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Many Fistic Celebrities HaveBeen Laid Low in Bucking the Game of Booze.Danny Needham, Once a Famous Welter and Now in Asylum, the Latest Victim.Behind the Iron bam of an Inaana any him at Hastings, Minn., them crouches the outward shell of Danny Needham, contender for the world'•welterweight champiomihlp tn 1891. Hiefigure ta bent, hie xhefki show the pinch of want, while his eye* etare steadfastly Into apaoe, lie le a moat pathetic figure. John P:\rleycorn hn*added one more a port In a celebrity tohla long llat of knockouts.Two yenra ago he suffered n moatat breakdown caused by dlaslpnMon, At that time ho was committed to the It Ratings aaylum and he remained there until this fall. Apparently he wae Improving, in the opinion of the oftldala of the Institution, because they | allowed him considerable liberty. In Beptember he disappeared. For ewer a month search was made for him* 1 but all trace was lost Then, aboft two weeks ago he turned up In fit. Haul. In four weeka be had tramped Zoo miles, hefting for food along the way. He nept hla Identity carefully anrealed, but when he reached fit 11*tiul he was recognised by several persona. Then It was learned that he had escaped from the asylum. When tho guards dime to take him back he imade a feeble show of resistance;Reports any the veteran la sane at brief Intervals, but for the greater part of the time he ie utterly helpless.Danny Needham never reached tt\eheighte of hie profession, but he always a dangerous contender for those w ho had championship aspirations. His , rlr.g career was comparatively brief, j some aft years In all. and tn that timehe fought practically all the top-notchers tn the welter division, His j three historic con teat a were:One hundred rounds, Dondoa price ring rules, with Patsy Kerrigan, at Km Francisco, on Feb. 17, 1880. This match lasted eeven hours, and It was called a draw at the end.fieventy-slx rounds, with Temay Ryan, at Minneapolis. Minn., ett Feb.18, 1881. Needham was r re ct lenity bHaded from the blows of Hyan before theelatter succeeded In putting over thefinishing punch.Point, an rounds, for the world's wel* ferwcitrht t championship, with Myeteri-ous Hilly Smith, nt Ran Francisco, on Dee. 14. 18’ij Smith scored a knockout and thereafter laid claim to tho title,I which hud been in ohevance elneo the retirement of Paddy Duffy, tho acknowl-edged champion. In tho oarly 80aThat contest really marked the begtfi-I dug of the end of Needham'S glory as after that, until finally In 1888 be Wl-untartlv retired from Che game. Hemade his home In Minneapolis and for several years he was quite a prominent figure In the snorting activities of the Flour city, IJquor was hla ohlef enemy end eventually It conquered him. Homeseven years ego he became destitute.18 n h* left Minneapolis and from that time on ha eked out an extetenee byworking aa a oommon laborer. Whet HMi*. monve he made always went for drink. He vers I times he was Jailed for barroom brawls.In ail probability death wtll cometo Danny Needham me long. Hlastrength la gons He wasted It trying to leaf an opponent Oiat nevsr lost out when once It gripped a man Needham's fnte is merely an additional object lesson of the truth of this statsment. The modern history of ths prtse rink recalls only two other unhann* endings like Needham's Jo* Ortm and Al Kublsk now ar* Inmates of asylums.The ponderous Jess Willard has beenharked into a corner where It will takeconsiderable diplomacy to extrloeie himself without a fight. ' ■'%Jim Coffroth. bead of the committee on taxing which te one of tho subdivisions of the nationwide movement to raise 8170 Roo for war work, through the promotion of carious forms of ath-Utlo entertainments, has sent an official request to Willard to land his services in the cause. Coffroth suggests that Willard agree to meet Dempsey In a tlx round hAtie at a Place to be determined aa sobn as the champion gives answerto the proposal. *From time to time recently the heavyweight tttleholder haa axpreaasd a willingness to do hla sham In any patriotic enterprise sponsored bv the government.Ha even has ash) that he te willing to go across and battle for the entertainment of the elhed soldiers tn France. Now the war fund committee la taking him at his word They want him to(Continued on Page Thirteen.)
Newspaper Details
Lincoln Sunday Star
Lincoln, Nebraska, US
Sun, Nov 03, 1918
Page 9
Full Page
Clipped by
John H.
IL, USA 17 Jun 2018
Other Publications Near Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln Evening Journal
Lincoln Daily Star
Lincoln Daily News
Lincoln Star
Lincoln Nebraska State Journal
