El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-09-13
TERRIRLE TERRY

4
TERRIBLE TERRY M'GOVERN.
Patrons OF the fight game OF today
have no idea OF just how good a boy
Terry AlcGovern was. nor just the
kind OF a boxer he was. There is no
body like him today, and there never
was another. He was a gatling gun
dropped in the ring and set agoing.
and a Maxim churning out bullets At
the rate Of 100 a minute. had nothing
/ on the way little Terry threw those
[ fists OF his at you He smashed his
men down like he would an eggshell-
They were as effective against Terry
as a lot OF creampuffs- And he never
broke till he lost his little boy, Joe
He was never the same carefree lad
after the death Of his wee SON A
cleaner boy than McGovern never
the ring Like John L Sullivan he
was no laggard within the ropes. but
belted and flayed until Lis opponent
went down His motto was. IT'S
you or me-" and he never stopped go
ing from the time he shook hands He
was the daredevil OF the ring. and
they called him Terrible Terry
Terry was typical little Irishman,
free with his money. good-natured.
loving. sentimental and very harum
Z LlETe was none OF the close
fistedness. selfisnness and pessimism
about him that mark the other type
OF Celt-the coldblooded. black Irish
who can make more money and hold
on TO Il tighter than anybody else in
the world. The knockout that made
McGovern world champion is a typi-
cal battle to recall Pedlar Palmer
was considered the cleverest man
England had ever produced or de-
veloped- He had practically beaten
George Dixon who was then consid-
cred invincible- Palmer was arranging
again for the featherweight cham
pionship OF the world Now, remem-
Der that featherweight-f Palmer
was a feather. Sam Harris. now
the leaders in the theatrical world.
was managing McGovern- Harris pulls
the wires until he by cable gets Pal
mer 10 agree to meet McGovern be-
fore he tackled Dixon. Palmer fig
ured he could beat any bantam in the
world and that the match would net
him some big money.
When Palmer landed IN this coun-
try Harris, McGovern and a big pa
rade met the Englishman at the boat
Everybody was there. Flags were
flying, bands were playing, there I
were banquets, speeches and much /
Aftermath It was the greatest re- /
ceptiOn ever given a boxer from across !
the seas New York was fight crazy /
at that time. sam Harris was the OBJ /
Ject OF much criticism for matching /
the bantamweight, McGovern, against ]
the -featherweight Palmer. Every
body figured the odds were too great I
for the little New Yorker TO over /
come.
At the Westchester club in Tucka-
hoe, Terry's wife saw the battle from .
a nearby barn In the front row at 3
the ringside were the Goulds and the
Nanoerbilts and the Astors. Croker,
Sir Thomas Upton. Theodore Roose-
velts Peggy" Bettinson. president OF /
the National Sporting club Of Lon
don, and the duke OF Marlborough
were some Of the other great men at
the ringside.
As for the fight, why. AIcGovern
simply rushed across the ring. bat
tered the English champions defence
70 pieces in a few seconds and beat
him down in less than round with
4 furious fusillade Of blows that fell
2n every part OF the head and body
IKE hailstones in a storm In less
Than two minutes Terry McGoyern
vas the champion Of the world and
10 one TO dispute his title.