Evening star., 1927-09-16
BY THORNTON FISHER.

~ REENWICH Vii a is
provincial Flanked by
r roaring elevated systems
and burrowing subways,
skirted and shadowed by
towering skyscrapers, the once
proud aristocratic village rapidly
is succumbing to the resistless in
trusion of trade and pretenders to
art. The curious, lowroofed stables
of McDougall Alley no longer
house thoroughbred horsef1esh nor
shelter the latest models in gay
coaches. Artists, writers, 1dlers
and dreamers have transformed the
quaint structures into studios and
paint and speak things that perpleX
the old inhabitants. Damp. dark,
unventilated cellars, lighted dis
mally with tallow candles, are
referred to as THE Rabbit Hole.
Devils Den" and The Blue Cat"
BelliGerent at first, the old-timers
at last have resigned themselves to
the inevitable and accept the new
order of affairs which they no
longer can control.
In this colorful environment
James Tunney was born % years
ago last MAY. He still lives in the
same house, and probably will re-
main there. Until a year ago his
name was listed in the telephone
directory. but since that Septem-
Der night Il months past only his
intimates can reach him by phone.
In this there is no attempt TO
"high-hat' the public. for only
champions know what the price of
glory is. For some reason, boxing
champions are assailed on every
hand by beggers, "phoney-stock
statesmen and other nuisances.
How He Became "Gene."
Tunney was named James, and
not the we'll known Gene" A
young brother of Tunney when a
baby was unable to pronounce the
name James" and fell into the
habit of calling the present cham
pion Gene" The appellation has
remained.
BY one who has known Gene
Tunney intimately for eight years,
it can be said that much that has
been written about him either has
been exaggerated or misleading,
,unintentionally perhaps. He is
neither a purveyor of "o0-cent
words" nor a gentle, soft-hearted
fighter. He learned to scrap in the
Marines. He began to develop as
boxed in the Marines, although he
had been exchanging punches
among the simon-pure around New
York since boyhood. He won
mediocre rating as an amateur
among the boys clubs in the city,
and never had considered the sport
one in which he eventually would
scale the crest and snare a for
tune.
1t was not, as a fact, until Gene
went abroad with his division that
he seriously took up the game.
Any one who has witnessed an in
terservice boxing contest knows
that such matches are slam bang
affairs.
Gene promptly set about to learn
how to defend himself. That he
does not bear a mark is testimony
to the fact that he learned the
lesson well. He became so pro-
ficient that he won a service cham
pionship over there. 1t was the
acquisition of that title which
urged him to enter the profes.
sional ranks upon his return home.
And then / met Tunney for the
first time.
Tall. strapping, a good-looking
though not handsome fellow, Gene
did not promise much. A good
amaetur perhaps, but not the sort
to mix it with the rough boys for
money. He weighed about 17o
pounds and was u years old. He
knew just enough about boxing to
evade a potential Knockout wal
lop, but not enough to hazard a
risk in the ring with wise fighter.
I'm going to learn this busi'
ress." said Gene to me back in
those daYS