The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1931-05-01

North Dakota-at last-has pro-
duced some good fighters In Billy Pc
trolle and Charley Retzlaff," re-
marked a salesman, addressing q
group in the hotel lobby.
"What-d'ye-mean-at last?" queried
the Old Timer, who was centrally To-
Gated in a comfortable rocker. Don't
you know, young Teller, that North
Dakota always had good fightin'
men? We couldn't have any other
sort-it's our kind o. people, soil and
climate that breeds 'em.
Some O. you younger men prob1y
never heard of Billy Rhode, OF the
Terrible Swede," or Billy Frost, who
began fightin' 80 years ago, or Luther
Luck) Mccarthy, who started up Is
years later and was on his way to the
top In the heavyweight division when
he was killed in the ring. All except
Mccarthy started out as lightweights.
Pioneers Liked Fighting
Them boys fought nor for the
love o. fightin' than for money, and
If you don't believe they had class,
even If they didn't have the ballyhoo,
there's a way O. checkin up on 'em.
For instance, the fightin' Norwegian
who was called a Swede met Rudolph
Hinze, the Montana terror, and fought
him a 20-round draw. just after Hinze
had fought a furious 15-round draw
With Stanley Ketchell. when that
man-killer was out west barn
stormin'.
"They were still goin' the long route
in them days and gettin' durn little
money for it. Eddie Gardner, a
brother of the famous Oscar Gardner.
was one of the best lightweights IN
the west at the time, and the "Swede"
held him down to a 15-round draw.
Rhode grew into a rangy welter-
weight Of the Fitzsimmons kind. He
fought some good men and was never
knocked out.
Battles Wolcott
Remember George Wolcott, the
colored giant-killer? Well, Rhode
was matched to fight him 15-rounds
/, in the southwest some'er. Everybody
| thought it was an easy set-up for
Wolcott, but Billy fought him to q
standstill and got a draw. Billy got
such a bad beatin' in that fight that
he was always a bit queer in the head
afterwards.
Billy Rhode was a mystery to
| everybody. and even the few facts
| about his life that I got hold or
makes him look like n O them
| characters out of the Arabian Nights.
| He was a gentleman and q boxcar
tramp by turns, and came close to
bein' a highway robber."
BILLY had been dom some fightin'
as a kid, and one fall he blew into
Mayyille lookin' for a match. They
was nothin' stirrin' and he had to 60
out to the jungles to eat. Out there
he got in with a couple O tough eggs
who had planned to hold up a farmer
that was haulin' a lot o wheat to
town. They got the young pug to
join EN-. -,
THAT night the three of 'em laid
for the farmer about q mile from
town, but when they tried to stop
him, he whipped up his horses, pulled
a six-shooter and began to blaze away.
The two tough ones vamoosed and
left young Billy lying on the road Tor
dead. He was picked up and brought
to town in about an hour or so. and
the doctor called.
Shot Through Lung
THE kid had been shot through
the right lung, and there wasn't
much hope for him; but the doctor
was q good old soul, SO he tackled the
case at his own expense and pulled
him through. After that Billy staid
on as the doctors man-of-all-Work,
and naturally he was terribly fond o
the doctor, who had saved his life:
He managed to do q little fightin' OH
and on, and always won.