TRICKS IN EVERY TRADE BUT OURS El Paso herald., March 09, 1918, HOME EDITION, Cable News and Automobile Section, Page 14, Image 14 A Bout Between Jack Dempsey and Jack Dempsey Ought To Be A Good Drawing Card; Willard Would Fight Himself If He Could. By Roy Emik It is nothing uncommon these days to see Bill Farnum facing himself in a movie, or Jack Kerringan bumping glasses with his second self when he drinks his own health, or to see Mary Pickford smiling at herself in the form of a dual personage. It would no longer be surprising to movie goers if they saw Doug Fairbanks climbing a church steeple for exercise, meeting himself coming down as he was going up. Of course everybody understands that it is one of the many tricks of the movie photographers. But what about a fight between Jack Dempsey and Jack Dempsey? Right now Jack Dempsey is all the rage. From the Pacific coast he has rushed across the continent, upsetting every boxer he has met, until fistiana has been all mussed up and several of it’s followers sent into oblivion by this human nine-pin tumbler. He is after Jess Willard’s belt although if he got it he would have enough for himself and a balance sufficient for a half dozen grandchildren. There are a lot of fan’s who believe that this compact fighting machine can whip both Willard and Fulton. Willard Would Try It If that be true then there is no good drawing card left for Jack Dempsey to fight except Jack Dempsey. If Jess Willard had thought of this plan he would doubtless have been willing to fight long before now, as he has never hesitated to go after the coin in most any old way he believes he can get it. Doubtless he would be tickled into many broad grins if he can get into the movies and give the public one big battle wherein he fought himself to a standstill. But that can’t be done. You movie fan’s have noticed that when Farum, and Kerrigan and Fairbanks and little Mary Pickford promenade about on the stage facing and talking to their likeness they never take hold of each other. In the film line that is impossible. That is why Jess couldn’t jar himself with a left to the face and counter with a right on himself. He might stand off and feint at himself--- and maybe that is all he would to do---- but he could not get into a fracas. Dempsey vs Dempsey But that don’t stop Jack Dempsey from fighting Jack Dempsey he could do it. In fact he did do it two years ago at Price, Utah. On that occasion Jack Dempsey went ten rounds with Jack Dempsey and the bout was a draw. Jack tried to knock Jack’s block from his shoulders but Jack was unable to do it. Jack pounded Jack and Jack pounded back. They Did Fight One Jack is the Jack who is now after Jess Willard's title, and the other Jack was the light-heavyweight now known as "Pueblo Jack" Dempsey. He fought here in El Pas several years ago under the name of Bob York. Just how much he can fight is attested by the fact that after ten hard rounds neither Dempsey was able to put the other Dempsey out of business. Since that battle both Dempsey’s have Improved rapidly. "Pueblo Jack" has a string of victories to his credit that compares very favorably with that of the Pacific coast boxer. He has won from such men as Tommy Rowan, Terry Ward. Soldier Weir, Bobbv Rose, Larry Jensen, Don Casper, Tom Larkins, Young Jack Johnson, Phil Donovan, Kid Carter, Johnny Alberts, One Round Hogan, Tony Caponi, Young Lowry. Tommy Murphy, Willie Lewis, Texas Tate, Kid Gleason, Joe Herrick and Billy Griffiths. This Is no mean list of victories and one calculated to make California Jack, or Utah Jack, as he is also called, sit up and take notice. In view of the accomplishments of this pair of Jacks within the last year, a match between the two ought to be a hummer. Such a bout staged somewhere In the southwest, where both are well known, ought to produce a purse so obese that even the loser would draw down a neat sum. Have at It, you Dempsey Jacks.
I think the Mary Pickford film they refer to is 'Stella Maris' (1918). Pickford plays the title character, who is a disabled rich girl, and also a poor and emotionally abused orphan named Unity who becomes a domestic in Stella's household. When I saw the film on dvd I was impressed that Pickford was a better actress than I had realized, especially in the role of Unity.
