The Terror of Terre Haute

Having lived in Terre Haute for the majority of my life, I am usually intrigued when I hear of a local athlete that is a major success. While reading An American Hometown I became interested in Charles "Bud" Taylor, a boxer who had killed two men he had faced. After a few minutes searching I found out that Taylor actually had a book written about his life. Thanks to the wonder of Google I was able to preview a portion and gain some perspective on his upbringing.

Taylor grew up the son of a "teamster", which during that period meant transporting goods by a horse-drawn carriage. This job obviously was not a job of high prestige or pay, along with little job security. From 1900-1915 his family moved seven times, all within a 10 block radius near Tippecanoe avenue. In his neighborhood it was typical for families to live paycheck to paycheck. With no money for a car, the Boys Club or Boy Scouts weren't a luxury Taylor had an opportunity to participate in. If he had, he probably wouldn't have became the kind of boxer he did. Instead of learning the Boy Scout Oath, he was learning to settle his disputes with his fists. A story that is common to many of the great boxers of all time. 

Fortunately for Taylor his delinquency started and ended with fighting. He was a trustworthy child, who by the age of 10 already had a job selling the Terre Haute Post-Telegram. During this time Taylor's older brother, Orville, died of gangrene. It was later found out that his illness resulted from a kick in the stomach while playing football. Taylor never spoke about the incident and his son was unaware that his father had a brother, only finding out while being interviewed after his father's death. It is tough to imagine what emotions Taylor had to relive when two men would later die after fights with him. Although in the case of Frankie Jerome (p 90) it could be debated that he died from a failed surgery rather than from the fight alone. Regardless of the cause Taylor felt responsible saying, "No one knows how I feel. I'd give anything to have Frankie alive tonight,". Taylor's life is a great example of Terre Haute history that is anything but ordinary.