Madera’s fight with Jack Dempsey

For The Madera Tribune

Attorney Joe Barcroft got boxer Jack Dempsey off on a speeding charge in Madera County, but he couldn’t help him in the ring.

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Life as a Madera traffic cop in 1926 was not the most exotic way to spend one’s days (or nights). Traffic along the state highway near town was light. That’s why traffic officer M.A. Harrison was keeping watch from the shoulder of the road. That’s where he was when he saw the roadster speeding south on March 26.

The car zoomed past him well in excess of the speed limit, so Harrison started his car and took off in hot pursuit. He could see that there were three people in the car — the driver and a couple in the back seat. The woman kept looking out the back window as if to check on the lawman’s progress in catching them.

It took Harrison about 4 miles to catch the roadster and pull them over. When he did, he got the surprise of his life. As the driver stepped out of the car, the male passenger followed him from the back seat. Suddenly Harrison found himself looking up at Jack Dempsey, the World’s Heavyweight Boxing Champion. The woman who remained in the car was his new wife, the actress, Estelle Taylor. The champ and his bride were enjoying the fruits of their labor during the early days of their marriage. He had made a fortune in the ring, and she had done well in the movies. They had been on a vacation to Sacramento and were on their way back to Los Angeles, but first they had to get through Madera.