Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-09-06
Ring Champs
Who Never Pulled
0nA6|Ove

\X/ hearted bartender named Jack Burke recently
w Plainfield, Jersey, deception uncovered
which illustrates the almost unbelievable creduy Of the
human
1t all goes back to April g. 1893 in New Orleans where
Andy Bowen and Jack Burke fought 110ro,nd bout that
lasted minutes Never before since
have two opponents fighting under the code of the Marquis
for long 1t of the famous fights of all time.
Some years after this, there came to Plainfied
to work mixologst in of the local tsvens chap
named Jack Burke He ha-feows,xell-met who
all when the subject Of boxing being
discussed Then he let the cat out Of the bag He
told someone he was the Jack Burke who had fought Andy
Bowen New Orleans back in the Dos From that day
on Jack was pointed out proudly to visiting firemen.
Then day Burke died and his secret out when
New York sports writer's consulted their records.
To their amazement, they found that a Jack Burke
who died in Mt Carmel Pa, on May is, 1889 had also
claimed he the Burke who fought Bowen in New
Orleans back in 93 Further investigation revealed that
Planfield Jack Burke whose age given SO when
he died would been only IA years old at the time
Panfied friends of Jack Burke the bartender became
ncensed at the New York sports writer's who printed these
They refused to believe that Jack Burke
would deceive them Then came most astounding turn
checup Of the vital statistics of the Mount Carmel
Jack Burke proved that he couldn't have been the
either.
He was born in Mount Carmel and neither in age
appearance tally with the Burke who fought Bowen
until both dropped Brittle yellow newspaper clippings dug
up the musy archives of newspaper morgue yielded the
startling information that Jack Burke who fought Andy
Bowen in 1898, had died in Bellevue Hospital, New York.
1919
Everything about the latest Burke checked up. His
obituary notice told that he and his wife had travelled in
vaudeville after the New Orleans fight and that
he had always billed himself "one of the principals in
the longest glove fight held" Vaudeville associates
of this Burke completed the identification.
The Burke is not unusual There have been
of other instances Of ring champs" who have
donned the leather gloves
Within fortnight after the Burke had been aired
the sports pages, story came out OF Boston
announcing the death of Frank p slavin famous in the
boxing ring Of John l.. Sullivans 1.-The Sydney
Cornstalk"
The only serious flaw in the story was that P
G1aNir the Gt;ipa in
october IL 1929 the presence Of wife and children
The whose double life ended in Boston this had
been taking bows for the real Slavin for years
One of the most brazen of mpersonaton
record is that which sent Harlem Tommy Murphy down
to the Panama Canal Zone eight years ago to chase
bogus Harlem Tommy Murphy into oblivion.
Oddly enough, this spurious celebrity also bar
tender. Tommy Marlowe his name he said, but he
fought many years name Of Harlem Tommy
Murphy. rival Colon bartender. a New Yorker named
Mike Flaherty spotted Marowe phony-knowing that
the real Harlem Tommy engaged at the time boxing
instructor atethe Brooklyn Lodge Of the Eks
F1aherty fed up with Marowes four-flushing
Dragging cabled the real Murphy told to
on down to Panama, all expenses paid to show up the
aker Then Fahery gave the story To the papersthat
Murphy his way When that venerable old champ
finally reached Panama, Marlowe disappeared,
A comical Of impersonation that which
plagued Kid Broad the suffering
Wall Street pensioner The Kid favorite in New
York rings the the century Attempting to cash
in Breads reputation inferior bater
tered adopted the Of The Original Kid Broad"
Finally day Kid Broad caught up with the Original
Kid Broad in the Metropole Hotel
"S-s-s-ssoo y-y-y-youre the o-o-o-original K-kid
Bb-bbroad Ell? sneered the original Kid Broad
"Y-y-y-yeah, hth-th-thats m-m-m-me!" said the
phony Original Kid Broad, ready shake on it,
Kid Broad, by this time purple with rage knocked
down the proffered hand and threw haymaker that
hattened his thrd-rate rival like a steam roller,
What did you hit the poor sap demanded his
manager After all he's just trying % make living
using your name"
h-th-th-that's n-n-n-not wh-whvhy b-b-b-beed
the bbbboke" said Kid 1T f-f-f-for m-m-nl-main
fff-fuu Of the w-w-w-wsy t-t-t-taIkedm