The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-04-02

extent.
 In my younger days. good many years ago, l might not have admit ted that with such complacency, be- cause it was then a matter of consid- erable pride and satisfaction to me to know that my friends thought l was good" Naturally, with a lot of youthful ambition and the usual van ity of youngster, l agreed with them.
 The Pitfall of Many Boxer.
 Vanity and aa oVer-inflated idea of ones ability have ruined many young boxers and also those who have picked other professions for their careers. l didn't pick boxing for my career. Fate virtually pushed me into the game, and I cant say that I regret it. The game has been good to me and l have done my best to be good to the game.
 My father. more than anyone else, kept me from falling into the traps of vanity and the swell head" He never thought l was any good in the ring. He never missed the oppor tunity to let me know how little I knew about real fighting, as he re- garded real fighting. and 1 don't be- day
 Time after time he has told me there are no fighters today to com pare with those of the last gener- ation and particularly those of the barefist leanings in Ireland. He was born ill County Mayo, Ireland, in the same neighborhood where originated the parents of Jack Me Auliffe. the old, undefeated light weight champion: Jim Corbett, Jim Coffey, Frank Moran. Paciey Me Farland, Johnny Kilbane, Mike and Tom Gibbons, Mike O'Dowd, Bartley Madden-and some others, perhaps. O O O
 Dad Had the Fighting Spirit.
 You get bag of money now for playing around at fightin' in these days. All we got was a broken head. if we didn't fight, in my days" he has recounted to me many times, de- scribing his experiences after he left Mayo and went to Glasgow.
 T was the only Irishman in Glas- gow and I was the best man in the town with my bare fists. 1 had to be, to stay there" he would say.
 The Gibbons boys and others. l have heard, never wanted their fath- CTS at the ringside when they were boxing. through the fear that they would want to take q hand in the af- fair if things started going bad for their offspring. l never had any fear that my father would rush in to res cue me from what he considered a ladys game, and l have had him near my corner in several of my big bouts.
 On one occasion in Cleveland he watched me in a bout that was a particularly hard one for me. l was boxing Bryan Downey of Columbus l wasn't in the best of shape and l took a pretty good milling before l did land the decision. In the dress ;,,,r of tar ha ,.f- l,f.. What did you think of that fight. dad?"
 sure you don't call that a fight. do you?" he replied. What kind of fightin' could you do if you didn't have big gloves on and if there was no one in the ring to keep the other fellow off you when you were down? An. that's no fightin'."
 Early Days.
 Father came to America in the early eighties and settled in Clinton N. Y. where l was born on October IA, 1885. l was one of family of twelve three boys and four girls of which are still living. l don't re member very much about the early days in Clinton. because we moved from there to New Britain. Conn.,. when I was 4 years old. We lived there for eight years and I did noth- HE bQl SO iO stioOi anu Seii papers and get into the usual number of boyish scrapes that had my father on me all the time.
 You're no good You'll be the ruin of me yet" be always used to say. Sometimes it has struck me that my father might have been dis. appointed in that l did not go to the bad, as he continually predicted I would when I was growing up. He even holds out on it 10 this day. say ing, You was-no good in your young days"
 o O O First Appearance fn Ring.
 The family moved to Chicago when I was 12 years old. It was here that I had my ring name fastened on me. The kids at school, picking me out as a stranger. asked me where l came