Bootleg Boxing: The Murder of Eddie 'The Hammer' Hammond

By Joseph Baker

Eddie, a winner of three amateur Army titles as a Soldier, wanted to leap from amateur boxer to professional fighter. Throughout life, within the ring and outside of it, he's always been a fighter with a burning desire to become the most successful boxer of all time. He's always possessed extraordinary fighting prowess but discontinued his boxing career at his wife's insistence. After years away from boxing, Eddie makes a remarkable comeback. And then tragedy strikes, putting much more than his boxing career into question.

Like many others, Eddie's life is full of victories, challenges, and failures. People around him admire his strength and energetic personality, and often he's seen as heroic. His life is unpredictable and tumultuous, but he has the inner resilience to stay strong and determined in adversity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Nov 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781736277621

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Copyright © 2021

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN: 978-1-73627-761-4 (print)

ISBN: 978-1-73627-762-1 (eBook)

Dedication

In loving memory of my twin brother, Staff Sergeant Ralph A. Baker May you rest in peace. Until we meet again.

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I would like to recognize my twin brother, Ralph Baker Jr. If it weren’t for you and the family research, we wouldn’t have discovered this incredible story; I am forever grateful.

To A special thank you also to my son, Charles Baker, thank you so much for pushing. You provided encouragement and pushed me to complete this project, and for all your encouragement. I loved and enjoyed your valuable input. The ability to exchange ideas and the sarcastic moments to keep the mood alive makes me eager to begin our next project.

Lastly, to my nephew, Cody Baker, I hope this serves as a gift; your dad worked hard on the research, and I want to keep my promise to him, showing you that anything is possible with hard work, Dream Big!

About the Author

Joe is the great-great-nephew of Edward Hammond, a native of Syracuse, New York, Joe entered the United States Army as an Infantryman on June 30, 1993, at the age of twenty-six; he completed One Station Unit Training at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Joe is an Army veteran who served twenty-three years on active duty. He retired as a First Sergeant. Joe served in Afghanistan, Iraq (three deployments), and Kuwait for Intrinsic Action, Egypt as a Multi-National Forces Observer, and in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, with Joint Task Force 160th in support of Operational Sea Signal. He was awarded four Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman’s Badge for his time overseas.

He is a graduate of Excelsior College, where he studied Business Management and obtained a bachelors degree. He currently resides in Texas and has one son, Charles Baker

About The Book

Eddie, a winner of three amateur Army titles as a Soldier, wanted to leap from amateur boxer to professional fighter. He had a burning deSire to become the most successful boxer ever. He possessed extraordinary fighting prowess but discontinued his boxing career at his wife’s insistence. The story begins when he has a wonderful comeback in boxing after years, but unfortunately, tragedy befalls him…

Just like everybody, Eddie’s life is also full of victories, challenges, and failures. People around him admire his strong, energetic personality, and he is seen as a heroic figure. His life is unpredictable and hardly ever smooth, but he has the inner-resilience to stay strong and determined in the face of adversity, come what may.

The story consists of some beautiful and dreamy moments too, when he meets the love of his life, Margaret. He marries her but later on faces struggles to fulfill her endless demands. There’s still much more to know about Eddie’s extraordinary life in this book.

Be ready to experience a rollercoaster ride of emotions as the story unwinds in front of you. I hope you find this to be an incredible, motivating life story.

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

About the Author

About The Book

Chapter 1: Army Or Jail

Chapter 2: Basic Training

Chapter 3: Army Life

Chapter 4: Victories

Chapter 5:Coming Home

Chapter 6: Responsibilities

Chapter 7: Young Love

Chapter 8: Back To Bootleg Boxing

Chapter 9: The Investigation

Chapter 10: The Plot Thickens

Chapter 11: The Autopsy Report

Chapter 12: The Inquiry

Chapter 13: The Inquiry II

Chapter 14: The Inquiry III

Chapter 15: The Inquiry IV

Chapter 16: $50,000

Chapter 17: Family Right Now – Uncovering The Truth

Chapter 1:

Army Or Jail

The year was 1925. The Roaring Twenties were in full swing. Calvin Coolidge took the oath of office for the US presidency, which was broadcast on the radio (still considered no less than a scientific wonder!), F.Scott Fitzgerald finished writing The Great Gatsby, and the New York Giants joined the NFL. If you wanted to get a date to prom, you needed to know how to do The Charleston. Better yet, you could take your date to watch Charlie Chaplin’s, The Gold Rush, for a mere twenty-seven cents- they don’t call these the good ol’ days for nothing! Amongst other things, Prohibition was in full effect. The manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol were illegal under Federal Law – just having alcohol on you could land you in jail.

The nightlife thrived in cities like Syracuse, New York. If you were looking for a good time, you would probably end up at a nightclub that played jazz to your liking – and maybe you could get lucky with a flappers dancer. It was a wild time, to say the least, fueled by alcohol. Despite the ban, alcohol was just as prevalent, so long as you knew where to look. Simply put, demand and supply. The demand was through the roof, but the supply? When you could get thrown behind bars for having a gin and tonic, you could say the stakes were quite high.

 But, there were always people willing to risk it all for the right price, as was the case for local Syracuse boy, Eddie Hammond. He was an Irish-American immigrant, son of William Hammond, a World War I veteran. Raised with three brothers, Eddie was as tough as they come. Fighting was in his spirit, and it’s something he genuinely loved to do. It’s no surprise that Eddie was on his school’s boxing team and even the State Championship for his weight class during his senior year. Eddie wouldn’t be complete without his best friend, and partner in crime, Dave Leonard. The two of them were high school seniors, no different than any other eighteen years old; they drank until they blacked out, had wild parties, and of course loved to chase the ladies.

***

It was a cool, fall afternoon. The air was crisp, brown leaves littered the pavement, and the familiar cold of Christmas was right around the corner.

Eddie drove with Dave, making a special delivery – a trunk full of whiskey. Eddie puffed on his cigar while keeping it in his mouth, freeing up his hand to shift gears, Feel’s like winter’s gonna hit hard this year. Whaddya think?

Hey, as long as I get a bottle of brandy, I’ll make it through! Dave replied with a laugh.

As they made small talk, Eddie noticed a particular car in his rearview mirror. Squinting, he immediately saw the flashing red and blue of a police car as it got closer and the Sirens grew louder.

Shit! They after us? Eddie exclaimed as he gripped the steering wheel tightly.

The hay bales cover the crates fine, Ed. We double-checked from all sides just like we always do… unless… Dave responded as he looked back at the cop car as it was gaining speed.

Unless what… Eddie asked. By now, he was paying more attention to the rearview mirror than the road.

"Maybe the attendant at the gas station we were just at ratted us.

Why the hell would he do that? Eddie replied nervously as the police cruiser gained on them. We didn’t move the hay bales; all that happened was we got out. I pumped gas while you went in for a box of cigarettes. They would never know we were running moonshine and gin … unless… Did something happen in there?"

All Eddie could think of was how running moonshine through Onondaga and Oswego Counties could land him for years behind bars – if his dad let him live to see the day, that is.

When we stopped for gas twenty minutes ago, I short-changed the guy, Dave replied in a muffled tone – but it was enough for Eddie to hear.

Eddie immediately punched him in the shoulder, Dave, you moron! This could have been a simple drop if your smart ass didn’t mess things up.

Short changing was an old trick that Dave’s brother, Joe, had taught him. You would drive up to a gas station and get five dollars worth of gas, pay with a twenty-dollar bill. After you got your change in big bills, two tens, you got the attendant to change it into smaller denominations during the shuffle. If done right, you could swindle an easy tank of gas with no one the wiser. By the time the attendant could realize what had happened, he couldn’t even see your taillights.

With the cop cruiser only a few car lengths away, Eddie saw an exit to a dirt road off the highway. He knew if the cops got onto the gravel road behind him, his best bet to get away was to step on the gas and pray the clunker he was driving wouldn’t blow a gasket. A few minutes down the line, as Eddie kept peeking in the rearview mirror, his eyes caught a glimpse of the red and blue flashing lights following him off the road – the chase was on!

Buckle up. This is gonna be a bumpy ride! Eddie shouted as he floored the gas. The old truck engine roared as he shifted to the fourth gear, with a cloud of black smoke pumping out of the exhaust pipe as the truck raced on. The truck’s suspension had seen better days, and the crates of gin and moonshine weren’t doing it any favors. Eddie wasn’t concerned about a few broken bottles, so long as they both made it out without being arrested. As the car chase continued, the cops began to close in on them.

Faster, Eddie! Faster! Dave yelled as he clutched onto the door.

Eddie shifted down to third gear with the gravel getting deeper, pulled on the handbrake, and dropped the clutch while swerving left and right. This made the wheels spin out, flinging gravel and debris toward the cop car. It also raised a cloud of dust along with it. Abruptly, the truck lost traction and fishtailed, causing it too flip.

Ah, shit! I hit my head pretty hard! Dave hollered out as he held his head in pain.

No time for that. Help me kick the windshield out so we can get outta here! Eddie responded with vigor; despite bleeding from several places. As they crawled out, they glanced behind only to notice that the cop car was gaining on them.

Once they get to the stash, we’re done for, Eddie! Dave yelled, panicked.

Eddie thought for a moment, then quickly patted down his jacket, finding a matchbox. He hurriedly lit a match and shoved it back in the matchbox before tossing it inside the hay bale.

Hope this works. Eddie thought to himself.

The hay bale quickly caught on fire, and the fire instantaneously spread as there was due to the alcohol spillage. Within a matter of seconds, the truck was up in flames.

Don’t have time to stare! Run! Eddie yelled at Dave, and he took off toward the woods close by.

Meanwhile, Eddie dusted himself off and wiped off the blood from his head with his wrist. The cops pulled over and got out.

Unfazed, Eddie blurted out, How can I help you fine gentlemen? with a laugh.

The cops looked at him, unamused, then one of them said, You alone here, Son?

Well, unless you can see ghosts, I don’t think there’s nobody here, Eddie replied sarcastically.

The officers slowly walked toward Eddie, You’re under arrest.

Yeah, so, here’s the thing… Eddie negotiated seconds before he threw a lightning-fast right cross to the officer in front, knocking him out cold in one blow.

Eddie looked towards the other cop, who had his mouth partially open in shock, and said, Weren’t you gonna arrest me?

The cop rushed Eddie, who dodged with a swift side-step. When he turned around towards Eddie, Eddie knocked him out with an uppercut. Before Eddie could take a sigh of relief, two more cop cars arrived, and four officers stepped out with their nightsticks.

Right on time! Eddie exclaimed with a laugh. The party’s just gettin’ started!

The four cops surrounded him from all sides, slowly closing in on him. Eddie took a deep breath, and like a jaguar, attacked the cops with expert precision.