Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-02-02
Why 'YusseI the Muscle Died Broke

OIlen 1lHu SldCh VI Hl'iiiOS
awaiting him, which bore such
messages as: No. 3 called and
wants 10 know why you stood
her up on that dinner date last
night: No. 6 was in and l told
her you were out of town"
mo 2 phoned. Think it was a
touch: No Z on the warpath.
| gave her a stall"
Even when Yussel appeared in
public with his women he avoided
calling them by name, which
added to the confusion. If he
happened to be in gallant
mood, he would attend to the
social amenities by slapping his
babe" on the back and saying:
Boys. | want youse to meet the
little woman"
More often than not, though,
he would discharge his debt TO
Emily Post with a blunt: Meet
the broad. boys" without so
much as taking the cigar out of
his mouth.
Jacobs masterpiece was his
last job He took Tony Galento
hundred dollar preliminary
fighter, and in tWo years got
him a fight with Joe Louis for
the worlds championship, in
which Tony came within an eye
lash Of scoring the biggest up
set in ring history.
Jacobs last instructions TO the
Jersey barkeeper as he sent him
out TO meet the champion on that
warm June night in 1889 were:
Keep your head up and
carry you out of the ring. Keep
your head down and we carry
the title out of the ring"
In the first round Tony obeyed
orders. crouching low and offer
ing only the thinning locks OF
the top of his head as a target
Louis, baffled by this style Of
fighting, could do nothing with
Tony The barkeeper. always
hard man to handle. came back
10 his corner Boosting Why
he's a big bum, III moider him"
Galento tried to slug il out
with Joe in the second. with the
result that ne offered his chin
as a target and was hit with
couple Of rights that almost fin
ished him Coming back to his
corner. chastened he listened
while Jacobs warned him again
TO keep his head down.
In the third, obcying instruc-
tions. Tony landed a left hook
flush on Joe's chin and dropped
him Dumbfounded by what he
had done. Galento let the cham
pion recover before resunIing the
attack. and thus blew his chance
TO win the title.
In the fourth. he felt so con
fident after having put Louis on
the mat that he threw caution TO
the wind again and was beaten
senseless in an attack of concen-
trated fury that reduced him to
a bleeding. beaten hulk in less
than a minute
Svengali Jacobs. the man who
couldn't fight a lick himself but
could tell others how to do II
had his masterpiece ruined be
cause his fat Trilby wouldn't
obey orders.
Yusse's habit of trying to
crowd As hours of fun into every
- hours. with no time out for
sleep led 10 his untimely death
last April at the age of a.
often Jacobs would go y
hours IT stretch without
grabbing a hunk of shut-eYe."
. Finally. when utterly exhausted.
he'd hop off the merry-go-round
and snatch two or three hours
of troubled sleep, seated in a
chair in his Broadway cubbyhole
Then somewhat refreshed and
smartened up with a shave. a
clean shirt and a fresh stogie,
Yussel the Muscle would be back
in Lindy's again. holding court
for his retinue, picking up checks
and dispensing largcsse.
Then one night the old ticker
gave out, and he died in a taxi
on the way to a doctors office.
I've seen many Broadway
characters burn the candle at
both ends" says Dumb Dan
Morgan. But Joe was the first
guy who burned it in the middle.
too. His epitaph should be: L