| Show I II I I By Robert Edgren I E used to sit at the ringside In WE W- W New York clubs cubs and listen while I Ithe the announcer Introduced him 1 There would be a a. hush after atter the ending of ot the semifinal bout and then the principals In the main event would take their corners and stare Blare across at each other t while a. awaiting the co completion e of the h customary The an announcer announcer an- an would clear hi Ma his throat and holdIng holding holding hold hold- ing up one hand In a a. p pl plea a for silence would shout In that singsong voice of or his Gentlemen a a little order please order please On my right Jim Donovan on my left left left- Usually It was Just Jim Jim Donovan Donovan 1 but sometimes the announcer added a a. line lino or 0 two It became Jim Donovan the Champion of the British army or 01 Jim Donovan of or Ireland Whatever the announcement announcement an an- Jim Donovan always sat eat smiling in his corner apparently pleased with being there calmly confident In his skill regarding the w whole e thing n with a Wic ord r a re Celtic love of battle He lie was sas a middleweight middleweight middle middle- le weight symmetrical e h smoothly m muscled rc J and as s smooth as oil in action He lie had fine tine features and black curly hair In fact he ho made a a. ver very pretty picture Inthe inthe in the tho ring and he wasn t afraid to fight I Alon Along Alons with the beginning of ot the great war Jim Donovan Dono pugilist disappeared It Il was rumored that he had gone up to Canada to do some boxing but his name never showed In the sporting columns Jim Donovan was vas nearly forgotten Boxers come and nd go so swiftly swim Then one night a a. week or two ago agoan agoan an JUl English officer in full tull uniform wearing wear wear- nearing In ing a a curling black mustache and carrying carry carry- ing ins himself with the swing of ot a born fl fighting man came walking swiftly along the ringside at a II New York boxing show slapping some of ot the sporting writers writ writ- ers era on the tim back When they looked up Inquiringly Inquiring the tho officer showed a white row of teeth In a wide smile and chuckled You dont don't know me do you rou It was Jim Donovan rl i i No o to be mm more exact t It Il was no long longer Jim Donovan but Lieutenant Commander I IJames James P P. Donovan of ot the royal Canadian Cana Cana- dlan dian dragoons back from the front on leave after nearly two years ears of ot constant fighting Somewhere In France Franco Lieutenant Lieutenant Lieutenant Lieu Lieu- I tenant Commander Donovan only professional professional pro pro- boxer to become a commissioned commis commis- I stoned officer In tho the kings king's army In the beginning Jim Donovan was WM Irish The name was ODonovan originally originally nally but was slightly abbreviated in America They did Intend to make a priest of ot Jim and he received a college education but tho the love of ot adventure was In him and he went Into the British army and served through the Boer war He lie served In a campaign or two in India and then returned to Ireland He ile was a sergeant major a very skillful boxer and because of or his athletic ability an all round fighting man with the weapons of ot war Donovan won some British army boxing championships and then the thirst for adventure growing l left ft when his term of ot enlistment ran out and came cameto to America Here he began boxing professionally pro pro- and was soon In demand be because because because be- be cause of ot his skill He Ho never became a champion In In this country country-a a little too reckless perhaps lie He would never content content content con con- tent himself with fighting cautiously and waiting for or an opening When ho he found the tho championship title out of ot reach he heIO quickly turned r to another branch f of l his I profession IO opened n a health farm in the Jersey hills and became boxing instructor tor at the City Athletic club And then along came the war ar FIGHTER NOT FIGHTER NOT A TALKER I have found more difficulty in digging out Jim Donovans Donovan's history after aCter that Bare facts and figures he Is willing to give and he takes some pride In showing a number of ot letters letter and official papers connected with his experience at the fron front t. t I know that Jim Donovan won his Comi tom Com m- m mission by y a feat of daring on Oil th the b battlefield bat bat- I fd i gh a a f feat a rare enough to 0 bo be o re remembered rc- rc and chronicled among the brave deeds of a war that has produced I a host of Known heroes and millions who are and always will wilt be unknown But I there the si Information t stops P I Ia asked d him I Ice for details and he almost n ran n away T one thing n a British IS army officer officer I 03 ea m ce never r does he said emphatically iC It Is I. s against every overy tradition of or the ser service ser ser- vice vIce even even against the regulations regulations for for I er an anS S officer to talk of ot his own exploits Its It's absolutely Impossible I can tell you of or some t things things but b but n not a single thing gb that 1 could possibly bo be e construed n t as a boast or 01 an effort to gain credit for tor myself Not even how you won your our commission commission com com- mission minion Lieutenant Donovan smiled After the war he said perhaps Ill I'll te tell you jou all about b t that af d Briefly rl and n as he ho told It it this is the progress of or Donovan the fighting man He went Into the British army as a boy served In South Africa and India and received his service medals retired after ten years jears ears of ot service and went to America When the present war ar broke out Donovan went to Toronto and enlisted as a private making no claim because e of or his previous experience In six weeks he was made madea a sergeant ergeant er and went to England with his regiment rel lIe He was at the mobilization center only five lve days when he was sent to lo France two Twenty months of ot hard tl fighting at atthe atthe the tho front with the Irish brigade followed It Jt was two twenty-two months of trench war of going over the top frequently of night raids and hand land to hand fighting inthe in inthe the German trenches of fh bombing b parties I and of 1 fighting tI In shell el holes and t among barbed wire entanglements Jim Dono- Dono Tan ran Tan could tell some tales of his experiences experiences there there there-It If he only would I asked him It if he had found boxing useful WHERE FIST BEAT DEAT GUN I can tell teU you one incident said Lieutenant Lieutenant Lieu Lieu- tenant Donovan DonO There was an Irish lad with us who tho was a pretty fair boxer He ne was a sergeant One afternoon he was ordered to select six men and go out In front of the trenches that night and repair the barbed wire entanglements which had bad been destroyed That was al almost al al- mO most moat t equI equivalent lent to a death sentence The German trenches were only yards yarda away and the they sent up star shells every few w moments cm and opened e up with eg tse th f r machine gu guns gizas on everything that h they saw moving out In n front After dark the i du nn J tk d sergeant and his men crawled I out a and began putting down the posts Every Ervery there was a flare fiare they lay flat fiat on th their lr faces and didn't move until It was dark again Then they'd thed renew the work After a time they noticed that t it was s a along along long time between the German flares It I I Ill was a pitch h black night but the Germans ans I IThe ll g seemed to be relaxing their vigilance The sergeant was standing up when ho he felt somebody move right at hi his elbow el- el bow nd and stand Bland up tip beside Id him In the dark dark- ness fleas H lie He thought It was one of his men How Bow would you Ilk like to put some ome of those posts posta up for us whispered th the theman man at his elbow In perfect English The fh sergeant thought then that ha the theman eh I Itt man m beside 8 him In the h darkness e was a. a a a patrol from further along the line of f English En En- gUsh glish tt trenches rJ He turned aen and j Just s st t then thena a Care flare went off ott and md he saw the man was a German a-German officer In full fult uniform Men putting up wire ire wear Wf h heavy aTY leather gloves covered with Iron studs to keep the wire from tearing their hands The sergeant didn't have hale time to reach for a weapon He swung his right and the studded Iron-studded glove caught the German officer on the jaw and smashed him down The sergeant dragged him back into the trench a prisoner At the same flame time his MX men saw W a II bunch of Germans Germane In a 0 ashell shell hell hol hole a 0 few yards yaris from the trenches and Jumped In oIl on top of them and killed them Star she liz h went up and t the front I was 14 swept with bullets The Germans German I lid run rim a a. lead trot out to the shell hol hole and vet yer gathering there for a raid on the I English trench when their officer bumped I into a fist and spoiled It What can earn a man promotion from the th ranks ranks' I asked AN INCIDENT OF WAR hard to say said Lieutenant Donovan There was one sergeant major friend of mine when I was In the rans ran's who earned his promotion by bringing In Ina Ina ina a wounded officer H He H. was In the first wave of an attack on the German trenches a couple of hundred yards away The English s shrapnel bursts kept the German German German Ger Ger- man machine gunners down at first but the German artillery located the tho English lIsh batteries and blew them to pieces Then the German machine guns popped up and wiped out the entire first wave wa of or the attack My ry ty friend was running in the lead beside his commanding officer when the officer went down shot through the neck Im killed killed killed-go go on on Sergeant Major called the officer as he fell After a few steps the sergeant major malor went down shot through the leg Go on sergeant h hel he yelled to the sergeant near him Then he tie rolled over and felt pretty sick sick sick-he he told me but me-but but managed to knot a handkerchief and tie it over the bullet holo hole and stop the bleeding Then he crawled back to his officer and found him unconscious An artery in the officers officer's officers officer's cers neck had been cut by the bullet The sergeant major got a bandage around the artery and stopped the spurts of ot blood and wriggled under the officer office and got him on his shoulders and crawled back back oh oh forty or fifty feet to feet to the English En En- gUsh glish trench and rolled roiled his officer over into the trench and fell feU in after him He never knew how he got back without beIn being betag be be- In tag ing hit again The air was full fun of ot bullets bul bul- lets from the German machine guns The rest of the first wave was wiped out out out- gone ne Not even en a wounded man left out i there In front That's what they told him when he woke oke up In th the hospital His officer was on the next cot cot he he lived hived too too the the sole survivors Have you ever er been hit yourself I asked the lieutenant Twice said Donovan Once by a machine gun bullet and once b by shrapnel from a II shell that burst right over ove me when I Iwas was in the trench The bullet wound became Infected I can thank my athletic training and clean life for coming corning com corn ing out of that If I had ever been a drinking Jn I man a I two would fd have died die However Donovan earned hla his own I chance for promotion he was sent from froma a hospital to an officers' officers training camp In InI I England where after alter a three months' months I course coune he passed examinations with a high mark and was commissioned second I lieutenant Back ck at the front and In the tho thick of ot t the tue fighting again he was promoted promoted promoted pro pro- to lieutenant to adjutant to lieutenant lieu lieu- tenant commander Lieutenant Commander Donovan obtained ob ob- ob- ob tamed leave to come com horns home to America to see If It Uncle Sam ne needs need d hi him But with British troops or oi American h he Intends I to get back Int into the big war Love of fighting runs strong in the Donovans I lET HIT t i r n. n Pm Pra C O. O Tb TIle X Arv eq Turk l |
