Pueblo chieftain., 1921-02-19
(By kayo.l


on the shoulders of Jess Willard. Sc
cretly he might possess Aladdin's
Lamp: II SO, has the Evil Genii ceased
persecution and the Good Fairy bid
him again to rub the lamp and wish? :?
On December 20, 1887, in Pottawatomie
county, Kansas, the land of wheat and
grasshoppers. this prodigy was born.
There was nothing of great moment
world. The proverbial silver spoon
was missing. As n matter of fact his
parents possessed only what was abso-
lutely necessary so far as this world .
goods were concerned. Taken philo-
sophically 1t was the i'll wind with the
exception. because Jess, as soon as
nature admitted that he was of SUM-
cicnt strength and size. had to work.
and this labor had a tendency of de-
Neloping muscle and Drawn. which are
the most valued assets that a man
can have who follows the vocation of
a professional boxer.
Dollars were scarce in the immediate
locality of jess Wizards bailiwick and
mayhap in his day dreams his imag
ination turned to riches, but it is hard
ly probable that the idea was para
mount to the extent that IL went be-
yond the thoughts of avaricc. lie grew
with wonderful rapidity. and the
ncighbors were wont to put their heads
together and wonder II he ever would
stop. This was to his liking undoubt-
odly and augmented his aspirations of
becoming the champion pugilist of the
world. Ho never gained the inches OF
the Chinese giant. for he stopped at
the height of sevcnty-two inches. The
tallcst man with one exception that
ever gave expression to pugilistic ap-
petition.
I'D
that with IA pounds and a reach
which would make fishing pole en-
vfous, measuring no less than eighty
three inches, and "A height which al
lowed him to look squarcly ov~ the
shoulders OF the usual crop of boxers.
that the chances were favorable for "A
worlds championship. His nciShbors
believed the same thing. for joss could
fall upon any of the other fellows in
the vicinity and crush them with case.
The biography of the big Kansas
boxer is not too clear 10 far As exact
dates is concerned. but he must have
been in the neiGhhorhood of IS years
of age when he took to the road There
Is one thing certain. however. he sus-
tanned the reputation of n champion
because in the first five bouts he put
his antagonists away via tho knockout
route All this is chronlclcd in the year
1911 and tho mon he mot were: Ed
Burke. Louis Fink, Al Mandcno. Joe
Cavanaugh. Bill Shillcr and the only
one of this bunch TO put up a real scrap
was Joe Cavanaugh: he lasted eleven
rounds. Frank Lyon and NJ. Comiskcy
wcro the next quo from whom he
gained decisions, but he lost to Joe
Cox in fvc rounds and the decision
went against him in tho match with
Louis Fink on "A foul. II these were
fourth-ratc men. as has been said. the
" M 1NaU ft,Nr II
uablc assot-cxpcricncc. And he kept
on going. probably with tho hope that
the Goddess of Fortune Would spread
the golden shower but the fatcs had
not yet decrccd possession OF Alsddin's
lamp.
During the next yodr, 1917 he met nc
less than seven men and in every in
stance tho records show that he got
tho better OF tho other fellow. out OF
tho seven he was credited with fyo
knockouts. They were. however. az in
tho previous year. urth-class boxers.
Ii must be remembered however in jus
ticc to jess, that other champs had
made their regulations ns knockout
artists in the same identical manner.
So his determination did not fail: his
confidence to gain tho mecca OF NIL
ring aspirants was stronger rs the
notchcs in his tomahawk became more
numerous.
In the year 1918, he was credited for
meeting eleven boxers. lie lost to the
only real fighter in tho bunch, Gun
boat Smith. at San Francisco i'm e
rounds. but this did not dctract from
his determination and he kept right on
plugging away. He again met defeat
at the opening of the 1914 campaign.
He lost TO Tommy Mcmahon. at
Youngstown. Ohio, In L. rounds. And
then came the oventful year: the year
hns n f.ts
of the ring were concerned gave him
open sesame TO more coin of tho realm
than was ever dreamed Oft paved the
way to tho meeting and defeat OF Lii
Artha', otherwise Jack johnson.
Let US not listen to statements ut
tered recently by tho colorcd man to
tho effect that he had laid down to tho
big fellow. And lot us fight shy OF
theories and the dope sheet. because
experience has taught us that they
don't coincide with facts. We know
of the dissipations of tho colored boxer:
his weakness for wine. women and ali
tho trimmings thereof. and we know
positively that these habits are not
conducive to health and strength We
know also johnson was nine years older
than this giant OF the ring and We
cannot forget the cnviablc reputation
of tho big SMOKE in his ring career
covering "A period OF fifteen years in
Which he met, drew, was defeated and
did defeat tho host boxers OF his time
including Jim Jcffrics in their memor-
ablo battle at Reno. Nov. which made
him champion OF tho world. This story
is of high finance of puEillsm and not
fighting for ampionship belt and
all the honors. except stacks of money
that go with t.
1t was at this stage of wilIard's fight
ing career that his good fairy of IN.
lamp appcarcd-Tcx Rickard. the man
of Eold-hc has dug IL from tho earth
In Alaska and the gold fields of the
United States. and he has fairly dclvcd
among 1t until TO him its value is lost. |
His SUCCESS from financial point of
Wow i'll tho contest between Jcfyrics
and Johnson. while somewhat below
tho staggering amounts Of fights that
wcrc TO follow, was Unprecedented up
10 that time and he saw how a match
with the big fellow could hc made
tH.I n