The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-07-12
CurIey's Magic
NneW No
Limits
BY FRANK BUCK" oNEILL

mad tempo TO pay lCS peculiar
tribute to q man who turned
Broadway into the Avenue Of
Caliphs, an avenue where he
forced to happen things that out
did the truth Of that strange thor
oughfare.
Jack Curley musingly looked out
Of his office window one night at
the blinking lights Of the street
he called his own and said that
sucker money kept the power
company rich"
He did not say that sucker
money kept Jack Curley in better
than-moderate circumstances. But
he was q peculiar sort Of chap.
He was as friendly to the broken
down sports of the stem" as he
was to the more affluent. He never
said mo" to a touch, even when
the accompanying story was most
improbable.
If Jack Curley's heirs could
collect all the II. o. us" that
line the safe in his office, his
estate probably would be en-
riched by $4,000. Curley made
and lost half a dozen fortunes
in the field Of sports promotion.
Colorful and imaginative, he
would try anything once, and If
he lost, he gritted his teeth and
silently turned to something else
with which to recoup his
fortunes.
Managed Carpenter
The world was his field. Few
will recall that he directed Hon.
william Jennings Bryan on q
speaking tour; that he managed
Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst, the
British suffrage leader. He
handled Georges Carpenter, and
scored an artistic and financial
triumph in his promotion Of
Rudolph Valentines dancing
tour of the nation.
It was Curley who promoted the
heavyweight championship fight
in Havana in April Of 1915, IN
which Willard won by what laugh.
ingly was called q knockout in the
twenty-sixth round. johnson has
repeatedly said that the fight was
bought and paid for. Photo
graphic evidence suStains JohnSon'S
claims, for as he lay on his back
taking the count, he shielded his
eyes with his gloves. Well, it was
hot in Havana that day; every
one admitted the fact.
Curley was associated with some
Of the promotions Of James j
Jeffries when the "boilermaker"
was prominent in fiStic affairs.
Lived in Excitement
He lived some of his most excit'
ing hours with Georges Carpen'
tier, the French pugilist, who was
matched with Jack Dempsey to
fight for the heavyweight cham
pionship of the world.
Carpenter lived at Curley's
Great Neck estate, and was there
during the visit of the former
Prince of Wales to this country
It happend that Carpenter and
the former Prince, now Duke OF
Windsor, were friends in Europe
They met, the prince and the
fighter, and made the rounds OF
the better spots. There came that
hour when the only thing to do
was to go home, and this. most
reluctantly, they agreed to do.
Carpenter brought his royal
friend to the home Of Curley, and
they went to sleep. Came the
true dawn, and Curley went into
Carpenters room.
"Jack, meet the Prince" said
Carpenter.
OFFERED HOSPITALITIES
Always gallant, Jack offered the
hospitality of the home to the
noble Briton, and out Of that
chance meeting developed q sin
cere friendship.
While Jack Curley held with
Monte Cristo, that the world was
his to promote to his own ends
the wrestling realm attracted him
He was prominent in the promo
ton Of the Frank Gotch-G Georges
Hackenschmidt bout in Chicago
long ago.
Under his direction the wrestling
game as it was known to YOU
daddy, was changed completely
Not even Milo would have recog
nized the classic sport he made
famous. The groans and gruntl
Of the modern grapplerS are al
most terrifying, unless you really
know that they mean nothing
From tortoise like hauling anc
mauling behemoths Of the mat
the modern grappler Is as agile a:
the man on the flying trapeeze.
Matched Collegians
Wrestling is a show, and to b'
treated as such. 1t was not 81
long ago that Curley matched two
college boys who carried theil
grudge from the campus to the
ring. 1t was what they call 9
shooting match, and while the
gallery groaned and hooted the
straining youths, Curley busilJ
apologized to the newspaper mer
covering the show. saying: This
bout is terrible; it's honest"
Summarizing Curley's contribu
lions to the sports world, we fine
more to praise than to condemn
He was honest with his friends
and liberal to them. He was loyal
and when you've said that about
a guy who lived on the broad high