Nebraska Newspapers

    Levinsky Fight Proved
Camera Was Turning
Point in Louis’ Career
By P. L. PRATTIS
(For The Associated Negro
Press)
Chicago, Aug. 15—When Joe
Louis, Detroit’s heavyweight gift
to the white gentlemen in Now
ork and Chicago who promote
prize fights, pounded out a
smashing two-minute victory over
King Levinsky at Cominsky park
last Wednesday •evening before
.19,195 rabid, yelling fans, his
tom tom fists carried a curt, pre
emptor y message to all other
heavyweights, white and black.
“Get out of my way—I mean
business!” said the Louis’ maul
ers for their owner.
Thousands of charged and livid
words have pranced over the tele
graph wires designed to describe
the downfall of the Kingfish and
full credit lias been giben to the
Brown Bomber, but the after
math of the battle is contained
in the “Clear the way” command
o ft lie sledge hammer blows
which cut the head of the Kra
kows down.
Before the Levinsky fight,
some reporters, eager for an an
gle of exploitation, criticized the
Louis training methods. They
said his sparmates were hams.
rl his writer thought they were
heroes. One round each they went
with him at each session, one
round if they could last. But most
of them could not last. For five
dollars, they volunteered to be
knocked unconscious. Do you
think that’s an easy job? How
would you like to tell somebody,
“Well, 1 worked hard last week—
I was knocked unconscious three
times”?
Louis did his real training for
the Levinsky fight in the Yankee
Stadium against Primo Camera.
Vv hen he had chopped the giant
oak of Lombardy down, he was
ready then for the mighty King
fish. After that fight, Louis was
through with his tests in the prize
ring.
There be those who will boast
of their exploit in going the limit
with the Brown Bomber. Four
men will tell that story to their
grandchildren if the effects of
the beating they took from Louis
allow them to live that long. They
are Adolph Wiater, Jack Kranz',
Patsi Perohni and Natie Brown.
What a tale for these last two:
“I stayed ten rounds with him
when he was in his prime!”
Eager readers, believe not a
word of it. This writer has seen
nearly all of Joe Louis’ fights.
He started observing Joe as an
amateur. lie predicted after Joe’s
first professional fight that he’d
catch up with Max Baer in less
than two years. It took Joe only
one year. The boasts of the guys
who went the limit with Joe Lou- j
:0 How to Get Rid of
GRAY HAIR
Look Years Younger
o _
o When you can change your gray,
faded, or streaked h^ir to its natural
youthful soft color in less than half
an hour—
And do it at home without fear of
harm to the hair—why go on looking
years old<*r than you should look.
Rap—I—Dol is the real, original
hair colorer—18 shades to choose from
it is so supremely good that the best
beauty shops in all the large cities in
the world feature it. Rap—I—Dol
will not wash off or fade nor affect
marcell or permanent waves.
Go to any Beaton Drug Store today
and choose the shade you need—you’ll
be a happy woman if you do—for a
long time to come.
r.
TIRED, ACHING,
SWOLLEN FEET
Moone’s Emerald Oil Guaranteed to
Stop All Pain and Soreness and
Banish Offensive Odors
In just one minute after an appli
cation of Emerald Oil you’ll get the
. surprise of your life. Your tired,
tender, smarting, burning feet will
literally jump for joy.
No fuss, no trouble; you just ap
ply a few drops of the oil over the
surface of the foot night and morn
ing, or when occasion requires. Just
a little and rub it in. It’s simply
wonderful the way it ends all foot
misery, while for feet that sweat
and give off an offensive odor,
there’s nothing better in the
world.
Moone’s Emerald Oil is
guaranteed to end your foot
t-troubles or money back.
O O
is are hollow save for a stuffing
of vanity. Believe this writer
v^hen he tells you that neither
Patsi Peronni nor Natie Brown
could either last more than two
rounds with the Joe Louis of to
day. Believe him when he tells
you that neither could have last
ed at any time if Joe had been
told to plaster them to the flodr
at any cost- No, blood brothers,
they could not have done it.
Up unti lthe Camera fight ,Joe
Louis was taking his examina
tions in the prize ring. He was
young, he was new, he was green
(lacking in experience). Remem
ber how Jack Johnson said Car
nera would beat him because he
lacked experience? There was
something to the dope that Joe
had better be on the lookout for
the tricks of the crafty old vet
erans of the ring. Joe was like
any youngster learning. He had,
his eyes open to learn. His
friends, his trainer and his man
agers, all cautioned him. Nobody
wanted to see him through ignor
ance, become the victim of a trick
that would spoil his career. He
had the strength, the power and
the skill. Why run the risk of
losing a million dollars by some
rash oversight in the ring.
So, for one year, up until the
Camera fight, Joe took his les
sons in ring craft. If an opponent
went down and stayed from the
effect of one of Joe’s blasts, that
was all right, but that was not
the Bomber’s set design. He
didn't rush himself to finish
them. Remember how he floored
Birkie in the early rounds of a
fight at Pittsburgh, then coasted
to give the German a boxing les
son? That was a good chance to
learn something from one of the
veterans. In the final round, he
closed in and polished his man
off
Remember the Natie Brown
fight ? Remember how Brown
stuck his head outside the ropes
to keep Louis from hitting him?
Remember how the referee stay
ed in Joe’s way? Remember how
Brown gave the Bomber nothing
but the top of his head to hit at?
Remember how gentlemanly the
White Knight of the ring was,
stepping back to give Brown a
chance?
And do you remember the two
Ha mage fights? The first one
went eight rounds. Rarnage, the
master boxer, kept a left jab in
Joe’s face. Before the first fight,
Louis did not know what Rarnage
might do to him. He knew he was
a skillful boxer, but did not know
the weight of his blows. There
was no sense in him laying Kinf
self open to a chance blow frolu
the coast boxer. In the eighth
round, he caught up with him and!
set him on his pants. In Los An-1
geles, a few weeks later, it took ■
him only two rounds. He had i
learned much from the first fight;
above all, knew that he had noth
ing to fear from Rarnage.
But Camera was really ques-1
tion Number Ten in Joe’s exam!-;
nation of himself as a prizefight-;
er. Here was a giant hulk of a1
man who had been a champion.
He possessed size, height, reach,
strength and some skill. He was
known to be, not only tricky in
the ring, but “dirty” also. He’ll
step on your feet and sock you”
they warned Joe. “He’ll maul
and wrestle you until you are tir
ed”, others cautioned- He was
told that it would be difficult to
reach the giant ’s chin. He had the
example of Camera’s stand
against Baer as a test of the
toughness and recuperative pow
ers. Question Number Ten was
really the key to Joe’s examina
tion of himself. The correct an
swer to it was to prove to him
and to his handlers his real pow
i ers. So lie took his pencil from
! behind his ear, scratched his head
and figured out the answer.
The first knockdown of Car
nera in the sixth round at Yank
ee Stadium was a red light stop
sign for King Levinsky.
Who was this guy Levinsky,
known as the mighty fish peddl
er? lie was an old hometown war
horse. Many a good fighter oi
championship class had come to
Chicago to have his career blot
ttd by this fish monger. Jack
Sharkey had been knocked down.
Mickey Walker, Tommy Lough
ran. Leo Tom ski and numerous
others had been knocked out.
Jack Dempsey had been beaten
by him.
Many were they who had stood
up before the Kingfish only to
regret it afterwards. Not a skil
led boxer, he possessed a wild
right, filled with TNT. It came
from everywhere and was apt to
land anywhere- If it landed on his
opponent’s jaw, the opponent
landed on the floor. Furthermore
this Levinsky was tough and
courageous. Only twice before the
Louis fight had he been knocked
down. Once, in a fight early in
his career, Ted Ross upset him
and the Kingfish attempted to
run out of the ring. The other
time was last winter when Max
Baer knocked him out in two
rounds.
But against other fighters, Le
vinsky had caught all they could
pitch and had done some pitch
in gin his own behalf. He was
the kind of a fighter who did his
best under pressure, who count
ered with his right swings when
he was struck.
What was Joe Louis going to
do against a man like this? Sup
pose Joe did hit him? Would not
the Kingfish. retailate in a fury
and smash the Bomber to the can
vas? Few fans in Chicago believ
ed Levinsky could win against
Louis, but you could not have
picked up any money betting that
the Kingfish would not knock
Louis down. It was ‘in the cards’
that Joe was to be set on his pant
ies at least onee. “ What will you
do if he knocks you down?” ask
ed Wilfred Smith of the Chicago
Tribune. TI 'II get fup,” replied
Joe. Even Benny Leonard, who
thinks Joe is an invention in the
fighting game, felt Levinsky
might floor Joe. “But he’ll get
up,” asserted Leonard.
Well, the Kingfish did not
knock Joe down- Joe passed his
examination with a mark of E
plus.
The Joe Louis who met King
I Levinsky was a different Joe
'Louis from the one who defeated
j Camera, Ramage, Birkie, Peronni
jand the flock of others. He was
a fighter with the same power
and strength and skill, but in the
Camera bout he had passed his
; test in psychology and ring craft.
That is why 40,000 paid cus1
tomers saw the quickest knock
out in Joe’s ring career. Many
fighters inferior to Levinsky had
stayed longer with Joe, but none
of them had met the Joe Louis
whom the Kingfish faced. The
Hebrew lad can take some con
solation out of that thought.
Against Levinsky, Louis was|
not only the powerful Bomber j
and the master boxer. He added j
fury to his work. He was a frenzi
ed tiger, eager to kill, lie cared j
not a wot for ring tricks, for th« j
other man in the ring. The fa
mous ^Levinsky Sunday punch
meant nothing to him. Hadn’t he
heard them “build up” all tlie
other guys he had fought? Well,
there had been nothing to that
stuff. Too, he knew the crowd
was wondering if he could take
it. He had told someone sharply,
“I don’t have to take it, I dish
it out ”
But he would show them. He’d
take all Levinsky had and crush
him like an annoying cockroach
That’s just what he did. Only
half the story of the fight has
been written. It has been all
about what Louis did to the King
fish. That is but natural. Bui
something should be written
about what the Kingfish did (or
tried to do) to Louis. Louis him
self, after the fight, stated that
Levinsky had stuck his thumb in
hs eye, “but I jpLon’t think he
meant it”, added Joe. Don’t let
anybody try to tell you Levinsky
did not want to make a fight of
it. Don’t you believe that stuff
about Levinsky being afraid. The
writer knows Levinsky, has talk
ed with him, punched him in the
belly. The Kingfish fears no man.
He might have been puzzled (his
face showed that) but he was not
afraid- He intended to turn the
power on Joe at the first oppor
tunity. And he did. There were
lots of those at the ringside who
seem not to have seen the sock
which Levinsky landed on Joe’s
jaw. That is possible. The fight
was so quick, so filled with ac
tion, that it could habe been miss
ed. But this writer was within ten
feet of the two fighters when the
Levinsky sock landed on Joe’s
cheek bone. Joe said Levinsky
just grazed his eye. Other report
ers thought the blow landed on
Joe’s neck. It didn’t. It hit him
flush on the cheek bone. It is a
tribute to Joe’s toughness and
durability if he thought Levinsky
had just grazed his eye.
Levinsky hit Joe twice with all
he had .But he might just as well
have socked the chin whiskers of
a George Washington statue. Joe
was a deadly rampaging ma
chine. He knew he could take it
His first sock to Levinsky’s chin
a curving combination left hook
and upppercut told him that the
Kingfish was his dinner. And
with a fury shown in none of his
other fights, he sped up the kill
ing.
Before the Camera fight, Lev
insky nii^ht have laster six or
seven rounds with Joe. But, after
the New York brawl, it was “in
the cards” that the likable boy
of Maxwell street was to go out
early.
And “it is in the cards” that
all the other heavyweights ,black
and white, must fall before the
dynamite of the Bomber for a
long time to come Louis will
fight Baer in September. Baer
will be in condition for this fight.
And he’ll fight. But don’t worry
my dearies. It will do no good.
These six-inch mule kicks of
Louis will put him out of condi
tion. Not for a long, long time
wil Ithe conqueror of Joe Louis
come along, maybe never if lie
takes care of himself.
Somewhere up on the w a y,
maybe two or three years from
now, a dark shadow will probab
ly cross the path of Louis, a
Sam Langford dogging a Jack
Johnson. The shadow will be a
jet black boy, also from Detroit,
known as Lorenzo Back. There
are those who look forward to
this fight. Pack is expected to
pack away the entire pack of ex
i
[ isting reavyweights and confront
Joe, But Pack has come along
at the wrong time. LouSs is too
far in front. When Pack has
worked his way in front of the
other heavies, Louis will still be
in front of him, a boxing Corbett,
a slugging Dempsey, and a strat
egist like Britton, all rolled into
one
NEGRO NEWSPAPERS HAVE
SPECIAL WIRES AT
BIG FIGHT
#
Chicago, Aug. 14. (AKP)—Col
ored members of the fourth Estate
did a fine job by jJoe Louis and the
promoters who put over the fight be
tween him and King Levi ns ky at
Comiskey Park last Wednesday
night.
Special wires were leased by The
Pittsburgh Couriesr, The Afro
American and The Atlanta Daily
World, which carried blow-by-blow
descriptions of the fight until its
eventful end after two minutes
twenty-one seconds of fighting.
“Cheg” Washington, sports edi-*
tor of The Courier, sat next to
Bill Corum of the Hearst staff and
piled up copy for his paper. Direct
ly after the fight, he shot pictures in
to Pittsburgh by plane. The publi
caton of The Courier was held up 24
hours in order to obtain coverage of
the fight. Within an hour and a
half after tht fight was over, The
Courier was on the street,
B'll Gibson of The Afro American
also wired his paper while the fight
was in progress. The Afro had made
special preparations for a blow-by
blow description of the battle to be
broadcast from its plant in Balti
more.
P. I. Prattis did the number for
the Atlanta World.
Also sitting in tse “working press”
row was A1 Munro of the Defender.
Munro began lor\g before the fight
to grind out impressionistic copy
for the special editions of his paper
which were issued before 10 o’clock.
Close by was Frank Young, sports
editor of the Kansas City Call; Rus
sel Cowans, Detroit, and numerous
other representatives of he colored
other x-epresentatives of the colored
pi'ess.
After the fight, as the colored
boys gi-ound out their copy for the
vaiting telegx-aph o p e r atox*9, a
arge crowd of spectators fi'om the
‘millionaires’ row” behind them
stood up and watched the writers
at work while reading their stories.
BAER NEXT FOR LOUIS. |
MAYBE CHICAGO,
MAYBE NEW YORK
Chicago. 111.. Aug. 14, (ANP)—*
The battle of the dynamiters, Joe
Louis and ex-champion, Max Baer,
Will be held either Sept. 26 or 27,
either in Yankee Stadium, New
York, or Soldier Field, Chicago.
The papers were signed last
Thursday in this city followng the
Louis-Levinsky scrap.
Wherever it is fought, there is a
tentative arrangement that the
fighters will each receive 30 per
COULD NOT DO HER
HOUSEWORK
VV^H E N every
** thing youat
| tempt is a burden
—when you are
) nervous and irri
table—at your
wit’s end—try
this medicine. It
may be just what
vou need for extra
energy. Mrs. Charles L. Cadmus of
Trenton, New Jersey, says, “After
doing just a little work I had to lie
down. My mother-in-law recom
mended the Vegetable Compound.
I can see a wonderful change now.”
cent of the net receipts.
There is no question about the
fight being held. Mike Jacobs, pro
moter of the Twentieth Century
club, New York, which staged the
Lou.s-Carnera imbroglio, holds the
signed papers of earh man.
The big question to be settled now
is the city which will get £he fight
New York wants it and Chicago
wants it Managers of both fighters
are said to prefer Chicago. Which
ever town treats them' the better
will get the fight.
Ancil Hoffman, Baer’s manager,
was quoted as saying that he’d rath
er have his man fight in Chicago and
receive less money.
TENNESSEE GOVEENOR
SAVES SLAYERS
FROM CHAIR
Nashville, Tenn., Aug. 14, (ANP)
—•Clemency on the part of Governor
McAllister, Thursday saved Morice
Jones and obert White from the
electric chair, to which they had
been sentenced to die for the murder
of Robert A. Oox, white insurance
man of Memphis, Tennessee. The
death sentences were commuted to
life imprisonment by the governor
The convictions were recently con
firmed by the Supreme Court and
only the interference on the part of
Governor McAllister saved the
doomed men from death. Jn sub
mitting the recommendation to the
governor for executive clemency,
the court declared:
“While constrained to sustain the
findings of the trial judge that the
confessions were not illegally ob
tained the mind cannot be made to
rest easily upon a conclusion to af
firm the judgement carrying the
death penalty without a recommend
ation that the governor committ the
sentence of bith defendants to 1 i f e
imprisonment for life.”
Cox, an agent for the National
Burial Company of Memphis was
killed as he was about to enter the
home of a policy holder, December
24, 1934 by two men,' later identi
fied as Jones and White. Follow
ing their arrest both confessed to the
crime but later repudiated their
confessions, declaring that they con
fessed under duress. The trial was
held ,January 24, 1935 &nd the men
were sentenced to die in t h e elec
tric chair.
GET MONEY—LOVES
t V'etoiAMC'in
HL fTf.LLlAluo, •vi
liJUWEY CITY, H. X
Dept. O. G.
GROWS
HAIR
• STRAIGHT
" •LUSTROUS
• GLEAMING
• LONG
Let Your JMirror
Prove The Results
Your hair need not be abort,
acraggly kinky, nor need it
be dried out, faded and life
less, For thi~re is a way to
k overcome this poor condi
i tion that destroys the ni
r turai beauty of the hair.
This new different metnod
will grow 'o«g. lustrous.
I glossy, silken straight hair.
I remove dandruff, itch, tet
ter, dry scalpiand dried out
hair condition by lubricat
ing. strengthening and pro
longing the lif e of the hair
for both men and women.
Send COUPON now before
It is too fete for the FREE
Treatise 7-Dey Triai Offer.
MA L COUPON FOR CTPCTC
r IaLC.
* | Q«« r •*’ COMPANY TWfcATISg
Dept. H-4M 2(jj n. Michigan Chicago, III. 3
» Pleaae 8«n i FREh Treatise 7 Day Trial Of- I
| far without ac> coat at all to ni'e.
I
| NAME . |
j ADDRESS.*. I
I CITY.81 ATE.J
ADVERTISE IT IN THE GUIDE
4
A
*
5%>/235 KELVINATOR
FOR ONLY ® M
Hr down
hr 21 years the great Kehrinator factories have
built only qualify merchandise. And this long and
successful experience is reflected in the beautiful
new 1935 models, look at the model illustrated
befowl Greater ke capacity — scientific shelf
arrangement which gives more storcge space
and greater convenience—and a wealth of design
and construction features—all at the lowest price
In Kelvinator history. See this beautiful Kel
lisator before you buy. And ask about terms.
mtr oat
WO THOOSMD MEW
KELVINATOB
k OWNERS
Nebraska Power Co.
Courtesy - Service • Low Rates
DO YOU KNOW WHY— ta one Should Invent An Qdariess Pipe?_Dn«(w» mu By Frank Leet _
ha' New Fb(«£
A Good *>EAcEFuu_
S>Aok>E.' J
i . ____**
i 1
xter—>
f OoHn'1--V
IVxJHA'r HAVE )
| TbuO Vou N
i A©OUT SMCKlNG-J
Iwtewutional Cartoon "Co, K. rT 3S&
/John!
Raising tne Familydidn't stop to think how tt would sound! ____fflsho?
_ _
\ i writ a, recohmcn}
1 tXSTICaO-PCR. PS * *
few\RT- CO. fSNO rwe.Y
(SH^PPeo we we.
L^l?—■
PfrtIPiATIOHAl. caktooh caum
C yyeuu, vouve <oOV c-s
i fs ©ETTea easiness t
' ,H£^ TWPsM \ twe _J
\ v* cp£.^'T -,
C_-■---y~ £ sou 1
/ Ys<\\b \T, 1
1
»5T «n^lS Pp,PE.P J
»T CO \
**OOP SrvQTS
6 • I KAN&- BEE*
\<o one OF toufe ^
"S FOP
PE_EC-< 'tEAPV
(OOftS TpocV
0«OfeOWHAu<t
rVWELL. WHAT& )
/THE MATTER
\ of <r? J
CTHN-S A, (, *
| r»N£ tvhhc C,
) to HAye tN (
S pp-tnr^ 3