Evening star., 1932-08-25
SESENTS STATUS
! AS 'GOOFY PATIENT
Big Words Describing His ALL
; ment Nettle Grand Old
Fighter of go.
BY WALTER TRUMBULL.

i down on q Deu III DcAlC
vue Hospital here; but he
says he'll get up again, just as
he always did.
In the so rounds of one year
each that Joe has fought in this
ring called life, there have been
times when fate has given him a
shellacking, but Joe always has
fought back and he thinks he
still has a punch left.
Things haven't been breaking so well;
but that's all right. Just because he
happened to feel bit dizzy and fell in
the street. they took him away from his
home in the unlighted, unheated, Fifty
ninth street cellar and put him in
hospital That's all right, too. Prob
ably they meant well.
DUT, Joe thinks, they shouldn't have
ID put him in that dingy, dour looking
building with its court balconies
and fire escapes which has sign above
its entrance reading, "Phychopathtlc
Ward" No. he thinks they shouldn't
have done that.
1t was all right to make out card
reading "arteriosclerosis." Maybe
fellc arteries harden a little at 60
ant heart isn't so good But he
thir.. they shouldn't have written
''senne psychosis." Those are not words
Joe has been in the habit of using, but
he has gathered their general import
and he reSentS it. 1t is Joe's viewpoint
that no one should ambulance man
away from his home and stick him in
with the nuts" There is nothing, he
maintains, wrong with his mind.
And his old manager, Tom O'Rourke,
agrees with him. Il talked with Joe
Just a few days ago" says O'Rourke,
a fighter that boy was! They all class
him as a welterweight, but I know bet
ter At his best he weighed 1876 POI IDS
He was a lightweight, one OF the est
who ever lived. He fought them 6. all
weights and licked most Of them.
SIT REMEMBER" continued O'Rourke,
/ 1.-THE first time saw Walcott.
had George Dixon. Little Choco-
late, in a show After the vaudeville
George would take on all corners up TO
lightweights He fought at 112.
We'll, George lived in Boston and
used to 20 home over the week ends,
as we were playing on the Bowery. One
week he came back and told me about
a boy who was boxing in the amateurs.
Dixon said that he had come up as
cook on a schooner from the Barbados
and that he was good. He wanted me
to 90 up and lock at him. George was
a great judge of boxers, so I went up
Thursday night to Boston for the
finals. 1,
'That," declared O'Rourke. was the
first time ever saw Joe Walcott.
rhon 70 MI nj
knocked out three opponents and won
the lightweight title. Then he went
into the finals of the wrestling. threw
three opponents, and won that title.
Well. the crowd and Joe both were
having good time, so the management
put him on in an exhibition with Jack
Kelly who had won the amateur mid
dleweight championship. They gave
him a draw in that bout, but the
newspapers said he had won.
i J. O'Rourke, mo, he looked real
promising; so I came home to
New York and told George to go up
and bring his friend back with him.
George did I already had ring star.
so I put Walcott to wrestling. There
wasn't any wrestling mat and the
boards Of the stage were rough. Joe
didn't mind his elbows and knees so
much, but when he got his nose
skinned, he came to me and said he'd
rather box. So after that, let him
60 on before Dixon did"
Tom O'Rourke leaned back in his
chair and smiled. He was thinking of
the days when he managed two of the
ever drew on glove. 1t was a pleas
ant memory Of the days when he. too,
was young. Both Dixon and Walcott
were fighting volunteers. who were to
receive $50 each any time they stayed
three rounds. That offer never cost
O'Rourke any money.
"One day, after a matinee, Walcott
came to me-" O'Rouke said. "and asked.
MIR. Rourke' Che always called me that
could I get the evenin' OFF, When
wanted to know why, he said there was
a man named Jack McAuliffe who was
offering $500 to any one he couldn\
knock out in three rounds and he
would like to try for that money.
Well" declared O'Rourke, lit hap
pened Jack was my friend I told
Walcott that If he didn't come back
for the evening performance. would
throw him out OF the show. Finally
I talked him out of his idea. Later
McAuliffe, who was then about
through, came over and looked at him.
Tom he said, I'd have lasted about
half a round"
OROURKE went on to say that Jack
~ had fought a very tough fellow
named Gibbons, from Paterson, N
j.. in Hoboken and was not displeased
when the police interfered, after about
80 rounds. and Jerry Dunn, the ref
cree StODDtd the battle Gibbons
wanted a return match, but McAuliffe
now was promoting at Coney Islard
with Judge Tghe He asked whether
Walcntt could lick Gibbons O,Rnurke