New Britain herald., 1930-01-21
ONCE GREAT BOXER
 NOW BATTLES DUST
Old Joe Walcott Happy Despite
 His Fallen Estate

(Notc:-As a partial answer to the question-What are the con spicuous figures in sports of other days doing noH--thc Associated Press presents herewith the seconl of a series, on Joe Walcott one ol the few championship survivors O. boXing's mauve dcCadc.)
 New York, Jan. @1 P}-MadisoI Square Garden is a dim, cool place in the afternoon, full of shadows that blot the outlines Of the battle ring and fuse the endless rows O empty seats into banks of dusG. Footsteps echo loudly, folks usually talk in whispers in the amphthc ater that by night blazes with light and rocks to the roars of fight frcn- zied muttudcs.
 There are dim figures too, in the corridors, mostly twisted old fellows with mop5 and pails Of suds, wash ing floors for q mcaGrc hourly wage. There are others dustinS the walls, Wiping the glasses in huge pictures that show the Iikcnesscs of the latr Tex Eickard, John l.. Sullivan, Dempsey, Fitzsimmons, Corbctt Jack Johnson, Joe Cans and hosts of almost forgotten warriors of the ring.
 One Happy Chairman
 Only one of the ch4rmcn hunts to himself, whistles occasionally, chuckles at his work. He's a short, chunky, happy negro with arms that stretch down to his knees His shoes are almost without form, his trous- CTS baggy, misshapcn. < gray chcckered coat sweater, fitting his arms all right, stretches down to his knees in incongruous fashion. Diligently he wipes pictures and woodwork with dirty cloth. A shapclcss cap on the back of his black hairless head, a grin on his wide, fiat features.
 Yet this happy, harmless negro, 5S years old and glad of the chance to work at menial tasks, is Joe Wal colt, the Barbadoes demon, perhaps the greatest fighter that ever lived. He once weighted 129 pounds for an epic battle with Kid Lavigne and as the Welterwcight champion of D years ago he never scaled over l42 pounds. But he knocked out great fighters in five classeS-lightweig NcltcrWcisht, middlewcight, Iight h19l-NyTpicrbt and h.1,-,,r,,irrbt I most amazing victory was d seven round knockout of Joe Choynski, Il crack heavyweight, when Walcotc weighed 40.
 Today he polishes the pictures of men who quailcd before him dec adcs ago, ring heroes now dead, whose shades might trcmble d bit even now at the touch of Walcott's $ hands, now harmless He fought when a lifctime's earnings in the ring did not equal the purses paid ordinary lighters today for q single bout
 Di1dains Modern Fighters
 Furthermore, he doesn't think that the entire crop of fighters in the smaller classes today could have furnished George Lavigne, the Sagi- nav kid, with an interesting nights work. Joe has a tremendous respect for Lavigne, as well as Tommy West who had q disconccrtng habit Of biting chunks from his scalp III the bloody battles they fought dcc- ades ago.
 The old timers, Joe says, were tougher, stronger, were just as gooL boxers, and took the game more seriously than do the gladiators O. the present era. To his mind, the easiest men to bring down were thu. biz fellows, despite his own scanl five feet of height.
 Liked Big Boys"
 An liked tc play with them bis boys,' Joe grinned as he swabbcd away at the woodwork. "Ah just punched away at their dummies till they'd begin to bend. Then fus; thing you know their jaws is down whey thcr dummies was and then it's easy"
 Joe amblcd off down a corridos past q picture of Tex Rickard, pas the llkcncases Of heroes of his times, and dabbcd at a painting 0, Ruby Rob litzsimmons.
 'Ah ain't got no kick" he said Ans alive and thcys dead. Ah'rl SctJin plenty good pork chops. too.
 thucklcs ripplcd out. behind him.