow who now lives IN Brooklyn. ne
Is, / believe, an Italian, and not as ms
name might indicate, NJ Apache. What
he Is chief of ! never heard.
Dempsey wasn't anxious to get the
preliminary bout, but ne did want to
see Pocatello, because 1t was new ter
ritory to him, so he travelled to the
Idaho town in the same manner he
travelled everywhere in those days. lie
deftly inserted himself under a box
car in a freight train, got a good flrm
clutch on the rods and away he went,
By the way, a fellow called me up
the other day to teh me that my yarn
about Dempsey's adventure with the
hard-hearted railroad brakeman who
trailed a coupling pin under the car
trying to knock Jack off the rods was
far fetched, because they haven't used
coupling pins "a The railroads In Jacks
time. | take 1t the gentleman hasn,t
Travelled some of the roads over which
Dempsey toured in his time" I have.
Furthermore, the gentleman may re-
call. If he has followed this history,
that l do not agree with Jacks state
ment as to his exact time"
But be that as it may. Jack went to
Pocatello. During all the negotiations
for a site for the Willard Dempsey af-
ldII, btInpoSJ wac phLliB W. ~ ~
land in Pocatello.
Il was there when | was a bum, -
he remarked, and I'd like to go back
there now that / am somebody more
or less. I know many a fellow out
there, and I'd like to see them again.
It's a great town"
As a fighter, Chief Geronimo was not
quite as ~ferocious as his handle might
imply, but he raj good enough to carry
Dempsey to an eight or 10-round--Jack
doesn't remember which-draw in the
preliminary to the Downey-Hagan bout.
For his labor Dempsey received four
or five dollars. His memory Is as hazy
as to the exact amount OF his remun.
Grafton as II II concerning the number
OF rounds he fought for the money.
He distinctly did the best he could"
around Focatelln for some time after
that And the best a mar could do
around Poeatello wasn't much unless
he wanted to work.
Dempsey finally got a job as spar
ring partner to a negro fighter named