CHAPTER FIVE
| THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, JUNE 5, 1954,
PERSONAL STORY THREAT
OF EX-KING PETER OF YUGOSLAVIA
F
He
was a fine
OR my Russian ninde many friends in Belgrade dancing teacher the and was immensely popular. waltz WAS every-
Hnguist and thing, and her spoke Serbian fluently, Nor- involving such wegian tolerably well, and had teaching
to lean si Russian, niceties as the distance at also begun
because he had many White which (2110 should dance Hussian friends. from one's partner, the exact positioning of hands and arms was detailed and dull.
Occasionally she showed a little temperament, when she would work rather in- effectually from incorrect Serbian-with il strong Russian arrent to Russian her proper. In spite of efforts. I have never danced well.
The first few lessons were distasteful to me, but very Boon I began to enjoy these meetings very much, and after the organised duneing we used to sil
WAN
over
around and play the records over and over again while getting our breath back.
As I had mot basem in the contact with geeds of mas CAT AND until then, 1 Telk pladevally un love with all of the
Me Prot decided to frater us, which male med He had
THE FIGHT THAT
F
FINISHED
THE CHAMPION
AKED fights?
or
course there are, and always will be- whatever phemisms are made neces- sary by the laws of libel,
( 1 -
But it comes hard when the faker confesses, and nobody helleves him.
Did Jack Johnson, black sybarite from
of
He was keenly concerned with the political problems Yugoslavia, and we often talked them over during breakfast and dinner, and it was then that he put forward his point of view to
He felt that there would soon be a definite cykis and that the Serbo-Croat problem would be- come so neule as to threaten Yagostuvas, He
the sity of
it was mostly due to his presence, He would not realise that I was not a child any more but a youth with my own ideas.
When Mr Parrot left, the feel- ing of freedom with my tutor, Governor Yeremija Zivanovle, whom I could easily twist around my little linger, as my only com- trol, was intoxicating. I studied ns hard as before but managed as give me time to sport; there were now three (votball games a week instead of one and I det went to the tennis court more often.
My mother. brothers and sins came back from England in March for the Easter halldays. Unfortunately only my mother remained in Belgrade while the Governme i others returned to England after oppeuserit law srds
a few days, accompanied by Mr would prve Parrot and Mrs Cresswell, no sild school friend of my mother,
is held that the
as of the Axis powers. dustries,
AGREED with hum whole, heartedly on many points, though i objected against all the
blame being put on our admons-
adnured Mr
As the insium of the palities situation wus growing because of the Italian-Albanian affair, the Yugoslav Prgy mobilled under invariate threat of war.
Thes nobilisation Mark three day and was the hot sucressful one we had, us the whole people, Seils, Civals, and Slovenians, at
foll That moment interest in defending their from toss against Musolini's aggres
raion, since we were, atfer all, following the exumple set by Chatbeilutti and Deladier,
1 1 playa ya Pored but I was growing oder zen. . dut not like to ak pra- 20 For everything 3 did. If used in peruse ine vi having an inferiority complex but I thinks
2 ta
OF
ARMY
mobilisation centres were situated much too far away from the population, being for the moet part in out-of-the-way pinces.
This completely upset the whole of our Juif and road transport system, since all com- munications were obstructed by masses of men travelling from one part of the country to an- other in search of their particular mobilisation centre.
And this at a time when all railroads and highways should have been left open for the transport of material and the al- ready mobilised troops,
WHAT I heard about the musi Wisaties during this period confirmed ny personal opinion that the General Staff was mis- taken in sending Slovenian re- endts to Macedonia und vice- versa, that is to any stationing the different regiments of our
Army as far from their homes
as possible.
i
Mother had
WAR: YUGOSLAV MOBILISES'
A
After brought two blow out the carburettor and all Bay of Kotor, speeding towards caravans from England. One the fuel lines. So we missed the Lincoln ane and could only follow it on was attached 10
the car radio, Zephyr and the other to a Ford delivery van. The. caravana proved too heavy, however.
1 had increased the weight of my caravan by a number of new Installations, including
4
As it happened it was perhaps better that way. The Italians best us thoroughly - they won 8-0. We reached Belgrade feet- Ing depressed at having lost the would have bly very match which
put us Into the world football finals, for we had recently had victories over the British team, team, and the the Argentine Hungarians who, incidentally,
water tank
under the conver- tible bed, which with an electric pump, allowed us running water, and also a dynamo and motor
making lighting plant from later beat the Italians. which I could run my radiogram and cinema projector,
We spent some time trying out the caravan for later trips,
living as if we were camping and felching our supplies from the market. We attempted to dis
over all its faults and to put
them right.
friends very
NEVERTHELESS, my
returned to school happily, and most of them passed their exams with flying colours.
the en-
the soup I went to pull fivo the island, we hit a tremendous them up and there were
was- fish' caught already. swell und the speedboat tossed about so much that E had to slow down to about 20 Tho same thing happened ' knots, the boat being in danger after the fish course, of breaking asunder from the tree, the fruit, and the sweet and by the time coffee had been violent pounding.
served Robin ani had decided that it was a most profitable proposition.
island
On approaching the the M.T.D. caught up with me and at length arrived in a few seconds before I did. This in- eldent got the captain and I into a lot of trouble both with my mother and the Admiralty.
re-
I even succeeded in catching some by just putting little pieces of paper on the hook, and final- ly without putting anything on it at all. We filled Avo baskets and a big wash basin, and took our catch to the Swiss chef who had come with us on the trip.
They both said how
very dangerous it was to take such a small boat at such high speed on such a long trip, and the
Was told captain
he should never have run the M.T.B. аф
speed strictly maximum served for the purposes of war.
E asked me helplessly what he It was about this time that my mother invited an old Eng- much fist, for even if wo and
friend of hers, Grant the crew
were to cat fish at 11sh
his son Robin, every Sturgess, and
we could never who was about 18 years old, to use them all.
hee. Other
guests stages were a lady called "Pools" and
On June 28 my mother and 1, When all the gadgets to make together with her friend, Mrs life as comfortable us possible Cresswell, who had just returned from England, and my friends were finally installed, the springs juba Kostle, and Miomir Moto, stay with could not support the weight drove down
by slow when the Jacks were taken off.
Dalmatia Montenegro and Millorer, living by or caravans
we had the springs replaced through Boania, Hertzogovian, her son Allen.
by stranger ones.
tu
nwestly
meal,
So I told him to give what ho did not need to the fisher- men when he went to market,
which he did.
Next morning we were taken on a conducted lour of the town of Korcula and the big ship- building yards on the laland. On my 13th birthday they present- ed m0 with 11 beautiful holl-mahogany gig.
It also confirmed my view that
Yel nuther song was that the on the way. the Army should be arguised are
delivery vaa was not powerful territorial system. Though
During the Arst mouth in enough and we huet 1u 15t* Biese many Laurits in.our system in ad a Ford finir-ton truck, Milover i continued my naval and were blatantly obvious, nothing which give me more scope and award the
seamanstilp training,
FEW days later my uncle, was done to avoid them in future.
M. T. B. Durmitor, Friedrich von Hohenzollers. space, Into this truck 1
which was a very old vessel and and his daughter Mimi arrived -MIX and complete
continually tel water in so that to join the party. Now my eng equipment, including
the pumps always had to be in days began in earnest. bas big amy tents.
action.
My another and I deeldeel 1.5 On Big older band we found teave Belgrade and to go 1 thad our resten hat Ivome vrry – Topola
with Javo friends ..{ old-fashiones!
and 1hot the mathe
Did 'Li'l Artha'
do this
on purpose?
can wide-eyed entry anxious to
rash in on the demand fur B white world champion.
For years they had been siźlug Galveston, op lumberjacks, dock workers, Texas, renily "take a dive" ndners, cowboys and the like to when he lost the heavy- Bnd a big enough specimen to weight championship of the stack agulhst Johnson.
world to Jess Willard, the outsize cowboy
At last, they hind got Jess
for
by
GEORGE WHITING
tr
Since I had finished the course for coastal navigation and pllory the year before I was allowed to kpply myself to the engine room, was naturelly pleasant,
but I felt
Working there
After about three weeks amid
I
MY attitude to foreign polley
at the time of our stay at much less Topola was what it had always more at home, hren, namely to keep our country out of everybody else's quarrel, and remala neutral for as long as the Durmitor petrol engines pssible, as our first and only asked my captain to give me duty was W defend our own chance to learn something about rather than freign interests, steam turblues too, He trans- ferred me Immediately to the old steam torpedo boat T3, where 1 spent most of the next wo weeks trying to control super-
I felt that the time for us to go to war would be when our own safety was endangered.
heated steam.
As Albania had been occupied by the Italians without any resh When I had just finished my tance being offered at all, and training as a steam engineer. I as there did not seem to be any was given #speedboat an an immediate dangur of war be- advance birthday present by my
I returned KE
We made a very gay porty, and had a wonderful time swim- ming, boating, fishing, with out- door movies every evening. A few days after Our guest arrived it was decided that wo should all go on a yachting trip in my mother's converted Trabakula,
From the outside this seemed exactly like any other fishing beat with its big red sails and Its very noisy two-stroke diesel engine.
Next morning we set sail for the nearby Island of Mijet.
After another Ash dinner we cet sail that evening for Kotor. Next morning I took round the bay in a motor-boat and showed them the sights.
everyone
This trip along the beautiful Dalmatian coast is one of most delightful recollections.
my
After our guests had left I resumed my naval training for a few weeks. It was this train- ing that Durmitor, on which I found myself, and a sister ship called the Velebit were doing torpedo practice during a bad
But the resemblance to sh- Ing craft general ended there. Below decks it was most luxuriously tied out with small cabins and a complete bath- storm. room.
who
and I was on the outside of the torpedo that was being alled into the tube. I lost my grip of the greased surface of the torpedo and fell backwards overboard.
Was at my post in the engine room when I was called- All the younger people in our to join a working party party, together with my Uncle loaded one of the torpedo tubes. "As soon as Welch had brokenween Yugoslavia and Italy, my mother.
mother and
Friedrich, went aboard one the clinch, Jess rushed
agat, Dedinje.
evening and we slowly mada forcing Johnson Into Willard's
for Dubrovnik during the night. corner, where the finish came. At the end of April I began Johnson was slow in darting, working feverishly to prepare for
We were received there next and his strong, youthful oppy-my inatriculation. If one passed! nent hooked a swinging left to two written and two ofal testa,
S Uhls wonderful. boat did moming by the mayor and a lot
and werd shown WE were doing about 30 knots, the body.
with at least four
about 40 knots, I was not of officials, ports, one
sights of was admitted,
allowed to control it by myself, round the beautiful "The fading champion's Icgs
but had to be accompanied by a
this historic walled city. I had quivered and again the towering
Unfortunately, I got a three in naval aide, or the non-commis- been there before quite often. become klant feinted for the body. John-Serblin and had to repeat the stoned officer who was in charge SOU dropped his guard and ther subjects as well. But I of the boat, while I was driving
keen Uncle Friedrich is 1 Willed won the title with a finally squeezecí through and it.
photographer,
and
he took quick, hard swing to the exact passed with a four at the end of
many pictures in colour, and of The alarm was given imme- point of the jaw.
One day, I telephoned to the the sights and monuments May.
boat of lately and the torpedo "Johnson's knees folded up
lieutenant commander
the ancient Repubile of Ragusa, stopped as soon as possible, but under him and he sank slowly
manding the Durmitor and the history of which has been at that speed there was already to the floor and rolled over
challenged him to a race be- so closely linked to that of is an appreciable distance between his back, parlly under the
tween his M.T.B. and my speed- great rival, the Republic of us. boat. He accepted but wanted Venice, down the centuries, ropes.
to be given a chance-he had "Welch waved Willard back WAS very proud of myself already heard about my boat's
Up and and began to count
and received the traditional tremendous speed-and insisted down swung the referee's hand, present of a walking stick and that we should run for two hours plying but Johnson never moved,
his my "first legal" cigarette non-stop. only the with the permission ol my
mother.
from Pot- Willard ruing in from the wide MeLaglen, later tawatomie County, Kansas? open West and their emissary, famous in Bris.
the Jack Curley, set Johnson afterwards made Parts with ban and lines
Johnson beat Melaglen over cefully laid for 1 Artha,
six rounks in Vancouver, but historic and hair-raising
you will find
10 mention of statements (all paid for) to They promised me freedom," Willed v, McLaglen in The the effect that he threw the Johnson wrote later. "Exiled record books. fight.
bereaves of a trumped-up con- viction, I areepled the fight with
Legitimate
reclaimed
LYING
testinony
the white men, which was pre- cisely the idea In an age when lynch law had yet to be over- taken by tolerance.
Contemporaries of all
hove declared
Lock
In the ring.
co-ordinallusessed of
Instead of
hold
CHARACTER
whites being visible." eyes were glassy,
on
*
com-
I
Very early next morning drove up with my graft next to Everyone was amazed that his boat, and we traced our was not sick. The reason was that I had been in secret trafne to a
course on the chart from Budyn certain island called
who
has
arrived casting
Wo sat down for dinner, and
1
1
the
the quarter-deck marking where his coffin had lain on his last journey back to Split,
This put my father much in my mind, and the terrible cir- cumstances of his death,
This little affair took place in Willard when I was told that, gymnasium * Springfield,
It took them about 20 minutes where MeLogien was af I lost, I would be allowed to Missouri,
and These two republics were the to find me in the waves return to the United States, that appearing in a strong-man act
only nations which had ships rain, and three times they pass- from all charges would be dropped, called The Great Romanos.
their trade in the ed by me quite close without Imparila! ring-siders suggests and persecution ended,"
well-packed crowd paid 50 cents he was lying, and that Willard
a head to see McLaglen beaten.
Mediterranean and even as far seeing me. battered him into sheer physical
as India and China,
Luckily, the water was warm Johnson, then 37, stipulated
and I had stripped so I just exhaustion on that boiling hot that the fight should be over not Willard, idle for
year, April day in Havana, 30 years more than 20 rounds; that
'I LAY DOWN'
floated until they at last found weighed nearly 23 stones when
mo and took me aboard. should take place in Mexico; he signed articles against
This experience did 'nothing that Els payment should be Johnson, and only
Simon That seems factual enough,
ing for some time, helping myself Molunat, which was to be our Munken place between them. Whatever the truth, Word 30,000 dollars in cash; that his begree oct
to change my love for by manager Tom But read Johnson's, account
ANY bloody naval battles had Navy. the heavyweight wife should be at the ringside; Jones got him in the ring ut a the final round that hot April to charettes I found lying about rendezvous. championship of the world for and that he should share the muncuvrable 18st 121b.
afternoon in Havana, He wrote: and smoking them in the bath-
Very shortly after it I join- The Republic of Ragusa thrived ed in a full fleet manoeuvre on Allm rights.
"I lay down to Willard. The
The room.
The umpire, my navál aide until the days of Napoleon, board our arrangement was that my wife
super destroyer the R.N.F.C, telephoned when Marshal Marmond invaded Dubrovnik. I slept in the cabin Alas, not all these things
A few of my friends had also from was to signal me from the ring been working very hard for their to the airbase at Kumbor, and the city and brought its inde- where my father had spent his caine to puss.
Quite a character, this Jones, side when the promoters had One-Lime Johnson.
last night before reaching manager to Ad paid her my purse money, and examination, which was to take had a seaplane flown down for pendent history to an end, three
seilles, and I saw the Sport Wolgast, the former world light- then I was to go down and stay place at the usual date, June 24. him so that he might follow us. Johnson that bandits planned that
Most of the pictures taken on Jonca
оп was a greater and more ver-
had down for the count. Jonen him to ransom against delivery weight champ un,
My mother thought it would be My opponent with his M.T.B. this trip of ours belong to my satile heavyweight than
obtained Willard's munattement "Every round I watched for either to the U.S. Federal authorities,
for all of us to go and I with my speedboat, lined allowed me to use them for this grent fun
uncle,
very kindly Jack Dempsey or Joe Louls w made a bee-line for Havano. by a piece of
chleanery that the signal, but none came, and
touring throughout the country up at 10 o'clock, at the agreed fine boxer, master at the art of
eventually set him back
I kept right on fighting. a punch
visiting old monasteries and the starting point. The umpire flew story. feinting,
powerful
20 rounds they on the nose in a Chicago bar they were going to double-crOSI Countor-
Serblan battlefields.
down low over our boats and puncher, and
erinade it 45-or fight to a finish, and 5,000 dollars compensation me, I was going to cap it by
We set sail for the Island of 10 per-
The Alm was banned in the to Willard's original manger, an knocking out Willard.
fired a signal for us to start. On Finally I therefore applied for a
where we Korcula, the red light we both opened up All of which qualities ernshed U.S.A.. and Johnson, hawking ex-wrestler named Kid Cutler. the money was handed over to special leave permit
doven for my and shot off like streaks. Within about
o'clock, Into oblivion when Wilord
111 copy round a war-torn So to April 5, 1015-the black my wife in the 28th round, and friends, with the guarantee that 25 minutes we could hardly see anchor in the bay. right hand hit him on the
NEXT SATURDAY: 1 Europe. found business well Johnson the white Willard. In that round I went down, with would coach them on our trip. the M.T.B. nigh impossible.
Referee: Jack Welch. Odds: my hands over my head to pro- Thus, in the second week. in
Italy invades Greece 8-5 on Johnson.
teet my eyes from the glaring June we attached my caravan to
continuad This happily
for since the boy is one of the most .... the call to Berchtesgaden NO FAKE
Wisely. Willard
attempted sun."
the Ford trucks and with the about an hour and a half, when, famous in the country for. nth- little at first, beyond keeping
athlete who trained Johnson for off we went, Richard J. Klegin, the back-
I drove my brand at Rushcutters Bay, Sydney. stage promoter behind Curley, enormously long left arm.
at the aging. Johnson with his the night, told us later how false new Opel,
In was Johnson's "confession." Much had happened to John- retired from the scene
broke tho ofth, soventh and 14th Said he: "The battle was on the fleeing from son in those seven years or to and dinished up
Johnson rallied with level. Willard won because he L' Artha as he liked
bo bunker.
rounds, atowaway in a coat something of his former fire, was the better man." called
Nice people.
after 20 rounds the True or false, fighter or faker, From A kable young man
eyes were bleeding, Johnson Willard, six years Johnson's veteran's
• through as with little more than a set of junior, was no falco cowboy. Hls and his body quivering with champion. gold treil to distinguish him giant
Ho eked frame-fl. Bin, fighting pain under Willard's methodical
precarious, from any other Negro outside weight 18st-had been built up labbing.
trouble-laden existence - abroad, the ring, Johnson had blazed a by boyhood riding with red-
Pathetically.
Johnson waved served tils prison sentence on his trail of noisy arrogance across skins, and, later, by a job as n to his wife, and, after 25 return to the U.S.A. and lost his
WHO says the British today. the world, beaten up veteran plainsman,
rounde, cald tohla seconds: money. Jim Jeffries in a holocaust
"Tako the lil gal away. I don't Liï Artha, henvyweight cham-
M. Casanova, a director of Roso, fallen foul of the USA.
The British Ambassadar, Sir He did no boxing till he was want her to see ** knocked plan of the world, rubsequently comped for the night in
many beautiful spots in wild This is a crack that prob- Swiss National Hotels, who was federal laws and fled to Europe. 28 and, at heart, was much too out"
became a jazz-band lender, bull-
mountain country and
member of the jury, said to Lionel Lamb was present and Johnson, twice married to amlable for pugilism despite
atably will never be heard on me:. "Never have I soon any tucked into the woust, boof of We shall probably never know fighter, spy, wrestler,
whisky Svilainaz, a white women, had been sen- the scarifying tales his ebullient the truth of round 20, but I' salesman, evangelist, actor,
popular holiday the Continent again, for thing like it It was,fantasilci Old England like a youngster, resort. We returned to Belgrade tenced
Imprisonment for
offer first, a ringside report: physical culturist politician, vin Cacak, where we visited the six British chefs have just The British started off with the I am told. He was as proud a year and a day under the Mann around film.
manager, Tom Jones, bulit: upJohnson rose'slowly from his bar-keeper and operatic extra montalery' which had been par-stolen the 'show at Hospes, moet marvellous roast bart and the chefs when they
Any real "devil" he might and Willard met him more in Alda. Arid Analy, a 'barker tally destroyed by the Austrians an.
Yorkshire pudding, the like of their madala international cookery which has never been seen in
This, is the first time that Switzerland. before. And then Brit team of cooks World War I, and was just exhibition at Berne,
the cold chicken! It was yo
ontoret into catering We intended to reach Belgrade And they made no fuss beautifully prepared Lion on the Continen at all costs in time to be present about it, either. Each re-
wetplace--enormous laba, Aras / Lime that at the
International football ceived a gol modal, #animon land trout as brought manber of Tech match between Italy and Yo diploma and congratulations are of les mots the slavia,
chin In round 20-just seven years after Johnson had
chased Tommy Burns to Australia and taken the title from him on that ill-starred Boxing Day of 1008
10
in
Cuba as
out of harm's way and pecking om Flanagan, the Canadfon chauffeur, Nomaju, at the wheels Just after having pasted the ing, I put. Ave lines overboard, '--'«» «r Messaga. for action
But
chalr
WBE
dut
11
two-thirds of the way in a Coney faland flea circus.
Act after an affair with another white girl, and jumped his ball.
In Paris, he outpointed Frank have possessed had been klock across the ring: Willard stabbed
One June 10, 1948, when he Moran, knocked out a Russian ed out of him by his arrest and a long left in Johnson's face, was 08, he died in a car crash wrontier
called Andre Spoul #xoneration on manslaughter and waxed flabby in the role charge after the daughter bonding his head bobbing back. in North Carolina.
the champion
coulth WORLD Corynzone. Reserved boulevardier - along the opponents, Bull Young, recover his position, Willard whom he had knocked un- swung a smashing right, which was, in the early conscious in California two landed full on Johnson's
of
| days of the 1914-18 war, that years before he fought Johnson, stomach. Johnson was evang
the exiled Johnson became a The only thing Willard had in against the ropes by the force pimson planty scared by gunfire common with Johnson was that of the blow sund he clinched on ancaraider afora plucking, by cers they both had fought Victor the rebound, yuka
NEXT SATURDAY: The boxer who fought the scales
This tour gave us a chance to see porta of our
magnificent countryside scorred with old battlegrounds, that We had known hitherto only from refer- ences in books.
WE
newly renovated.
་
BRITISH COOKS WIN AWARDS
cannot cook?
From Ernest Ashwick
Geneva. critical epicureans alive Yorkshire pudding, 2.
·wald: ""Indiced' I' dit. heavenly."
για
from a jury which included: A kids, thers dizer pantry, was calma "Even the Contra Unfortunately, on
the way not only Europe best most too good to be true, diz swans hot theme must have been some water shots but some of the most so some of thin your and dyer (Comuniceeno
"the" gasoline and we had to
c
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