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Show . . Necessity Inspires Chivaljric Deeds ! C To Be Written In Pugilistic History '"?'$ IF necessity Is tho mother of Invention Inven-tion it Is also tho father of heroic sacrifice and undaunted courage. Especially Is this true of pugilism, pugil-ism, a hard old gamo at best and often mado moro so by tho Irregularity of meals and tho prodigality of many who mako boxing their livelihood. Thero aro recorded In ring history countless noble deeds brought about by compulsion, chivalrous deeds Inspired In-spired by grim want rather than chivalry. chiv-alry. Stanley Kctchcl fought Jack Johnson In 1900. a year before his untimely un-timely death, becauso ho was broko. That was an act of self sacrlflco. Sta.nlcy knew all about the slaughter that awaited him. although thero have been hints of, a moving picture posing party. He was awaro he had but one chance In a hundred to beat down the negro, but he graDpcd It and hoped for the best Ketchel's heart was too big for his own good, and tho meeting with Johnson was tho only thing that stood beforo him and an empty wallet. Ho went Into the ring and took his beating beat-ing manfully because he had to havo money, being too proud to Ilvo on his friends, of whom he had many In thoso days. A similar act of bravery, but ono caused more by deprivation of the world's goods, was witnessed In Indianapolis In-dianapolis a couplo of months ago. Jack Dillon, the Hooslcr middleweight, can fight with the best of them. One day he was matched up with a man named Howard Wlggam. who was practically an unknown In the fighting hiivlnneo r(Mrtn fAll!llf htm hOMlKn he was well guaranteed and knew b( would get his pay. Tho contest camo off, nnd Dillon played play-ed with the poor fellow pitted against him. AS n fight tho uffalr was ridiculous, ridicu-lous, Wlggam being too weak to give any kind of an argument In two rounds he sank to tho mat exhausted It afterward turned out that Ylggam had Just burled a baby daughter anil was In debt, with a wife nnd mother to support. He rendered himself liable to sorloua Injury and eveu death because be-cause ho needed the money. Bravod Sovore Beating Aftor Long Illness. Ill-ness. Jack O'Lenry was a Milwaukee fighter fight-er with good prospects four years ago. Critics predicted ho hnd tho makings of n first class lightweight. A long period of sickness had undcrmlnded hla strength, but he pleaded with the matchmakers to give him a chanco to obtain a few dollars to live on, and he was given a fight with Andy Bczcnah of Cincinnati. The latter administered n severe lacing to O'Leary, and the unfortunate un-fortunate boy was never afterward able to go In the ring. Jerry Gaines, a boy who had soma reputation around New England, went to Milwaukee In search of a light. Ho was down to bis last nickel, and the clothes he wore would havo been spurned by a tramp. Arthur Cote was tp havo fought Bob Moha, the noted Milwaukee middleweight, but something some-thing happened, and he hnd to call off the match. The light had been advertised, adver-tised, however, and could not be postponed. post-poned. With no training and several pounds lighter. Gaines went In and met Moha. Ho was a torry sight with a week's growth of bcord upon his features. fea-tures. Needless to say. ho did not last long with Moha. Tho "cave man" put him away In two round. Cleveland had a lighter a year ago who was forced to battlo for anything from a washer up to a sandwich. Ho wa3 Ford Munger, who boxed Paul Koh-ler, Koh-ler, Tommy Gavlgan nnd others. Ford had a wlfo and baby to support. Ho worked In a plumbing shop as helper In the daytlmo and at night scoured around after fights. He was willing to take on anybody, but matches were hard to get because the promoters didn't consider him enough of u card. As ho worked every day ho didn't hnvo tlmo to train Every Sunday, however, ho could be seen doing road work along the boulevards. Never In good condition, condi-tion, ho was beaten with great frequency fre-quency Afterward he went to Baltimore Balti-more and found a backer. IIu had proper training there and won several V fights In succession. Lightwoight Tackled 167 Poundor. Jack Blackburno. tho well known '-KvA Philadelphia fighter, who Is In Jail at , jtg! Easton. Pa., had great difficulty In In- , k. SSJ duclng men to meet him when ho waa fc . ? In his prime. He waa a great fighter. j ' ,"- t and fighters of his class feared him. ( ; .jfrj Funds began to run low as prospectlvo j. ' ' opponents scurried from his neighbor- -' hood. Jack became desperate. Ho woo ., only a lightweight, but he took a match with Jack O'Brien, who then weighed ' 167 pounds Blackburne shaded him at thaL The following week he mot John l Wllle. tho Chicago heavyweight, and f ,v defeated him. Tho week after that, at V 1 133 pounds, he boxed George Mcmslo 1 1 and beat him. . Four years ago Tommy Feltz started fll to go back. Ho was In Now Orleans gut at tho time and boxed Johnny Lynch. nf v Lynch got the decision over him, and Jj i'jjj' Feltz. who had been able to whip mon , '' v like Lynch three times In an evening. .If-. ' " becamo disgusted and hit the pace for l)'.k- a week. Ho was broko when he turned ilf'V up again and had no finances to pay nl - his fare back to Chicago. After con- )T sldcrable dickering he was signed for ll a bout with Battling Kelly It was a jIV i. private affair, and thero was only $60 In t,s- In the house altogether. Feitz and ili " - Kelly went fifteen of the toughest V rounds ever witnessed In New Orleans itllr- to a draw, and Feltz got J 17 for his fflv end. ?m |
