2019.070.005

This is a scrapbook created by a friend or family member of one John Tilley who died in 1928. The book contains clippings from several newspapers pertaining to John Tilley’s career as a marathon runner and boxing trainer, as well as a few handwritten or typewritten letters sent to Tilley and photos of him and his trainee, Steve Kennedy. Tilley was apparently a very popular man in his sphere of influence at the time, as many of the letters sent to him ask him to participate in marathon events, events that the author of these letters would state “Should be quite easy” for a man like Tilley. When Tilley dropped out of a 30 mile race because he had broken his rib in a boxing incident the night before, he had managed to run 26 of the 30 miles. A telegram that was sent to him, pasted in this book, congratulates him for even attempting this feat with his injury. According to newspaper articles and an obituary pasted into this book, Tilley’s wife died in her sleep in 1911, and his son fell deathly ill in 1915, prompting Tilley to send a letter to city government persuading them to make more city/government provided work available for men with children or families. According to some of the clippings in the book, Tilley was a boxer before he became a trainer, which is how he met fellow boxer and future trainee Steve Kennedy, but his primary job was working maintenance at a local power plant. Steve Kennedy was apparently an excellent boxer, but had lost quite a few matches later in his career and ended up leaving the profession for a bout in 1911, though Tilley convinced him to fight again a few years later in 1914. This upset in Kennedy’s career made him an unpopular match for many fighters and unpopular to watch for many citizens. Despite this, Tilley defended his trainee and his abilities until the day he died, outside of a bar not far from the theater he once fought in, falling down the stairs into the bar and hitting his head on the concrete. Many of the articles pertaining to his death in this scrapbook suspected that this was not just a trip and fall situation, but that foul play was involved, perhaps caused by Tilley’s fervent defense of the unpopular Kennedy.