THE CHINA MAIL, MAY 25, 1939. ·
Joe Jacobs And Mike Mc Tigue Take Trip Into Enemy Territory
By Leo Fuller
When Ku Klux Klan Tried To Steal World Boxing Title
W
HEN Joe Jacobs, now famous
as Max Schmeling's Ameri- can manager, stepped off the train on to the little station at Columbus, Georgia, and snuffed the balmy, southern air, he little realised he was on the threshold of one of the grimmest adventures of his lively life.
With him he had the light heavy- weight champion of the world, Mike McTigue, the gritty Irishman, whom he had piloted for world honours. They were down in Georgia to defend their championship against Young Stribling. the Georgia Peach, and the white hope of the Southlands.
It had taken more than a little cour- age to go into the enemy's territory hard-won laurels. and defend those Partisanship ran high, and unquestion- ably there would be few people at the How- ringside rooting for McTigue. ever, with true managerial shrewdness. Jacobs had insisted on a New York re- Ertle. feree, by the name of Harry from whom he expected a fair deal. despite the crowd's reaction.
A champion, fighting with adis Referee Apprehensive
abled hand before a hostile crowd, he
met the surging rushes of the tigerish He knew McTigue had won, but he also Apprehensively Jacobs looked around, Stribling, smashing piston left hands
into the challenger's face. Using his knew the effect his victory would have Ertle, wizard footwork and brilliant boxing to on the crowd. He glanced at the full, McTigue put up the battle of the referee. The latter, a New York- was also apprehensive, and his life, while Joe Jacobs crouched in er,
his corner, knowing that never before plainly unsure of the line of action to had the Tiger been in such great dan- take. Round the ring sat grim rows
ger.
Stribling never ceased attacking from the first bell, and, halfway through the contest the 'dope' lost its effect,
blow so that every thrown with the left hand brought agony to the Irishman.
Little Could Be Done
of Klansmen,
Suddenly, drawing a deep breath. Ertle flung out both arms horizontally, indicating a drawn fight, and bolted like a Jack rabbit through the ropes. He was just jumping to the ground the when an angry roar burst from spectators, and in a twinkling of an eye the ring was invaded by furious hammers When he Klansmen, carrying guns, Yet he kept on grimly. returned to his corner, Jacobs attended and sticks and all kinds of weapons. to him as best he could, but little could They forced Ertle back into the ring, be done in the short minute interval and menacingly insisted that he reverse the between rounds. Mike's defence was the decision and give Stribling brilliant, and time and time again he championship. Never before, has such
boxing. tied up the flashing, eager Stribling, a scene been witnessed in a And it was in the last two, rounds that ring. Jacobs had previously taken the MeTigue, drawing on his indomitable precaution of having a dozen soldiers spirit and fading reserves of strength, from a local fort in McTigue's corner. threw two heavy right hands, and Now they gathered around the fighter caught the Georgian as he was coming with drawn guns, protecting him.
Ertle tried to argue, but he was McTigue had been training
in. Stribling staggered back for a mo-
knocked down. The crowd's roar week when the trouble started. Smash-
ment, his eyes glazing, and his knees
increased, but at this minute the ing at the heavy bag, be had twisted
forward again,
promoter saved the day. Jumping his left hand and fractured a finger. got to fight or be lynched. Well, I've sagging. But he pulled himself to-
forward, he raised Stribling's hand The injury failed to respond to treat- a wife and kids, so I'm forced to go gether, and padded
I shall be in the ring scoring with left hooks to the body. ment, and Jacobs at once informed the through with it.
at the same time shouting: The last round was sensational, with with Stribling this afternoon."
"Winnah and noo champeen.. out for ទ promoter that the fight would have to
Mike had made the decision, so all the challenger going all
The roars changed to cheers, be postponed. A qualified doctor had Joe could do was to stick with him. He knock-out, and McTigue battling to examined McTigue and told him that
novacaine, stay on his feet and hold the lead then Jacobs elected to force his way it would be dangerous to proceed with pumped the hand full of
and that afternoon the two of them which he had hammered out in the outside, with McTigue in the middle of At last the final gong a wedge of soldiers, enter a car and ducked under the ring ropes before a earlier rounds. Jacobs knew there would be great packed arena.
Then commenced one echoed over the arena, and, sweating drive, with the Irishman still in his togs, to a friendly priest's decision, local disappointment at this
of the most dramatic fights of McTi- and panting, the men returned to their boxing but little did he anticipate the events
gue's life. of the next two days!
the battle.
for *
JOE JACOBS fooled the Ku Klux Klan.
"The Fight Goes On!”.
there was a knock on the door of their hotel room, and in walked a crowd of some twenty men. Nine of them walked over to the Irishman and solemnly examined the hand. Gravely they announced their opinion that it was in perfect shape, and eventually the spokesman, a tall, sombre giant, faced Jacobs and said:
"These men are all doctors-the fight goes on!"
Late that afternoon
With that they all turned around and trooped out. Immediately Jacobs knew
corners.
England's Easy Victory Over Rumania
Bucharest, To-day.
house.
!"
and
For hours they hid there, and when night came they lay on the floor, hav. ing switched out all the lights, in order. to foil any snipers.
6-Hour Nightmare Ride
They had been robbed of the title, but they could think about that when they got away with their skins.
In the dead of night they all piled into a car and set out on a nightmara ride of six hours to Atlanta. At any and moment they expected ambush, Buddenly through the driving rain Ja-
- In the international soc-cobs spied a lamp waving in the dark-
the men with whom he had to deal.cer match between England and Rumania, England
were representatives of
the
dreaded Ku Klux Klan, that band of Won by 2 nil after being a goal up at the interval.
They self-elected law enforcers, who
stake!
were
a
K.B.G.C.
then at the height of their evil power. There were 40,000 spectators,
SECOND DIVISION They were 'Anti-Catholic, anti-Jew and
A. M. Omar, W. Ward, J. S. Lan- anti-Negro.' And
Jacobs record gate, for Rumania... bitterly
England displayed fine combina-dolt and U. M. Omar (skip). cursed when he fully understood his
A. A. Razack, L. C. R. Souza, C. S predicament-there he was, a Jewish tion and were easily the better team: manager with an Irish Catholic fighter, and with their world championship at although Goulden was fortunate to Rosselet and R. Basa (skip).
score the first goal in the eighth R. P. Phillips, V. C. Dixon, H. White McTigue and Joe stayed in for the minute when the Rumanian right and J. G. Meyer (skip). rest of the afternoon, but gradually back was forced to play on the wing crowd swelled round the hotel, there were 2,000 angry people hurling through injury.
Conditions were more favourable insults from the street below. Sudden- ly there was an even louder cry, and, to England than most Continental looking out Jacobs saw a train of
matches. wagons being driven back and forth, on
until
..E. V. Searle, K. C. Hamilton, H. E. Drew and G. E. F. Thompson (skip).
T. Armstrong, L. G. Coombes, D. W. Waterton and J. S. Logan (skip).
C.C.C.
ness.
"Here it comes," he yelled, and tha the soldiers drew their guns, whilst driver trod on the gas and thundered down the road at eighty miles an hour. But it was a false alarm-merely a man broken down on the road. They breathed again. At last, at seven in the morning, they arrived at Atlanta in a mud-splashed car, tired, unshaven and weary, and McTigue still in his boxing togs under a heavy overcoat,
But he wasn't to get to bed yet. Jacobs grabbed a telephone and rang up all the sports writers, insisting that they get out of bed and come to the hotel. Then he made Harry Ertle sign an affidavit to the effect that 'McTigue won the fight, thus retaining his light of the J. H. Xavier, E. McNay, H. W. Ran-heavyweight championship
world, and my first decision was the A. J. Coelho, E. Zimmern, M. J. correct one." the sides of which were scrawled in cast and the pitch in good condition. dall and M. A. R. Souza (skip). yellow crayon-
The game became a little rough. in Medina and J. Cavanagh (skip), FIGHT OR FLIGHT. MIKE MCTI- the second half when the English- GUE YOU ARE YELLOW.
For hours the multitude stayed there, men's robust style upset the whilst hastily printed circulars were manians.
The weather was over-
W. J. Penny, Dr. N. P. Karanjia, T. Ru-Locke and W. K. Way (skip).
passed around, and the temper of the Welch scored England's second mob sharpened.
All that night the exits were watch-goal eight minutes after the interval ed by Klansmen, and after an uneasy but, although England had numer- night Jacobs and McTigue received an- ous other scoring opportunities, she other visit from the deputation.
"You'll fight to-morrow, or we'll ship appeared content with her lead. you back in boxes," threatened the Reuter. huge leader.
"You're Not Kidding Me”
LAWN BOWLS TEAMS! FOR SATURDAY
FIRST DIVISION K.BG.C.
But Joe answered savagely. "Listen, I was brought up in Hell's Kitchen, and that's where they have real toughs. You're not kidding me." "No," replied the leader conversa- tionally, and pointing to a tree outside the hotel, "then, the pair of you will end up hanging from that, if there is
A. S. Russell, L. A. R. Duncan, A. J no_fight!"
Jacobs was positively bristling, his Hall and. R. Duncan (skip).
F. Cheesman, S. M. White, W. S. eternal cigar sticking out almost ver- tically from a corner of his mouth, but Drake and W. Macfarlano (skip), before he had time to answer McTigue W. L. Walker, T. E. Robson, pushed him aside and walked through Gill and A. M. Holland (skip).
Reserve: P. A. Peckham. the window, out on to the balcony, and
+
stood there facing the moltes
"I have a bad hand,” he announced.
W. Leonard, K. M. Omar,
in a loud voice. "But they tell me I've Coates and B. W. Bradbury (skip).
H.K.F.C.
Thus did Joe Jacobs outwit the Ku Klux Klan, and McTigue after three his cham- decisions, rightfully kept pionship of the world. The whole ad- venture is unique in boxing history, and will never be repeated, because J.now the power of the Ku Klux Klan is broken, and no longer are there drawn L. guns at a ringside.
J. S. Howell, E. L, Strange, J. Beach and J. A. R. Selby (skip).
R. P. Shaw, C. B. Robertson, W. Reid and A. Brooksbank (skip).
W. Kershaw, G. E. Stephens, Lammert and N. Bebbington (skip).
THIRD DIVISION-
R.H.K.Y.C.
G. H. Bond, J. Owen Hughes, A. Nissim and A. W. Brown (skip).
W. A. Cornell, A. D. Humphreys, P. S. Cassidy and G. E. Costello (skip).
W. J. Hansen, L. E. N. Ryan, A. S. Mitchell and B. E. Maughan (skip).
H.K.F.C.
C. G. Sollis, H. G. Wallington, s. Cressey and V. Walker (skip).
F. Anslow, C. H. Needham, J. Raiston and H. H. Pegg (skip).
E. Casey, H. Gelling, T. Rowell and J. Russell (skip),
C.C.C.
9. R. Solina, Van der Lely, A. B. Hamson and G. Ladd (skip).
· L. Gaddi, F. Petersen, Dr. C, W. Lam and John Pau (skip).
G.
John P. Lee. E. Kerrison, Payne and W. McNeill (skip),
(COPYRIGHT). Saturday Tale of a tough guy.
MIXED DOUBLES TEAMS
The following have been select- ed to represent United Services their Mixed match tennis Recreation Club in Doubles League against Kowloon Cricket Club to- morrow afternoon :—
w. A. H. Duff and Miss M. Griffiths; L. Goldman and Miss A. Tylor; Comdr. and Mrs. L. Clifford. The following will represent K.C.C.
E. C. Fincher and Mrs. O. Burnett; A. E. P. Guest and Mrs. Clark; G. C. Burnett and Mrs. Sweeny.