Show i I I Pal Pa of Tunney to Tell TeD Story of Life for Readers I Ir il r 4 gf I 4 IN INTHE w Ti THE ET TO FRANCE pj IDEA OP c. c AV I J 1 i STREET FIGHTING FIGHTING- GENE GENE- FORTE FORTEA A A 0 Challenger Expected to Get Killed While I Fighting in France Editors Editor's Note This Note This is the first of a series of articles telling Gene Tunney's life history written by his pal and friend Joe Williams for forThe forThe forThe The Telegram and associated newspapers newspapers news news- newspapers papers By JOE WILLIAMS Copyright 1926 NEA Service Inc Well to begin with Gene Tunney isn't Gene Tunney at all Twenty- Twenty eight years rears ago down in Greenwich Village at Bank street James J. J Tunney was born a howling squirming bundle of Irish humanity that now stands on the threshold ol ot of the tIme w world heavyweight weight champion champion- ship James J. J Tunney became G Gene ne Tunney both to his lis family and the world at large through the inability of ot a younger young r brother to pronounce Jim The Tho best the younger Tunney could do with it was Gene when attica he wanted to say Jim Jint and Genie when he tried for Jimmy The early chapters of Tunney's life ute read much like those of or any other normal healthy American boy who was born and raised rained in a metropolis metropolis metropolis me me- where youth is fashioned early into the molds and moods of ot otman man The ring knows Tunney today as asa asa asa a gentleman fighter But in his more youthful days he was a street fighter of no meager ability ALWAYS IN FIGHT I J dont don't ever recall going out of my way to start one of those fights tights says Tunney but just the same I seemed always to be in one In due time Tunney came to be known as the best In Inthe inthe inthe the village Neighborhood fighters were In demand then at the smaller fight clubs in New York York- Matchmakers Matchmakers Matchmakers Match Match- I makers at the Sharkey Sharley Fairmount and Manhattan Casino always had hada a neighborhood grudge fight on their cards Frequently these fights lights were the best of the Tunney started professionally this way Bill Jacobs used to scout for neighborhood material for the theold theold theold old Sharkey A. A C. C In precisely the same way baseball scouts roam the smaller leagues for potential diamond diamond dia dia- diamond mond greats treats Jacobs saw Tunney and offered him 10 to fight a four four- rounder the following Saturday bight hight Y YOu u can believe it or not re relates relates re- re i lates laths Tunney but I Iwas was more of offended offended of- of fended tended than surprised The business of fighting for money moneY- had never entered entered entered en en- my head and somehow or other it all seemed very distasteful I I told Jacobs J Id I'd never fight anybody anybody any any- body except for the fun of it One of ot Tunney's buddies by byname byname byname name Sam Green Gleen heard of ot the in In- In Do LYo you know why you dont don't want to fight tight for tor money asked Green the next time he saw Tun Tun- ney Well Ill I'll tell you ou Youre You're afraid of getting tha that good looking pan of ot yours smashed in Tunney wasn't sure whether his friend was kidding him or not He didn't appear to be All right Sam Tunney replied I fight tight for Jacobs but be my last public one Whatever happens win or lose Im I'm through Tunney won the fight He stopped his man All AH of his gang from the village was there to see him do doit It ItI I 1 was so flustered when those boys started cheering as I came into the ring to fight an ordinary preliminary reC recalls Tunney that I I. would have r run run n from the place had it b been en possible Tunney changed his mind about fighting lighting only one fight at the neighborhood neighborhood neigh neIgh- clubs He fought three others and won them ull all looking better each time HE WASN'T INTERESTED One of ot those four foul fights was staged ed at the old Fairmount A. A C. C I which was then operated by Billy Gibson Tunney's present manager It was held on on a a hot summer night Tunney was meeting one of the Jaspers from Harlem In a six- six rounder Gibson usually sat at the ringside personally supervising his programs But it was too hot for him hint this night So he sat in the front office ab about ut feet away cooling off before an electric fan Say Gibson shouted a n voice volee from th the arena come on out am and watch this 1 kid ld Tunney go He looks pretty sweet Watch him yourself bar barked ed Gibson I r wouldn't walk feet to see the Corbett Sullivan fight re repeated re- re Tunney tells that story himself And I dont don't blame Billy a whole lot I can still remember that night The place was like a bake oven i All the while Tunney was still working as a stenographer and accountant accountant accountant ac ac- ac- ac countant in the downtown offices ol ot of th the Pennsylvania railroad DIDN'T TALK MUCH That job looked ed awfully good to tome tome tome me in those days says sas Tunney and I didn't do much talking around the office about my fights for fear I would get the can This was in 1917 1917 Presently the war reached a point where America America Amer Amer- ica lea decided to get in and Tunney I enlisted in the marines I Tunney in his own way is a thinker and a philosopher When the transport on which he sailed glided out of the East river and into the Atlantic a sort of spiritual message message mes mea sage came to him It said die In France That has always puzzled me says Tunney Im not morbid by nature yet I was positive all the while I was as in France that I had seen home mother and my friends for tor the last time |