Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-07
TEX RICHARD DIES
IN MIAMI HOSPITAL
Body of Sports Promoter En-
Route to New York After
Brief Rites.

BY the Associated Press.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. January t.
George L (Tex) Rickard, who travelled
an adventurous road from cowboy to
millionaire and found more gold in
making boxing champions than in the
Klondike, was on his last journey today.
Rickard died in the Allison Hospital
here yesterday on the sixth day of an
illness which followed an operation for
appendicitis New Year night. The body
of the promoter whose name topped all
the rest in the world of fistiana, was
being borne to New York, the scene of
his greatest triumphs, on the Havana
Special OF the Florida East Coast Line
Ea.lroad.
MRS. Rickard, who had kept faith
full vigil beside her stricken husband;
Jack Dempsey, who loved the promoter
as his best PAL; walter Field, Rick
ards friend, and Steve Hannegarl. rep
resenting the city of Miami Beach. &C
corppanied the body. Over the bronze
casket, so heavy that Is men were re-
qu;red to lift 1t into the hearse. lay a
blanket OF roses given by Dempsey and
Field. and which bore the tribute" To
Our Pal"
Promoter Dies Gamely.
Rickard died gamely fighting the vi
cious inroads of peritonitic infection
which followed the operation He re-
NAMED conscious until about two hours
before his death at 8:37 o'clock yeSter-
day morning. Shortly before lapsing
into the coma from which he never ral-
lied, he turned to the faithful wife and
friends who gathered at his bedside with
the assertion that he was getting a
tough break, but I'll fight"
1ren the dying man graSped the hand
Of Mrs. Rickard, and the feeble voice in
quired solicitiously about his 3-year-old
daughter.
when told that Maxine was all right
and wanted her father to get we'll,
Rickard said Help me over this, sweet
heart. I'm fighting my" he did
not finish the sentence, and in two
hours he was dead.
Stricken New Year Day.
A certificate, issued shortly afterward
by DR.. e. H. Adkins, who attended
Rickard, said that death resulted from
IAN overwhelming infection following
ard was stricken on New Year day, but
believing he suffered indigestion, he de-
termined to bear the pain and overcome
it. Later, the pain became so acute
that physicians were summoned and the
operation followed. This was pronounce
ed successful and Rickard apparently
was improving until Friday night when
he suffered a relapse from which 1t
was feared death might come that
night. But the promoter rallied and
some hope, was held for his recovery
until the sudden denouement came
during the early hours OF yesterday.
Dempsey, rugged ring warrior, be-
came a nervous, u1Strung boy as he
realized that the man who had lifted
him to q high place was dead. I've
lost the best pal ever had" he de-
clared. II am grief stricken over his
DEATH
When Dempsey left the room and
sought the reception hall, he struggled
to control his emotions. His pale face,
covered by a two-day growth Of beard,
Dempsey choked as he said: 1T must
come to every one, but its mighty hard
to see Tex go. We can only carry on as
he would have DONE"
Brief Services Held.
Grief striken and on the. verge OF
prostration, Mrs. Rickard was forced to
go to bed, where she remained all morn
ing. but, demonstrating the same
strength that Carried her through the
ordeal of her husbands illness, she was
able to attend brief funeral services in
the afternoon.
Rickard was not church member,
but Father William Barry Of the Cath
olic Church. to which Mrs. Rickard be-
longs, off1ciated at the services. The
body then was taken to the car now
bearing 1t to New York, but the funeral
party did not arrive at the railway sta
ton until shortly before train time.
Although it was not travelling in
private car, the party virtually had the
benefit of one, since only a single COM
partment had been taken by others
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