The Wilmington morning star., 1946-05-17
Fair Enough
By PEGLER
Copyright, 1916, by
King Features Syndicate, Inc.)

LOUISVILLE some 10 years ago, or more. AHese
night-before-Derby contests often were brazen
mockeries in which champions of the various
divisions would engage to meet harmless
journeymen or trusted friends with the distinct
understanding that no bodily harm be done
that couldn't be repaired by a dab of collodion
or a patch of plaster, thus the champion and
his party would receive transportation to the
Kentucky Derby, quarters, expenses and a few
thousand dollars for betting purposes and his
opponent and the promoter would prosper
in proportion.
The fight that Mr.. Graham had in mind was
one between Mickey Walker, who then was
m~iddleWeight champion OF the world. and a
strong, ambitious young man of Polish extrac-
ton, from the same general region of New
Jersey that Walker came from, named Paul
Swiderski, Jack Kearns was Walkers manager
and there was a temperamental affinity be-
tween them. Both were reckless and extrava-
CANT and both took pleasure in late hours and
alcoholic beverages. Swiderski's manager was
Harry Lenny, a large, muscular man who
was the equal OF Kearns in nerve but a little
sluggish by comparison in critical moments.
Walker climbed into the ring behind an
enormous abdomen acquired in the ale-rooms
of Chicago where he and Kearns and Teddy
Hayes had spent the winter and soon after
the opening bell, Swiderski pumped several
tremendous blows into this yielding mass
which Wobbled like a bladder and gurgled like
a hot water bottle. After give or six of these
he whipped a left to Walkers chin and Mickey
went down, completely out. This was entirely
irregular and unconventional as there was an
unwritten law in all the articles of night-before
Derby contests that champions were to be
respected with the proviso, however, that if
these trials pleased the patrons, the champions
might condescend to meet the challeagers
again in Chicago or New York, in earnest and
for more substantial money.
When Walker went down within the first
minute Of the first round it was obvious that
even if he could get up by the count of nine
he would be helpless and that Swiderski could
finish him in the remaining two minutes and
take his title. The crowd came up, roaring and
at that instant the bell rang and Mr.. Hayes,
leaping into the ring from Walkers corner,
ran straight across the fallen heap Of Mr.. Wal
ker and hit Mr.. Lenny a smack on the nose,
Mr.. Lenny having hoped in from the opposite
angle to protest about ~skuldruggery at the bell
which deprived his slasher of his kill.
Meanwhile, Mr.. Kearns, who had raced
around the ring and reached over the time
kee oer's shoulder to bang the gong with a soft
drin- bottle, had returned to the steps and
was now in the ring dragging Mr.. Walker back
to the stool. Mr.. Lenny grabbed Mr.. Hayes and
they were exchanging furious if awkward let's
and rights to the face and body and highly op-
probrious remarks when young SWlderskl
jumped iii to take part and kearns, leaving
Walker lolling in the angle OF the ropes, sailed
out to prolong the brawl and his champions
respite by engaging Lenny, SWiderskl and
several uniformed policemen who were trying
to break it up. I forget what the referee was
doing and who he was.
If Lenny and Swiderski had been as alert
as Kearns and Hayes they would have refused
to be drawn into this disorder but their anger
was up and they played 10 MI. Kearns' strate-
gy with the result that, between struggling and
then disputing over the heads Of the cops in
midring, they gave Walker about Is minutes
to recover. The fight was resumed as of round
two and, under the no-decision rule, Walker
held his championship by standing off SWider-
ski to the end of the tenth.
Long afterward, in Washington, I came upon
Mr.. Hayes, himself an old middleweight figh-
ter who had carried Jack Dempsey's bucket
during the years when Kearns handled Demp-
sey. He was then married to a pretty movie
actress and Vaudeville dancer named Lima
Basquette. Miss Basquctte was playing a Wash
ington theatre and after the show we went to
ODonnelIs fish place where "reminiscences
naturally led to the night-before-Derby ip
Louisville.
yes" Mr.. Hayes began to say, THAT was
a very exciting contest when Miss Bas-
quette broke in with, "oh, was that the time
you put the roll of nickels in his glover"
"Oh, no, honey Mr.. Hayes said. THAT
must have been somebody else. But we were
very indignant at the unethical conduct OF
Swiderski and Lenny and refused to box them
ever again. Their short-sightedness cost them
a lot Of money"
Mr.. Hayes seems to have been a man of
destiny for, after Walker wore out and re-
tired, and Kearns, always a spendthrift, went
broke, we began to hear of a Theodore Hayes,
United States Commissioner at the New York
World Fair.
Our Teddy had attached himself to Ed Flynn,
of the Bronx, whose status in New Deal poll
tics hardly needs to be told and, from the role
of personal companion or attendant, progress
sed to that of commissioner of the fair, then
organizer of the young Republicans Cor Roose-
welt on a rowing assignment for the Democratic
party. When I last saw him, he was executive
of a prosperous company manufacturing NUM-
tons of war, with headquarters in washington.
Incredulcus at first, I long since came to
believe that Mr.. Hayes actually was a man of
weight among our rulers in the party OF hui
mainly. He seemed rich.
Hayes and Kearns had broken with Demp-
sey over Dempsey's marriage to Estelle Tay-
lor, of whom they we're apprehensive and
jealous, anticipating that a wife would come
/ between a fabulous meal-ticket and his Deepen
dant staff. For Hayes, this was just as well,
for he is abstemious, ambitious and alert to
opportunities and went Upward and onward.
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