The Carbon County chronicle. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1924, 1924-08-13

John O'NeiIl, who is associated
with his brother, Tip" O'NeilI in
oil development in the kevin-Sun-
burst district, returning from the
Olympic games recently, met AL
fred Damon Runyon In New York.
Runyon is the versatile young man
Gibbons battle, before
and after, for the Hearst newspap-
ers with their millions of readers
all over the United States, and al
ways managed 10 1eayen his MARIA
tives with golden words for Mon
tana and her people, for which he
is remembered most kindly. The
meeting started the flood tide of
Munyon's "reminiscences anent the
Shelby fight, in part as follows:
The Montana O'Neills became we'll
known to readers of the sport pages
during the troubles over the Demp-
sey-Gibbons fight in Shelby.
They are well known young bust
ness men of Great Falls, Montana, of
fine, substantial western family
They were active in trying to put the
tight over after the Shelby promot-
ters had bumped into failure.
The football player O'Neill is a
good looking young man, apparently
typical of his fellow players He sat
in the Friars grill room with Hyland,
Patrick and Cunningham, also mem
bers of the team, talking with Eddie
Kane, manager of Tom Gibbons, re-
calling experiences in Shelby.
Young O'Neill says the financial
situation in Shelby after the fight
was not as disastrous as painted Nor
was it due to the fight, as is the pop
ular idea.
Shelby is still thriving, still grow
ing, 0'Neill says. The celebrated
Mayor Jim Johnson, one of the orig
inal promoters of the battle, is not as
impoverished, O'Neill thinks, as he is
described.
The Shelby bank that went down to
failure, has resumed operations.
Thus are many fallacies and inter-
esting aftermath tales of the fam
Gus fight dispelled.
O'Neill is quite sure that If the
original promoters had not given a
misleading impression of their re-
sources, If they had said at once that
they could not raise the money nee
essary TO put the fight over, the bust
ness men of Great Falls would have
gone to their rescue and saved the
situation. AS 1t was, the Great Falls
men did not learn of the real situa-
tion until it was too late. Had the
final instalment of the money prom
ised Dempsey and Kearns been paid
promptly, O'Neill believes, with ev-
eryone else. that the fight would
have drawn 100000 at least.
AS 1t was, the gate" totalled
about S250.000, practically all OF
which went to Kearns and Dempsey.
This is In spite of the fact that 1t
was by no means sure the fight
would be held until the early morning
of the day on which 1t was scheduled.
Dozens of trains that would have
brought crowds from the Northwest,
from the Pacific Coast, we're can
celled when 1t seemed certain that the
fight would be called off
When Kearns finally decided to
take over the gate, which decision he
reached at three o'clock In the morn.
ing of the day of the fight, 1t was toe
late for people to come from any dis
tant points.
The decision was arrived at by
Kearns nthe bath room of the
Chamber of the Park Hotel at Great
Falls occupied by this writer, Hypt
Igo, and Ed Hughes, all there fol
the purpose of reporting the fight.
AT one time during the eadly hours
of the morning, Kearns and the Grea
Falls promoter, had definitely Gale,
the fight off. The news had alread,
gone out over the press wires.
Then Kearns, listening to the ad
vice of the newspapermen, called
small conference in the bath room
which was attended by all who coul,