The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1938-05-21
Gives Vivid Closeup
Of Human Torpedo

HHNS'
jim 1uly. writing in the
Apiil , issue of Liberty Mapazine.
iays tribute u the proves IL
Henry Armstrong In keeping Niih
iietier's advertisements featuring
outstanding Negroes the article $
reprinted by courtesy of Liber.y
Magazine as follows:
JACK JOHNSON has called hin.
The greatest fighter in the past
thirty years For once. the conquer
or Of Jeffdies Is TOO conservative.
Far greater than Jack Johnson or
Joe Louis, he will take rank with
the few great bruisers of all time.
Unable to find comparisons. sports
writer's have enormously termed
him the black McGovern. AS tor
ribie and devastating punche''. he
Is Terry McGoyern'S superior In
that in the Widest Hurry OF leath
er he Is cO,l and calculating. Nc
Govern smashed blindly, with
maniac force. A Iaunt. -ibald ges-
ture would make him go loco Did
not Young corbett tell him ,it
couldn't lick postage stamp. and
make scathing remarks about his
sister, and then batter the infur!
ated Irishman 10 the floor? With
Henry Armstrong he may as Wei
have talked in planet language
When the gong sounds JUS
start lighting
He -eally doesn't start. He GAIA,
pults with relentless fusillade VI
gloves. Wave upon wave OF Leather
in very Atlantic Of punches. the;
surge from all directions When i
seems they can mount no higher
they roll in with greater fury
Like Jack Dempsey and 10.
Louis. Armstrong is part Che-oke'
Indian one Of fourteen children
he was bora the baby of the fami
IS" in ST. Louis, and is high
school graduate.
There Is about him a childiik'
sentences. The springy step OF on,
with boundless energy, he is 5,
urbane and polite that a clubwo
man might slap him. But, once il
the ring the dark torpedo IS "a
the way.
His shoulders are wide as Gene
Tunneys, his waist slender as /;
young girls. He has large hea,
and sad eyes. His jaws are sharI
and strong. He is intelligent ans
understanding.
The tale of Henry Armstron.
could not be told without his bro
Their Harry. One has to go to lif
for such yarn.
Harry is Henry's trainer. n
went TO college for year. wher'
he won an amateur boxing cham
pionship and decided to be a pug
Hist He wanted to become wit
er.
Being a paid bruiser might
eventually give him the leisure &
write He was another palooka'
for several years. II knew how
everything was done in the ring
but | couldn't do IT," After a par
ticularly bad beating he decided D.
could never become writer II b.
became punch-drunk.
One day, Just for pastime," Il,
put on the gloves with Henry
His young bronze brother slid II
and out OF his range until an ide'
came. Why not train Henry TO b.
fighter? Then he could still
write.
For year he trained Henry a
the Pine Street Y. NJ. G.. A. Al
mixed matches were not allowed il
Missouri. Harry decided 10 TAX
I Henry 10 Pittsburgh. They drove L
that city in an old car. and got |
couple OF fights but no money, an,
ratified back TO ST. Louis before tn
car collapsed.
Henry wanted to go to college
and study medicine. Fidel La Bar
bo, a ring champion, was going Il
Stanford He might do the same
With that object In view. Harr,
persuaded Henry to hobo with mn
to California. As a palooka fighter
Harry knew something of the road
Henry didn't. and cared less.
we did a little panhandling.
he said. 1--WE ware always wilkins
to work for food or money II W.
could get it,
The dark young adventures whS
were later to go down the COLDER
road TO far places reached Lo;
Angeles hungry and tired after two
weeks OF tramping. For severn
days they lived on fruit that
stole from stand" Harry admits
A man named Thomas Cox final
ly got Henry fights In small anna