The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-10-25
BY FRANK c. MENKE

bIAuueSS mas SLr1ckeQ PGLe Her
man, one-time king of all the bantams.
The sight of one eye is gone for
ever-has been gone for more than
two years. The other is in such a
condition now that Herman cannot
see with it-possibly never will be
able to see with it again.
Yet Herman, with heavy bandages
over his eyes, lies in bed in an up
town hotel-has lain there for weeks
hoping, hoping-and feeling conf
dent that surgical skill again can re-
store his vision to a point where he
can return to ring warfare.
But the hope seems barren. The
doctors insist that if they can, in some
miraculous fashion, bring back sight
to the better eye of the two, all their
accomplishments perhaps would be set
at naught, and Herman would be rem
dered totally blind by one solid punch
TO the optical region.
Willing to Take Risk
Herman listens to what they say
and then, when the doctors have gone,
he says
81 guess they're right-but If they
can fix me up now I'd risk total blind
ness for just one more smash at the
title-just one and then never again.
Win or lose I'd quit then-sure. 1t
isn't the money I'd want to fight for.
I'm in pretty good shape that way,
saved most Of what made and / guess
l can take care of my family through
the rest of my years, even If l don t
earn dime.
But l want to be champion again
Just once more. And l could be that
if they'd fix up this eye that has a
little sight left in it That's all l need
to whip Joe Lynch-just one eye. l
did it once with one eye-and can do
1t again"
Dreams of Victory
There are times when Herman, as
he rolls and losses On his sick bed,
drops into a troubled sleep and be-
comes bit deIirious. Then he imag-
ines he is fighting again-and the eli
max of every such fight is knockout
triumph for him over Lynch, the pres
ent bantam champ.
AT other times-rational times-Her-
man talks of the past:
- you know" he says, 81 have been
fighting with only one eye for a good
many years. l lost the other one in
Philadelphia in an exhibition bout. The
tin part of a glove lace cut me in that
eye and ripped it. Doctors thought
they could put me up-but they didn't
The eye was gone.
But kept the thing secret didn't
want to let my opponents know l had
only one eye because ! knew they'd
slam away at the other and render me
sightless as early as possible in the
fight.
Put Out Lights.
Sometimes that did happen. And
when it did I'd usually put up a bad
fight. That's why so many people
wondered about me; couldn't under
stand how I'd fight like world beater
one night and ham the next
& lost the title to Joe Lynch be-
cause my good eye was punched up
pretty early in that fight and l had
to fight by instinct from then on. But
Jimmy Wilde didn't reach that good
eye and l knocked him overheard.
Then l came back, got another fight
with Lynch. kept the good eye well
protected, beat up Joe, and got back
my title.
AFTER that fought Buff. The good
eye was failing a bit even before that
fight. l couldn't see very clearly
even with that, and I couldn't see at
all out of the other. But l figured
that even with half an eye could
beat Buff
But ii. was too great a handicap,
and Buff got the decision and the IT,
tie. although lot of spectators
thought / won, anyway.
Later | fought Midget Smith. !