in
a non-title fight, he knocked Dixon out in the second round.
They fought again in 1896 with Dixon winning and fought to a
draw in 1897. "Kentucky Rosebud" also fought former
world champion Young Griffo and twice fought future world
champion Joe Gans. He remained fairly active as a fighter as
late as 1902, when he fought at least nine times. He is known to
have fought once in 1903, then seems to have retired. In 1913
another man boxed in Altoona as "Young Kentucky
Rosebud", and it is doubtful that Walter Edgerton was the
man who fought light-heavyweight Battling Holmes in New York in
1915. What is certain is that Walter Edgerton, fighting as
Kentucky Rosebud, defeated John Henry Johnson in Philadelphia on
June 28, 1915 and did the same thing twice in 1916, on January
27 by knockout and on August 23.
Regarding
Walter Edgerton's age at the time of the John Henry Johnson
fights in 1916, the 1910 Census and his death certificate
indicate that he was born around 1855. At least one news paper
article gives his birth date as November 18, 1854 which fits the
Census and death records. Perhaps adding to the public confusion
about his age are the newspapers of the time of the Johnson
fights in 1916, who are somewhat all over the place regarding
exactly how old he was, but who all have born in the 1850s, save
one report by Robert Maxwell of the Philadelphia Evening Ledger,
who took a few years off, perhaps in disbelief that a man that
old could move around the ring.
"They are the famous Kentucky Rosebud, aged 63 years, and the equally famous John Henry Johnson, aged 45." (wire, January 24, 1916)
"The Kentucky Rosebud, the former great negro featherweight, who modestly admits being 61 years old, knocked out his veteran rival John Henry Johnson, another dusky warrior, who admits to having been on this earth for forty-three summers and as many winters." (wire in Trenton Evening Times, January 28, 1916)
"The Rosebud, who confesses to being 62 years old, ... knocked out John Henry Johnson, another veteran colored pugilist, whose span of life covers some 43 years". (wire in Indianapolis Freeman, February 12, 1916)
"Philadelphia, May 18. John Henry Johnson, 56 years of age, defeated the Kentucky Rosebud, who is 61, in six rounds at the National A. C. here last night." (wire, May 18, 1916)
"In the semi-windup there is offered a novelty in the bout between John Henry Johnson and the Kentucky Rosebud, two of the oldest pugilists in the world. The Bud is 60 years and Johnson near that mark." (Philadelphia Inquirer, August 22, 1916)
"The semiwind-up was real exciting, as it brought together the Kentucky Rosebud and John Henry Johnson, a couple of sterling athletes who used to go big when Hector was a pup. The Bud is 55 years old and J. Henry a couple of years younger." (Robert Maxwell in Philadelphia Evening Ledger, August 24, 1916)
"My record books show that the 'Bud' has turned his fiftieth year, but when he called on me he confidentially told me that he was 64 years old. I don't believe he is that old, but he says so and we've got to believe him." (Walter Schlichter in Philadelphia North American, quoted in Anaconda Standard, December 29, 1918)
Perhaps
what is more amazing is that in April of 1921 he climbed back
into the ring with John Henry Johnson for an exhibition
bout.
Aside from his boxing exploits, Walter Edgerton was in and out
of the newspapers quite a bit in his later years, involving
several scrapes with law enforcement in Philadelphia and in
Camden, New Jersey. His legal problems centered around running
disorderly houses, i.e., prostitution and gambling, and he
served jail time in Philadelphia and in New Jersey's state
prison. His first brush with the law that this writer has found
happened in 1904 in Philadelphia, when he was arrested for
running a crap game. In 1906 he was arrested again in similar
charges, and in 1910 got into more trouble for running a
disorderly house, i.e., a bordello. This and other offenses
earbed him some time jail time in Philadelphia.
Walter
Edgerton appears in the 1910 Census in Philadelphia, living at
245 Warnock Street in Philadelphia, with a wife of 11 years,
Minnie M. Smith, and two step-children, Clifton and Nettie. This
appears to have been a common-law marriage, as the two were
legally married in Camden in November of 1917. The Census states
he was keeping a cigar store at the time, and he also had five
lodgers in the house, three of them female and under twenty-five
years of age.
By
the spring of 1912 Philadelphia had gotten to hot for him and he
moved to Camden. over the next eighteen years he resided at
different addresses in the vicinity of Second and Sycamore
Streets.
In
June of 1913 Walter Edgerton was arrested at his home at 811
Locust Street on charges of running a disorderly house. He went
to trial in October and was sentenced to serve one to three
years imprisonment at Trenton State Prison.
Upon
release, Walter Edgerton operated a pool hall for a time, and
apparently continued to make money of of vice-related
activities. He was witness to a fatal shooting
As mentioned before, he fought three times professionally in
Philadelphia in 1915-1916 and also appeared in exhibition bouts
in 1920 and 1921.
In
October of 1922, Minnie Smith Edgerton died and was buried at
Mt. Peace Cemetery in Lawnside, New Jersey. Walter Edgerton was
arrested again in 1924 and 1927 on gambling charges. He passed
away at Philadelphia General Hospital on May 3, 1930. Cause of
death was acute myocarditis and vascular syphilis, and he had
been suffering from arteriosclerotic dementia.
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