The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-05-20
A ~rEN.ro.oNE SHOT

XVI.
Most Of the sporting element Of Ne
vada must have gone there from Mis-
souri,, They all wanted to be shown.
paused at TODopah in his journey TO
Goldfield for his fight with Johnny
SudenberE, and worked out with
Slick Merrill. TO prove to Promoter
Jake Goodfriend that he was a worthy
opponent for the. Goldfield champ.
When he reached Goldfield, there was
a further demand for demonstration OF
his ability from the natives. So Demp-
sey took on a chap named Kid Har-
rison in his training quarters, and
stiffened the Kid in a few punches.
You may judge what the Gold
fieldians thought OF Dempsey's work
when | tell you that they promptly
~favorite over him, They had a mighty
lofty opinion Of Johnny In those days.
II was justified, In a measure.
~Sudenberg had won quite a number Of
fights. He was a terrific hitter, and
some folks had an idea that he was a
coming champ, They thought the big,
awkward Dempsey would be just a set
up" for him,
Jacks only friends were Jack Gill, his
new manager, and Roy Moore, the little
fighter he had met in Reno. and who
had come on the Goldfield looking for a
match for himself.
The battle with Sudenherg is remem-
bered by Jack to this day as one OF the
toughest he a ever had. II was a
veritable ~knockdown and drag out,
%Sudenberg was a game fellow, and a
willing mixer, and he had the conf
dence of a man fighting a supposed
sucker" They waded into each other
with their gloved hands swinging like
fails. and there was mighty little
GatnnNn 20 tia affair
Bang!-and down would GO Jack;
wham!-down would 60 Sudenberg.
He knocked me down seven times
the first round, three times the second
round, twice the next round, and once
in the next" says Jack. Il was just
naturally bouncing up and GOWN of
the floor like a rubber ball. l don't
know yet why | didn't stay down one
Of those times.
"Finaly Johnny got sort O. weary
knocking me down. and then | COM
menced knocking him down. | knocked
him down so often l lost count, but
guess | evened up his knockdownss:
Anyway, the referee called it a draw, v
Later Dempsey and ~Sudenberg fought
at -Tonopah, and it was an engagement
similar to the Goldfield affair. Jack
will always remember Sudenberg for
his rough-and-r ready ways. 1t is his
impression that Johnny finally went
INTO the army,
Dempsey was supposed to get $3.50
for the Goldfield fuss, but after 1t was
over Roy Moore hunted him UP and
told him that his manager. Jack Gill,
was so elated over Jacks showing that
he was doing a bit Of entertaining
around town. s.s .
with my dough-" says Jack. "Wher
] found Jack he didn't have. more than
$40 left, and ] had to borrow money tC
send him back to Reno. But he was
a good guy at that"
Moore and Dempsey decided to stick
around Goldfield a while and they
went to "baching' in a little cabin
Moore was the cook and Dempsey the
housekeeper.
I'VE had great times together" says
Jack. we bought n dog n had
everything homelike. Moore got a fight
with a bird named Douglass while we
were there. Roy knocked him out If
the third round, but they had to lei
Douglass rest up a couple Of times ir
ending sooner" 2 = .
Eventually the pair drifted back &c
Reno with their dog. Having no bust
ness on hand, they planned a fishing
trip. They had their dog with them
and were headed up the railroad tracks
one day when Moore thought of some
stuff they might require in their pisca-
torial pursuits.
you hold the mutt. Jack" he said
land I'll go back and get that junk
He left Dempsey standing there or
the railroad right-of-way. and that's
the last he saw of Jack for many q
day to come. 4 freight train came
the wheels hitting the rail jointi
awoke old memories in Jacks r1ihd
Nostalgia seized him with great VIC
lence.
When Roy Moore returned to tn,
spot he found only. asyowling, sad-eyet
ance. where, between the two tapes o.
cleaning steel there rose a faint dust
marking the trail Of a fast disappear
ing train. And beneath a box a II
that train rode our hero, ], Dempsey.
A couple of years later Jack wen
one OF the first men he encountered
Dammit" said Roy, s1f I'd beer
able to catch that train I'd be YOU
manager right now"
From Reno Dempsey went right bach
to the old folks at hometown, Sal
Lake City. Again he showed his fee
under the family board, and was glat
to have them there, too. Jack Away:
relished home cooking after a long spell
on the road.
1t appears that Jack was never re.
garded in the light Of a prodigal a
home. He could 60 and come as h,
pleased, and he was always welcome
Old Man Dempsey would listen to hi.
tales of fistic adventure and nod hi,
head approvingly. He was glad to heal
his boy was coming On,
Johnny Sudenberg was around Sal
Lake when Jack got home and theN
knocked about quite a bit together
There was little or no commerce in tn,
fistic marts, SO they both got jobs OF
a steam shovel which was doing som
e~xcavating for a new building-Jacl
thinks 1t was the capitol.