Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-06-22
THE STORY OF
VIM. HARRISON
|DEMPSEY'S LIFE

new Ork, June 2l.-William
Harrison Dempsey. the name by
which the worlds heavyweight
champion was christened, was born
~ years ago in Manassa. Colo. The
prefix Jack" was assumed by the
big fellow when he had grown to
mans estate, and had chosen the
fistic ring for livelihood. AS
fighter he had the idea and a good
one. that by assuming the Christian
name of Jack" SOME of the glamor
If not the wonderful boxing science
which the original Jack Dempsey,
Brooklyn's famous "Nonpariel," pos
sessed as the middieweight title
holder might revert to him.
The champion is. the sixth child
OF family of eight. Three of his
brothers and three sisters are alive
but the youngest of the eight, who
was named Bruce, died about two
years ago. When Dempsey was sew
en- years old his parents. Hiram and
Celia Dempsey, with all their chill
dren moved from Manassa to Mont
rose, Col. where they lived for nine
years Then the Dempsey household
was shifted to Salt Lake City. Utah,
and that is the place which they. in
GLIDING the champion, claim as their
home.
Born of rugged parents. Dempsey
claims that he has Irish. Scotch and
Indian blood in his veins and in
sists that the fighting qualities for
which all three of these races are
famous have been bred in the bone
and blood and have come to him in
generous portions from his antece-
dents 80
Most of Dempsey's early life was
spent in the open on a farm but
later he alternated by working in
the mines except in harvest time.
when he found it more remunera-
tive to devote his strength to reap
ing wheat and other crops in the
grain belt In this way Dempsey
kept himself in fine physical condi-
ton, the hard labor developing the
wonderful muscles which proved to
be a useful factor in his winning the
worlds heavyweight title.
Unlike his challenger. Carpenter,
Dempsey had very little early train
arena, while the French champion
was a close student of the glove
game and an actual competitor when
he entered his teens" -,.
According to Dempsey's own story
his first fistic encounter was in an
improvised ring at Montrose, Colo..
when he was about 10 years old.
His opponen was young black
smith. named Woods. whom he
knocked out in the third round.
This initial contest netted the now
champion $25. His next fight also
resulted in a third round knockout.
Andy Malloy, who had previously
walloped one of Dempsey's older
brothers, being the victim. g
When he was 20 years old Demp-
sey began rowing around. taking on
bout whenever the opportunity. Of
fered, while between times he re-
turned to odd farming jobs or
worked as IL miner. His first East
ern experience in the fighting arena
was in New York City. where he met
Andre Anderson. Wild Burt Kenney
and Lester johnson. a negro, in ten
round no-decision bouts. This was
in 1916 r.
During the following year Demp-
sey knocked out AL. Norton and
Charley Miller, each in one round.
Later he won from Willie Meehan.
Carl Morris. Bob McAllister and
Gunboat Smith in four-round bouts
in California and was knocked out
in one round by Jim Flynn. the
Pueblo Fireman" In the follow
ing year Dempsey reversed this by
knocking Flynn out in a single round
and followed up with series of
knockouts. among his victims being
Fred Fulton. Battling Levinsky.
Perky FLYNN. Arthur Pelkey and
Terry Kellar.
Dempsey's banner year was 1919.
when after scoring five knockouts of
one round each in Pennsylvania and
Connecticut, he won the title by
stopping the big Kansan Jess Willard
at Toledo. O.. on Independence day.
two years ago.