Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-20
w WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS
n SARATOGA. n. Y. July
NM 20.-If sculpture will wiz
Y prize fights, Jack Dempsey

DIlLe llSIItS- OtAN N A|NihlNS'
deserves to be perpetual
champion.
saw Dempsey for the first time II
nv life as he stepped into the rine
at White Sulphur Springs, and what
ever prejudice l may have carried
against the man was swept away.
IA an achievement in the way OF
human being. he is superb. TO me ne
was quite breath-taking. and he pos
sesses in abundance that rare qual
ity. magnetism.
One cannot see him all but nude
either in repoSe or in indescribablH
1.-THE and graceful movement, without
understanding why it is that thou
sands of men are battling for tlcketS
to watch him in his match tomorro"
night with Jack Sharkey.
To see him once, and in action. Is
to become obsessed with the belief
that he is supreme in his chosen line
If he were beaten, it must have peer
some strange error Of unklnd rate
which is bound to rectify Itself. Ii
Sharkev has ounces Of personality,
Dempsey has pounds.
There is about his training quarters
none Of the rough-neck. rather rolilcK'
ing insouciance to be found near
Sharkey. All is preoccupation. His
sparring partners sit together Ill
corners of the piazza and discuss
learned points of condition with heads
close together.
That charmingly disarming pirate,
Leo Flynn, the manager, Is highly
convincing in his role Of man or
affairs. / do not think l have ever
seen quite so energetically busy a
person. nor one more intent upon his
lob. From desiring to sock Flynn, as
the language of the art has 1t, upon
the button, one grows upon contact
to something rather better than
amused tolerance.
Dempsey Has Stage Instinct.
And as for Dempsey, he is inVisi'
BILE. You are aware OF his nearness'
He impends over the scene, put ne
does not appear-until the stage Is
set and the entrance ready. linen III
comes and one is satisfied. ;.
Either Dempsey is retlcenf,. he Is
occupied pleasurably in secluslon' or
he has the instinct of a great actor
He awaits his moment, appears mo,
nopolizes the stage, disappears. Anu
the King of England is much easier
to approach. L know. because hase
tried both. A cat may look at h.is :
tn,,t II takes a skilled burglar with
diamond drills and high explosives u
.anna+,.ata To this former champion.
d. penetrated eventually and IN
style was driven to the camp III
ono of Flynn's Rolls-Royces. lie mas
49,, If them. and Mercedes ana
pacl<ard, Which leads one to oeueFe
that managing a boxer must De tltAiel
80, nrofitabIe or very upsettlns u
the mental equilibrium. .,oss
found Dempsey sitting coatless
an tho niaZza of the cottage, ensdSeu
ea,.;ousIv in a game of casino WIN d
fr;and II was a serious game ana d.
. serious point, for the 1rlehu aau
i,,st succeeded in building an eolilce
If mines. and Dempsey had no hlL,e.
II must be a bitter thing LOT tIe
,,,os+ discussed fighter in the Worlo TO
- Demnsev arose to acknowledge the
;ntrod,ictiOn, and his pleasant eyes
.noilad They were not now the
level, concentrated, almost savage
ewes T had seen in the ring an hour
before. They were kindly eyes, COM
panionable eyes.
Dempsey Doesn't Kid Himself.
Not many days ago q man salo "
me-. 1--WE tried for years 10 olslihe
Demnsev. but / can't do it, i began
now TO understand what he meant:
Another friend told me / should ma
dempsey equipped with the artilclal
manners of a. night CLUB hostess. =
did not find him 50. l found MIN Ut
tor,v simple. without affectation, and
wit bout vanity. Set down as point
number one that Dempsey does not
delude himself about Dempsey:
"yNill YOU draw up a char, ne
asl,ed land wait just a moment untii
we finish this game? It's important,
TIC erniled. "Then I'll be glad to tax
with you" .,,+
He eyed me rather curiously, nut
NOT shyly, nor with any eXaggeralioli
of welcome. His manner was per
fectlv natural. And l was, or course
a. bally intruder. ~.
presently he took the final jack,
and moved back his chair, looking at
me expectantly. l told him what l
and he said he would be glad
~ holm me. I told him / wanted 10
he ahla to tell folks a little ABOUT
What sort of man he actually IS
not the fighter, but Jack dempsey
hi,nself, He thought it over ana
nodded as if at the reasonaoleness OIL
the request. ,,. so,+ ~ fol.
low" he said, land guess thlnk
the things and like the tnlngs orol'
nary people think ana IKE. Mls.
dempsey and 1 enjoy, DONG Things
together. We like the tneater. l
liked Broadway very very. m ~. anu
what's her name, Ulrlch!
.T,enore Ulrich?'
"Yes liked her lot in Lulu
po,la and then there was The
..Shanobai Gesture'--I liked that quite
. little" gathered he was not
.. co enthusiastic about this latter
work of art. n,,.o lilo
70 have company-our friends IN the
evening. YOU know-and a party once
in a while. We like to have a good
time" This was quite naive. In
fact. Dempsey is very pleasantly
naive. o,,
.'How about the pictures? >.
1--WE like to go once in a While,
said he. .,,
Dempsey shook his head decidedly.
az don't like it. I never did like 1t.
lust went into them because 1t was
between times and had nothing else
to do. and it looked like some easy
money. / never want to act again.
No, sir: I never thought I was an
actor for a minute. I'm a fighter. L
never kidded myself I could act"
funny is a reader of books L
suggested.
Il don't read much" Jack said:
Just the papers and things. And
western stories. You knOW-Zane
Grey and like that. And there S
another young fellow out West: You
don't know him, l guess. l like his
stories"
You could see he was trying Sc
riously to be helpful in this matter
of self revelation. He appreciated
that one was set upon difficult task