The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-12-04
T
SlALKING
IT OVER
BY JOE WILLIAMS
NEW YORK, De-. 4.

JAMES JOSEPH TUNNET7 the
y man who took a boxing glove
lace and ran it into a million dollars
came home Tuesday from his
honeymoon on the continent. When
Tunney arrived in Chicago to con-
tribute his genius to the spiritual
progress of that community he an
nounced he had come to box Demp-
sey not to fight him. Returning TO
America Tunney comes neither to
box nor to fight any one. He returns
as he left, private citizen, and while
it Is very likely true that reputable
promoters stand willing to offer him
a generous sum to take one more
fling at the game you are hereby
invited to bet all the steel in Pitts
burgh he never will be seen with
the gloves on again. When he re-
tired he retired permanently.
Tunney's plans for the future are still
somewhat vague. For another several
months he will do nothing. II is my nn-
derstanding that he is in position to
indulge such a luxury. In the spring he
probably will announce an sffiiiatiOn with
banking or bonding house. His incliDa-
ton runs in that direction.
n
TUNNEY always has known now
l. to get and handle money. He
Is one of the few young men OF
wealth, who escaped the recent Wall
Street calamity unscathed. He re-
arranged his inveStments-and these
were heavy-just before the crash
came. and got out from under with
out any loss at all This was either
frst-class foresight or gorgeous
luck. In either event he still has
all his jack, which is the important
thing.
Tunney stayed away from his home land
longer than he originally planned. This
was due to the illness of his wife. At one
time her condition was so critical that
surgeons dcspaired Of her life. and the
former heavyweight champion of the world
spent more than one al-night vigil at her
bed side. bowed in grief and PRAYER.
UoU may have read in the news
L papers that the Tunneys are
no longer in the social register,
which is the Metropolis fixed
catalogue of the blue bloods, the
financially buxom and fortunately
bred. Quite little soothing and
sneering has followed this incident,
and no little acidness in editorial
comment.
Almost anything is food for the seoffers,
and knowing this to be true ! am almost
afraid to write what know to be a fact
that the Tunneys refused to go out for
the social register-and this goes just as
definitely for the social climbing" Tun-
ney as well as the socially established
Mrs. Tunney. In brief, they are not in
the book for the very simple reason that
they didn't care anything about being in
II and IL any one wishes to check this up,
1T can be readily verified.
TNUNNEY, in this connection, once
i remarked: THE aristocracy
of the spirit is the only aristocracy
worth while" I don't care whether
the raw-boned youth from the docks
read this in a book somewhere or
whether he actually feels it, my no
ton is that it is distinctly hui
man slant and not at all inconsist-
ent with many fine phases OF the
mans character as 1 have come to
know him and them.
A day OF so ago l was talking
with Jack Dempsey about the man
who took the heavyweight title from
him. There is no love lost between
the two, even now, and have lis
tened to harsh words from each Of
them in regard to the other. Mr..
Dempsey said:
"There is one thing You have to give
him credit for. he was smart and he knew
what he was doing all the time. I was
never able to fox him into false move
He was the only fighter 1 ever faced who
sent me back to my corner wondering if
1 was doing right or wrong in the ring"
Il
THIS, I think, is a good picture
i of Tunney the fighter. 1t also
explains, I believe, why he was not
a great popular favorite. 1t is much
easier for the mob, which includes
myself, to thrill to the mechanism
of the fists than the Subtleties of
the mind.
q
At the same time l am still OF the
opinion that Dempsey was the better
fighter. At any rate he was the type OF
ighter I always prefer to watch. Demp-
ser thinks he knocked the manly Marine
out in the Chicago fight and 1 agree with
him To me that was not a seventh round