The Washington times., 1929-07-05
FAKE WIRES
USED FOR
FIGHT
BY Jack Dempsey

NH
BY Jack Dempsey
Did you ever hear the story
Of how Nate Lewis, aiming
merely to gather in some pub
licity for a fighter that he
was handling, stumbled onto
couple Of angles and
$9,0OO9
The yarn carries back moro than
20 years to a time when Nate, now
one of the big shot" matchmakers
Sin Chicago, was managing Kid Her
man, the lightweight.
Herman was good but not so GOOD
as to cause reporters to risk fallen
arches In the scramble to get inter-
views with him. So Nate hit upon
@nm idea to get publicity for the KID,
which embraced B 'sphoney' tele-
zgram with 'phoney" offer for
mystical fight.
Lewis typed the telegram himself.
Il He dated It Virginia City, New, and
ssigned 1t Tom Brennan" which
was the name of q pal out there.
Then Nate hired a messenger boy
to deliver the telegram TO = news.
paper office where he was receiv.
eing mail and telegrams.
About half an hour after the mes.
senger had delivered the fake wire,
Nate strolled into the newspaper
shop, opened the telegram, and then,
with an air of nonchalance, flipped
III onto the sporting editors desk.
The message read:
'Offer $2O,OOO purse for fight
hera between Kid Herman and
Joe Cans. Wire Immediately"
Well, that was a story. The only
bigger purse ever offered up to that
time for lightweight tilt was that
eof Tex Rickard who put UP 100000
for Cans and Battling Nelson to
shoot at some months earlier.
Naturally, the newspaper busted"
the story and in big headlines much
10 the qualification OF Lewis. He
had acquired great publicity for Her.
sman--at last. Other newspapers
picked up the story. It was quite
q. sporting sensation. And then,
all Of q sudden Nate contracted
severe case of chills and fever.
Suppose one of the newspapers
either wired Brennan for confirma-
tion of his offer or sent q man 10
Virginia City for an interview? !.
Whew! Nate was in bad spot!
He should have tipped off his friend
In advance. But maybe 1t WASH
foo late. So Nate shot fast wire
IL his pal, asking him in guarded
fashion to back up the story.
Just about the time that Mates
wire hit Brennan so did one from
The manager of Cans, which reaa
like this:
'cNotice in papers that you
offer $4,000 purse for Gans'
Herman fight. We are accept
ING. Advise details at once.
And that put the innocent Bren-
wan in a torrid place. But nate
-r.sn,t any better off. All his JOY
aver gathering in reams Oh pup
5Icitv for Herman just ooZed out
~ him For he knew that Brennan
couldn't promote the fight and tnat
sooner or later, the grand dow
off" would come, with Nate ana ms
ssnhoney" telegram sitting on tne
rim of the volcano. 49,,
While Lewis was trying to figure
sn,,t which of the five "R's"--re'
svolyer. river, rope, razor or room
~ use as his earthly exit, ne re.
2csived a telegram, read it, ana
tbsn nearly collapsed. 1t was as
follows: .;4,. VA.
g,nia city people. don't do It until
ts,or communicate with us. we can
snake you better offer
~ I ,avvis didn't know whether that
,v,rs was q practical joke or not
.ys,1t ANYWAY, it was dated Tonopan,
Tsv.: signed johnson & Riley
Srd Nafa shot back an answer re-
ruesting terms. The "eply came
IN q hurry. It read:
81 "We wiz put up $4,000
purse and also guarantee eacn
tighter $1,000 addition Tor train
Ing expenses. Il acSPsaD'g E vaam,s VII
Day.
Nate nearly broke a wrist writ
1nr his acceptance. Cans, in re-
ceipt Of a duplicate offer, also
acepted in speedy fashion.
And that's how Joe Cans and
Kid Herman fought on New Years
nav. 1907, In Tonopah on the basis
n so per cent, or. $4,000, for the
winner. and 40 per cent, or $4,000,
for the loser.
Cans won by Knocking out Her
man in the eighth. But defeat
didn't dispel the elatior of either
Herman or Lewis. because the two
81 them cut up $4,000, which was
the biggest purse Herman ever had
earned, comparing as 1t goes with
y 100000 purse in these days.
ICnnYright 1923. King Features