The Washington times., 1930-06-11
(continusd From Pass y

Win A1B63mWm Om tM8b CGW
tember night In 1925 when he
blew his title 70 Gene Tunney.
''He administered it himself.
Laudanum contains q high
percentage Of OpiEn.
"And that explains Demp-
sey's 'dOpey' appearance In bis
corner while awaiting the bell
and is basic explanation for
his wOeful showing during the
entire 10 rounds Of milling.
"Jack never would make pub
Lie admission Of the laudanum
thing for the simple reason
that it sounded like an alibi,
and Jack has always been
against that" went on Menke.
I'T am not trying to offer
the Iaudanum incident rs an
excuse for Dempsey's defeat,
for his condition during train
ing camp days at Atlantic City
was such that he might have
tossed off the title anyway.
But the dosing with laudanum
killed off every chance he
might have had.
''NO fighter in training Tor
an IMPORTANT battle ever was
harassed as was Dempsey in
1926. Jack Kearns was bonn
harding him with suits, writs
and other legal processes. Serv-
ers were lurking in every aEn-
bush and Dempsey had to toss
y double guard around his cot
tage TO secure some protection.
UpOn one occasion he had to
hide i'm q swamp to avoid be-
ing served with new papers,
and on the Saturday before the
fight an effort was made to
slap him in Jail over Sunday
in default Of bond.
Everything that could make
q man nervous and upset him
was done by Kear1s, or the
battery Of legal counsel hired
by KearnS, and all of this did
irreparable damage to Demp-
sey'S nervous system.
"ThiS nervousness brought
about q natural and to be ex-
pected cOnditiOn-an intestinal
disorder. He slept but little,
owing to the annoyance Of this
disorder, and worried constantly.
"On fight day there was NO
real improvement. He passed
up q chance to call q doctor,
remembering that somewhere
he has laudanum in his kit
and that Iaudanum was some
thing which would check his
particular ailment.
Dempsey wasn't highly
schOOled in chemistry, medicine
or pharmacy. He didn't know
that laudanum contained the
deadening 10 per cent of opium.
All he knew. was that q small
dose Of It had aided him in
similar predicamentS.
"Just before leaving Atlantic
City ON fight night he got out
the bottle. Instead Of taking
one dose, he took three, want
ing to make sure that the cure
would be effective. No one in
camp knew he had done this.
always q Secretive fellow,
so far as discussing his trials
and tribulatiOnS were con-
Cerned, Dempsey said very lit
tie to his camp attaches about
the ailment, and nothing at all
about the laudanum.
"That is why all Of the camp
personnel was puzzled as to
what had happened to Jack be-
tween the time he left Atlantic
City and his arrival in Phila-
delphia.
Dempsey was drOwsy when
he got to Philadelphia. He
finally fell asleep. Time came
to awaken him up to make
ready for the fight, but he was
aroused only with difficulty.
The boys studied him, decided
that something was radically
wrong, and decided to jolt him
out of his lethargy by taking
him for an Open-air automobile
ride in Philadelphia. They or
dered the chauffeur to take
the bumpiest roads he could
find around Philadelphia
Johnny BrOderick, the New
York detective, who was Jacks
bOdyguard, was with him on
the ride. When Dempsey got
to his dressing room he had
improved but little. Remy DOrr,
who was timekeeper for Jack,
declared that Jack looked all
asleep Jack sat around the
dressing room, talking but lit
tie, paying little attention to
anybody or anything, and with
his eyes closed most Of the
time.
'sDOrr, who escorted Jack to
the ring said afterward:
"T knew something was
wrong with Jack as soon as he
got into the room. Afterward,
when I walked alongside Of him
to the ring, h2 stumbled q few
times-had difficulty lifting his
feet over the roughly laid wood
walks leading to the arena.
asked him what was wrong?
and he just grinned and would
say, nothing, nothing"
AS everyone recalls, who saw
the fight, Dempsey climbed
through the ropes in languid
fashion, slid into his chair, and
remaining there, duh and slumped.
He showed no interest in the pro-
ceedings and was a lifelesS glad
iator in comparison with the rest
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