J was a huge man nearly six and a half feet tall and with fists like two hams. J’s pa saw the size of him and from an early age raised him to be a pugilist. Boxing was illegal in the state he came from, so he went with his brothers and pa to New Orleans, where people pay to see fights in a ring. J was so big it took some time to find an opponent that wouldn’t make people think of David and Goliath when they were paired up together. The first fellow he fought was a swarmer six inches shorter and fifty pounds lighter. J took the fellow’s blows on his arms and they didn’t hurt him any. When the man got tired, J threw a big one that cracked the man’s nose and eye socket and the poor guy went into shock and died right there. J didn’t want to box again after that, but his pa insisted. A couple m
