Evening star., 1954-12-15
The Iumult ond the Shouting
FreeIooders Find Paradise MiomiFight


hated Kearns because he fed
Dempsey exclusives" to Rum
yon in the Hearst camp.
Tunney went into heavy train.
ing at Spectator, N. Y. about
40 miles west of Saratoga. His
camp was pitched near a small
river amid gorgeous scenery.
Ring Lardner and I went up for
a visit. AS we arrived. Gene was
coming over the brow of hill
with a fat book under one arm.
He could have passed for q
young college athlete studying
for his Masters in English.
Greeting us enthusiastically,
Tunney said he'd been rowing
up the river and then reflected
on his communing with nature.
Ring pointed to the book.
Whats the title?" he asked.
The Rubaiyat." replied Tun-
ney.
Brimming with enthusiasm for
nature. Gene commented that
he hadn't been able to take his
eyes off the scenery. Fixing Tun-
ney with those solemn, prom.
inent eyes. Lardner cracked.
Then why the book?"
Dempsey Changed.
Tunney.. at Spectator. was in
fine physical shape and later,
at Stroudsburg, Pa. he looked
wonderful.
AS for Dempsey-banging away
behind closed doors at Baeder
Field-well, he didn't look nor
move like the Dempsey of the
Firpo fight four years earlier.
Opulence, a bride and revamped
nose hadn't exactly brought Jack
anything approaching soul cont
fort. Also, he was in a legal
battle with his old manager,
KearnS. =
Two days before the fight, the
sports section of the Sunday
Tribune went 10 solid pages.
The Tribune's owner-publisher,
Ogden Reid, was amazed. AS Il o
paper was going to bed Saturday
night, Reid exclaimed. Grant,
you're making the Tribune more
of a sports paper than anything
else! At this rate, we're becom-
ing ALL sports. and damn the
rest of the world!"
You could do worse" I re-
piled. trying to manage q
straight face.
That brings up another mat
ter. I'd been fighting a cold all
that week with hard headlines,
no sleep and too much prohibi-
ton whisky. The night before
the fight Mcclellan and I were
headed back to the hotel and
sleep when one of us recalled q
roulette wheel less than two
blocks from City Hall. Along
about 2 am. I was $1,000 ahead:
Mcclellan was $500 behind.
Lets get out of here" I said.
"apd get some Sleep" ~
Like hell" Mcclellan replied.
"I'm going to get event" "a
At 5 am. we had enough, be-
tween us, for taxi fare to the
hotel.
A Blow fer Rickard. au
When I was awakened about
noon, I was still 48 years old
and felt 88. On the sidewalk
downstairs stood Rickard and
his famed malacca cane. He was
conversing with Gibson, Tun-
neys manager. The day was
foggy and Rickard was worrying
about rain and the possibility
of postponement. Suddenly a
writer came swinging through
the door.
Heard the latest, Tex?" he
said. I'VE just got word that
Tunney's flying into town for the
weigh-in." |.:
Don't forget, this was a year
before Lindbergh made the
world airplane-conScious.)
Flying into what?" stam-
mered Rickard. nearly swallow
ing his cigar.
Hes flying in Genes in
the air now!"
Rickard turned to a dumb
founded Gibson, who had left
everything in readiness back at
Stroudsburg for Tunney to travel
into town by automobile.
d. censored!" expIode d
Rickard, whacking his can on
the pavement. Whats that
Tunney trying to do to me?"
| Copyright. 1854. by the A. s. Barnes
! Co., 1ncD
| distributed by the Bell Syndicate. Inc.l
I'm the 1teIt article Rice tells
OF the tt0o Dempsey Tunney
fights and OF Bill Tilden, "tls
greatest player iDho eper
stepped on q court."1
Prince Heads Horsemen