Show s Parade Parade- Mat Chief h fl Sees Gai Gain 1 RICHMOND Va Jan 3 UP Today in the state which for years has been famed as aa the mother of presidents and baked hams J I encountered a species of animal life at least twice as old as the roc roe or the mastodon His names are James Arthur Whitefield Whitefield Whitefield White- White field Captain Bluebeard and Bill Lewis and he is heralded as a promoter promoter promoter pro pro- moter of town small-town wrestling Brother Whitefield Bluebeard Lewis is perhaps the last member of an old and once honored profession profession profession sion or combination of He has been a carnival roustabout barkeep slinger hash and one-night one grappler Today he heIs heis heis is an exponent of self-defense self and general mayhem and perhaps the only man in the world who doesn't hate Mike Jacobs Through l Ii Mill l Bill Lewis as he calls himself himsel now is a gent who has been through the mill from chute to assembly assembly assembly as as- line He wrestled for 20 years came back at the age of 37 31 with a bushy black beard and then gained fame as a man who exhibited exhibited such now famous characters as Red Cochrane and Ken Overlin at from to a head apiece In the last 10 years he has staged shows to a total of people He has encountered enough worries to gray the hair of Marx His personal territory terri tern t tory ry stretches through four states and 10 cities and he has been dou dou- crossed ble-crossed by fighters by wrestlers wrestlers wrestlers wres wres- and by Uncle Mike himself But he doesn't hold a grudge of any sort Hell he told me while he patted patted patted pat pat- ted the gold chain across his vest every promoter in America hates bates Mike Jacobs because Mike Jacobs is the man every promoter in America would like to be Why that man has built up a night boys like Lou Jenkins into cards and he has staged more moze more title fights fights fights' in a year than Tex Rickard did in 20 N r Admirer Lewis it may be stated is not attached to Jacobs he merely admires admires admires ad ad- mires a man who has done just what he Lewis would like to do Lewis of course had a less es esthetic esthetic esthetic es- es upbringing if that is poS poS- pos pos- sible He started wrestling in 1918 when he was 20 grunted with such gents as Strangler Lewis Londos and for 17 11 years then debuted in his beard That beard really put me over he said until somebody pinned me in Hollywood and shaved my chin The beard at that time was longer than a husbands husband's alibi but butoff butoff butoff off it came Some day he said as a grin spread across his fleshy face I Imay Imay Imay may be promoting in Madison Square Garden Id I'd love that Id I'd make more money sure But Id I'd also be happy to know that Mike Jacobs might then be promoting in Keokuk Ill or Tombstone Ariz or South Hill Va |