The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-06-18

The fears of Mrs Nora Baer seemed well grounded. For the kids In Durango, Colo, delighted In chasing Maxle homo from school. None Of them ever licked him. They couldn't catch him.
 To-day Maxie Baer, who wds born in Omaha, Neb, on February Il, 1909, is 2b years old. He ig heavywelght champion of ali the world. And In Durango, Colo, there arc no doubt young men running hardware stores, barber shops. oP engaged in other prosaic profes. sions, who muttor prayers of thanksgiving that they couldn't catch up with Mrs Baer's fraidy. cat offspring.
 By . gradual evolution, the peaceful young Baer became the killer of tho ring - the snarling, tor who gave 64 pounds to Primo champion before 5b.000 fans in Madison Squ0ro Garden Bowl, last Thursday night.
 Tho sissy school kid became prize fighter, movie actor, crooner and lover. Ho made hundreds of thousands of dollars and spent them. Ho became q potent figure In the world of sport--and an enigma to his family, his packers, his pub- iic and evon to himself. Baer, the fighter, took from on tho hog. ranch of his fathcr, Jacob Baer, in Livs ermoro, Calf, to which town the family moved from Colorado when Max was 10 years old. He finished grado school and was enrolled as . Freshman in high school. Max couldn't stand the school room: The only thing papa Jacob could do was Co put Max to work on the hog ranch.
 Baer was living in Lvermore when no had his first fist fight. He was 20 years old. It was outside q dance hall and q bottle of wine was tho cause. A youth accused Max of stealing n bottle of wine from hi gautomoblle. Whether Maxlo wns guilty or innocent hardly mat. tcrs. Wha is important is that the wine ownor struck Baor in the face, then lungod at him and they both wont d0wr--aB Max ana Primo wnnt down together in the soeond round tho other night.
 Max ngkod hIs opponent to get up and fight fair. Tho good night- owl eitiSons of Livermore formed Q ring and saw sb00,000 worth of reni fight for nothing.
 Witnesses say Maxie laughed his crazy laugh and swung his Wild right fist. The who oWner had tho misfortune Co top tho blow with hlB chin. Ho was out cold for q long time and from that moment Max Baor was fearless and, In his opin. ion, tho best fghtor in tho world. He decided At once to become prizo fighter.
 Young Baor sot up sandbag in his yard and punched it. His mother, who always wanted him to fight, encouraged him. Jacob Baer did not want his son to battle, but finally was won over. Ho staked Max to S200 for boxing t0gs and G course in Jimmy Duffy's gymna. sium in oakland.
 "You might as woll learn to do jt right, if you nro going to do it nt aii," said crafty Jacob Baer, who ig of German, French and Jewish extraction.
 Met An Indian
 Max must have learned to "do it right" although ring exports. say no is very un0rthodox and violates nil tho rulos in the book. At any rate, on Juno 10, 1929. an obscure Indian named Chief Caribou had tho honor of testing for tho first time in public battle tho technique of tho future champion.
 Tner and Caribou wore signed for four rounds in Stockton, Calf. Maxio was typicnl in this fight. He danced up and down in his dress' Ing room and yelled through tho thin walls to tho amazed Caribou ---toillng tho poor Indian all Of tho terrible things that soon would hnppan Co him. The Chlof was down and throe limos In tho sec: ond. Tho third timo he stayed down.