The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1927-03-03


prolonged hysteria. It stamped
its feet. clapped its hands,
howled a salVO Of cheers-went
into raptures.
And then. $ it saw Dempsey
the mob broke into a wild demon.
stration of hostility. Boohs and
Kisses: catcalls and jeers-all of
them in mighty volume from the
ringside seats, the balconies, the
gallery and were Numbered around
the white champion of the world
and GREAT champion.
And then there came another
night some months later. Once
again the scene was Madison
Square Garden, and the two CEN
trail figures Of that night were
Dempsey and myself. 1t was my
first real public appearance before
q fistic crowd since l had won the
title. The mob was practically the
same which, months before, had
poured its verbal vitrol upon the
soul of Jack Dempsey.
They hOOted Dempsey On that
earlier night because he had
not fought Wills. In the time
between those two nights, he
had continued to ignore Wills.
He had ignored what might be
called the dictates of the mob
on that earlier highland had
NOT fought Wills.
All that Dempsey did between
those two nights was to fight but
once. That was against me. And
/ had beaten him fairly and hon.
orably without a chance for an
alibi or the cry of "fluke" from
anyone.
And there was l, appearing in
my old home town. perhaps before
hundreds who had known me all
through the years; meeting for the
first time since / had become
champion those who had cheered
me in the days gone by; facing
those who had encouraged me and
who had expressed the hope that
would KNOCK the block" off Jack
Dempsey.
In the time since they last
had rooted for me and wished
me well had accomplished the
lob that many thought was
impossible. j had climbed into
the same ring with the Killer"
had walked into him, hinged
into him, braVed the terror of
his mighty bIOws-and beaten
him. / had met the man who
crushed IITirpo. Fulton, Morris,
willard and two score Others
into battered pulps--I had met
him and beaten him even as
the sporting world was acclaim
ing him "invincible."
If mobs were not strange, il
their psychology was not a thing
that passeth understanding, then
my portion that night would have
been a salvo of cheers and Demp-
sey's at least an echo OF that
earlier booing.
Yet. on that night in Madison
/ Square Garden, when Jack Demp-
sey climbed into the ring, the same
mob which only a few months
earlier had tried to rip and tear
the soul of him to shreds, went
into a frenzy of cheers. No con-
aueror in all history ever. was
more wildly acclaimed; no hero
was ever given sweeter vocal nee
tar to sip. The vast arena almost
trembled under the impact Of the
hurrahs for Jack Dempsey.
/ climbed into the ring as the
new champion Of the world: as
conquerOr OF the mighty Demp-
sey; climbed in and faced my
own people in my own home
town: climbed in as the first
man that ever had brought
heavyweight championship to
New York. And, unless my ears
deceived me, the kissing sGd the
bOoing that was my portion. the
jerring and the bowls of denun.
citation perhaps eelipsed even
those that were hurled at Demp-
sep in the same arena only few
months before, and by practically
the same crowd.
! The riddle is two-fold for me:
I'd Why did those who cheered
me while I was northampton.
jeer me as a champion. and
t2l Why did those who nearly
lost their voices booing Dempsey
as champion. go into a frenzy Of
acclaim for him after he had
gone down in defeat?
On Saturday Gene Tunney will
3 tell Times readers of his hard
long climb to the championship
title.
tCopyright. 1927. by King Features
Syndicate, Incl