Evening star., 1927-09-21
BY THORNTON FISHER.

1t has been observed for many
generations that lit takes two to
make a fight" 1t requires three,
however, if the principals expect
to make any money out of it. Add
a hundred thousand potential pay
ing customers, mix we'll with a por-
ton of publiciyt, pour in the heated
representations of experts and let
boil for several months.
There are few chief cooks,
though, capable of preparing such
pugilistic dishes. Occasionally a
genuine artist appears who knows
not only how to insure an appetite,
but how to so mix and season the
ingredients that the customers re-
turn for more. One does not ac-
quire the culinary art of fisticuffs
by seeking for answers in the back
of text book. 1t is a tedious
process, studded with pitfalls and
menaced always by possible finan-
cial loss.
Even George l.. Richard has pro-
duced some fistic fiascos. Not all,
by any means, of his promotions
have been successful, but then
George l.. is good gambler" in
the snappiest sense of the term.
TEX" Rickard is a man nobody
knows. Taciturn, poker-faced,
suave, immaculate, Gentle-voiced
p and silently aggressive. Rickard in
flames the imagination. He is not
as picturesque these days as when
he was riding the Texas ranges
astraddle a galloping cayuse or
prospecting from Nevada to Nome,
but he can easily be marked in any
fight crowd with his inevitable cigar
and cane.
Started 81 Years Ago.
Richards first coup de maitre oc-
cured just II years ago, when he
and a small group Of Nevada miners
put the gold into Goldfield and
guaranteed $4,000 for the Nelson
Cans fight. The scoffers laughed
and pooh-poohed the idea Of a
motley outfit Of whiskered prospec-
tors loafing and gambling in Rick
ards Northern" saloon Offering
such a fabulous sum to Nelson and
Cans. The scoffers, however, didn't
know those men from the great
open spaces" who jingled and tossed
$40 gold pieces around with reck-
less abandon. 1t was an interest
ing rendezvous The Northern"
with its heterogeneous mixture of
characters, faro outfits, roulette
wheels and poker tables. There
were no pikers among the crowd Of
galoots that attended these nightly
games with admirable fidelity. And
Richard was the proprietor of this
gambling palace.
His first venture as a boxing i'm.
presario proving a success and hav.
ing won the attention of the fistic
fraternity, TEX" decided to follow
through with other promotions.
Let us span the interval between
1906 and 1910. Jeffries had retired
in 1894 and was living quietly on
his California ranch, apparently
through as an active ringman.
Upon resigning the title Jim had
presented it to Marvin Hart, who
was not qualified to receive it. He
lost to Tommy Burns, who in turn
was defeated by Jack Johnson,
who. to all intents and purposes,
thereby became the logical heavy
weight champion Of the world.
Again Startled Industry.
IN the meantime We'll meaning
If foolish friends sought to induce
Jeffries to re-enter the ring against
Johnson. The big boilermaker
finally succumbed to their argu-
ments and Rickard once more
f1abbergasted the cauliflower in
dustry by offering a purse Of
Sl01,000 for the match. The COM
plete debacle of Jeffries resulted,
the contest being refereed by Rick.
ard. himself. From this point on
TEX" began to flash across the
sky as the greatest money shooter
in the game.
Shrewdly calculating that the
densely populated urban com.
munities Of the East offered a more
fruitful field for his future activi
ties, Rickard bought a ticket to
New York, where the quiet, black
eyed man from the West caused
much speculation. TEX" did not
attempet to mystify any one and