New Britain herald., 1929-09-10
BY WERNER LAUFER NEA Service Sports Writer

One of the rarest specimens in the sport world is the deaf and dumb athlete. Out on the Pacific Coast, a full -blooded Mexican kid Fred Dummy Mahan, deaf mute from infancy. is battling his way among the welter fighters.
 Despite the fact that he was re- gently stopped by Gorilla" Jones, the Akron better, he is regarded as a conner by the California ring bugs. Jones could probably knock out the welter champion Jackie Fields in an overweight match and that doesn't detract one bit from Jackie either. Jones really is a light middleweight and would have to cut off a leg to get down to 147.
 Runs Up Kayo String
 But getting back to Mahan, the Dummy has knocked out 20 of his last 26 opponents. He is two-fsted hitter and a pretty hood boxer. He put the old Queensberry nap on good men like Cuddy De Marco, Paul De Hate, Speedy Sparks and Johnny Preston, He was trained to almost skin and bones for his match with Mushy Callahan, yet managed to floor Callahan twice.
 Fred Winsor, who does the talk ing and listening for the Dummy, thinks the Kid will overcome the de- feat by the Akron Gorilla.
 "The Dummy isn't like an ordi- nary fighter who becomes worn out hearing a lot of buzzing and who talks himself 10 sleep. The old razz- berry that the fans sometimes throw at a good fighter doesn't bother the kid. He cant hear it.
 Not So Dumb as He Looks
 Winsor's vocabulary in the sign language is limited but he manages to give the Dummy all the advice he needs from the corner. The boxing commission had banned Dummy since he couldn't hear or talk. Nin- sor took Mahan before the11 and proved the kid was more intelligent than so per cent of the fighters who have their five senses. When a man is deprived of one or two Of hls senses, the remaining ones often be- come more highly developed. This istrue of the Dummy. He has eX- tremely keen eyesight. His sense of touch is abnormal. He hears through vibrations. His strength for his size is tremendous.
 Mahan fell off a high chair when he was a baby and the shock made him deaf He was unable to hear and develop his voice.
 All of the Dummys brothers and sisters are normal The family comes from Tombstone, Arizona Dummy started in the ring game early. fighting around the bootleg amateur clubs of Los Angeles. Here Winsor discovered him. Wlnsor al one time managed Jack Dempsey He thinks the Dummy is his best be- since he lost Jack.
 Baseball fans of decade or SC ago will never forget the star mute nitcher. Dummy Taylor, who work ed several years in the Natlona league. his best years being with tht New York Giants. Taylor was eccen tric. He had a keen sense of humo and many tales are told of his es capades.
 Dummy Taylor, although h couldn't hear or talk was an nm pire batter. He rode the daylight out of the arbitrators with his lght ming sign language. It got so pa' that Bill Klem, the veteran umpire learned the mitt lingo in selt-de fense. Then when the Dummy start cd in on him, Klem would com right back and it usually ended ul with Taylor leaving the park.
 Once in a game with Philadelphia TavIor was coaching for the Giants It had been raining steadily 10 three or four innings, and althougi the athletes were all for calling 1t day the umpire in charge bade tn game go on.
 Finally when the Giants took thel turn at bat, Taylor emerged fror the dugout on his way to the th1r base coaching box. He was wearln an immense pair of hip boots. Tn Dummy's waterproof footgear caus ed riot among the fans. It als caused the umpires to call the game