Evening star., 1926-05-16
Strange Findings Come From Inquiry
AS to Latest Heavyweight Prodigy
BY RING LARDNER.

"O THE EDITOR: Those who do
not read the sport pages IN
toto or exchange mash notes
with Jack kearns may OF
never heard of young man
named Napoleon Dorval who. accord,
| ing to Dempsey's former mgr. aho
nal. can't hardly help from becoming
| heavvweight champion of the world.
Some of we boys has been getting
from 9 to 5 letters per wk. from JACK
in regards to his new find and per-
sonly I have been so impressed win
the contents of these letters that II
seems worst than selfish to not let
the gen. public share a small portion
of same at least. Like for inst. in one
letter Jack writes:
ar Jack Dempsey, our fightless
champion, ever gets look at Dorval
he will doubtless leave the country
post haste"
And in another:
"While the heavyweight title holder
is resting comfortably In an armenian
and making plans to fool the puphc
another season, Dorval goes ahead
meeting all corners and knocking them
for a goal"
And in still another:
"Dorval has been fairly annihilating
his opponents in his daily gymnasium
workouts. AS one of his sparrlng
partners was overheard saying, The
man can hit - Sweet potatoes, now
that tremendous lad can hit!
AS may Of all ready informed my
readers l recently had part OF meal
with Mr.. Kearns in a hotel IN Los
Angeles and it was on this occasion
that l first heard Of the prodigy.
II have got the next heavyweight
champ" said Jack.
"What is his name?" I inquired.
"I think l will call him Napoleon
Dorval," said Jack.
"Iow do you spell Dorval?" I asked
him.
"Suit yourself" said Jack. THAT
part of it don't make no dinerence
| to me-"
Subsequent conversation and the
| letters from which I have quoted
reused my interest to such an extent
| that made a private investigation OF
| Dorval's past and present and found
out some facts that may startle my
| clientele as we'll as surprise Mr..
| Kearns himself.
Dorval it seems is a native Of Ger
| many who was born in Canada and
first seen the light Of day in Pennsyl
vania. When he was 6 days old he
was weaned and Immediately asked for
| g. Weanle.
| "Hot dogw exclaimed his daddy.
&: But when the mother brought him
! bottle instead and he found out they
| wasn't nothing in it but milk, he bust
ed both she and the bottle.
| Sweet potatoes, how that tremen-
dous lad can sockr' was her comment.
| His father wanted him named Bu-
| ford so he could call him Junior, but
nanny insisted on Napoleon as she
was a great admire Of John McGraw.
| When Napoleon was yr> OF age his
mother was wheeling him across
prairie in go-carts one PM. and got
stopped by a traffic policeman for not
| waiting for the noon whistle. The
| mother, a Mrs. Dorval kept her tenn
per, but Napoleon gave the officer a
| terrible bawling out and probably
| would of knocked him dead if they
had of been any money in sight.
| The people Of Gamin. Ohio. where
the DorYals lived for a time. were
great people for police dogs and finally
asked the Dorvals to leave town as
Napoleon was fighting with all their
dogs and chewing them up. This was
| when Napoleon was six and it was
along about this time that John l..
Sullivan was touring the country
meeting all comers and Offering a
100000 to anybody who could stay
rounds with him. Napoleon ran away