The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-04-29
|SPALLA FAILS TO 1 ARRIVE ON BOAT
Stop Off to Box a Friend and Promoter Is Out
 of Luck
By wEsTBRooK PEGLER

NEW YORK, April 2S.-Withs the bally-hoo bird squawking frantically l from the crows nest, the steamship Western World made a noisy progress up New York bay Monday. bringing Hugh Garland, publicity man for Luis Angelo Firpo, and Al Reich. the famous Jersey heavyweight, better known as the human horizon line, who recently was knocked out by Firpo in Buenos Aires. a
 Ermlnio spalla, the Italian heavy weight who went 14 rounds with Firpo in Buenos Aires, was expected on the Western World, and Nick Kline, the Newark promoter, was at the dock to greet him with enough subpoenaes to paper all the signboards on the Lincoln highway. However, Spalla had dropped off the ship at Santos, Brazil, to keep date to whip a friend named Bene- dicto Santos, on May 10.
 Garland is the man who shipped Farmer Lodge to Buenos Aires and went along with the shipment several months ago. Lodge was upset by Firpo and Gartland, who claims some sort of authority to make contracts for Firpo, remained there, trying to persuade Luis Angelo to fight Harry Wills in C0nnectt- cut for the hilarious Lew Raymond syndicate, which at that time was talk ing ln terms Ok KnHuonss
 Says Flrpo WnI Return
 "Firpo will come here and fight" Garland said, and the baily-hoo bird pulled tendon in it's neck emitting a particularly shrill scream. "He has signed a new contract authorizing me | and William McCarney to make the arrangements. But he doesn't have to come. He made $100,000 out of threo fights in Buenos Aires last winter. He A.,- nHe fe Nuhf Romero Rojas, that Chilean fellow who is around New York claiming Firpo is afraid of him.
 Conversation had to be suspended here until the bally-hoo bird regained it's composurA The wild Tapping of wings and deafening squawks eventual | ly subsided and Garland went on to say that Luis Angelo offered Rojas a personal gift of $5,O00 to fight him. The ,astounded bally-hoo fowl laid a medium boiled egg and three sailors fainted< at this remark. Confusion was rife and becoming more so as Garland prattled on. y s5t$}N
 Garland wound up by announcing that Firpo would fight anyone for the right price and explaining that Spalia only went IA rounds with him because he, Firpo,. was under e full charge of aspirin, which affected him about the same as sniff of a bar-towel affects a eSOpnOmOEes The tAtSut0u UAAAy y-nOO bird took cough-drop and went to sleep Ne 7Nh .+,
 Reich's reason seemed to have been affected by Firpo's smashes for he an- nounced that Luis Angelo had become a clever left-hand boxer, which was like saying that Jim Corbett had cut a new tooth.
 He VYaits In >AnguIsh
 The disappointed Mir. Kline was still sitting on pile at the end Of the dock, Contemplating the soiled waters of the river and holding his bundle of subs l poenaes as the scene quilted down. He I brought miles and miles of succulent spaghetti for spalla when Erminio was | just one of the Joe McCanns around the | Jersey fight clubs several years ago. When Spalla returned to Italy and made reputation by knocking over all the funtaught pugilists of his native land, Kline made a contract with Erminio i for fight in New York with Harry Wills. He claims he even; sent Erminio some money for transportation from Genoa, whereupon Spalla went to South America. fought Firpo and closed q deal by cable with Tex Rickard to come and box under the management of the trust.