Detroit evening times., 1942-05-23
Death Recalls
Great Fights
By Wggins
He Was q True Sport.
PeeIer's Compliment
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER

BY wESTBROOK PEGLER
7 Asst Saturday night Chuck
- Virgins was found in the
street in, indianapolis and few
hours later one of the bravest
prize fighters Of the era of won
derful nonsense died of a frac-
tured skull.
Chuck was a white Battling
Sikh, hilarious, ribald and regard
less and, like Sikh. a true sports
man, and 1t fell to their lot that
after a few hours In the spot
light and a little fun. both of
them vanished into the past and
died in the gutter.
Virgins belonged to that inno-
cent age when a mere fist fight
between two athletes under gen.
teel rules and solemn govern
ment supervision more nearly
filled the eye of the nation and
required more type to tell of
than q battle does on sea and
land today In which hundreds of
American boys are killed.
Reference to the files will
show that either of the Tunney-
Dempsey demonstrations aroused
more interest then than the loss
Of the Houston and the Jacob
Jones together, but I have no
point to make and so will aban-
don this abdominal tone and say
that those were any way happier
days in a better world, and that
the old chuckler scattered many
laugh as me went his merry
way.
WIGCINS was only a light
w weight and his punch was
nothing much and yet this man
so ill-equipped to hurt another
fought Tunney, Greb and Glib
bons and kept them busy and,
after his first fight with Greb.
joined that human sausage ma
chine In protest against meddle-
some interference by a fastidious
referee and in a demand for a
return match, free-style so that
they could really express them
selves.
They were matched back soon
afterward on condition that the
referee mind his own business.
which, In their view, was only
to count the knockdowns and
call the coroner, but not to scold
and pester honest men and. thus
relieved Of molestation, waged
brawl which. in point OF
savagery. was the gayest of
their lives.
They were warm friends and
fought pretty much alike and
the high point of the return
bout to Virgins. was the mo-
ment when Greb clamped his
teeth on his cauliflowered nose
and tried to pull him around
that way and Virgins knocked
him loose with his knee.
WIGGINS admired Greb and
w Tunney but had no respect
for Gibbons for a reason which
will presently make apparent.
Tunney recalls that In one
fight with Chuck he was prac-
ticing a body punch close to the
foul line and twice sent his fist
in low without comment from
the Chuckler. who might have
claimed the verdict.
A third time Gene hit Virgins
low and very hard and more
than half expected TO be run
out OF town.
But Chuck only stepped back
and. with an earnest appeal to
reason in his swollen eyes, ex-
claimed:
"No kidding. now Gene, that
one was honest to- God low"
One night the Chuckler told
why one should never trust an
honest man.
He was matched with Tommy
Gibbons in New Orleans but
broke a rib fighting a friend in
Memphis on the way and so ap-
pealed to Gibbons TO spare his
injured side. as a knockout
would impair his standing but
couldn't add much to Tommy's.
Mr.. Gibbons expressed solici-
tude and inquired which side
the sore rib was on and the
chuckler. in a flash of suspicion.
told him the left side, which was
a willful falsehood on his soul.
For two round ds then, the
model Christian gentleman
poked him on his port-side ribs
and Chuck each time was slow
to vince which delayed reaction
prompted Tom to mutter with
moralistic scorn. Virgins, you
have deceived me-"
Tommy whanged him on the
right side and the. pain put Wig
gins down.
"Never trust an honest man."
he said. "They are strictly no
good"
7 EAVING town alone past mid
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