Russian Sleigh in the Winter Carnival

Saranac Lake has produced a world champion in sports; not as famous as Eddie Eagan, winner of the Olympic Gold Medal in boxing [1920] and bobsledding [1932]; Mike Egan [sic] was World Handball Champion, Weight Lifting Champion and a great boxer as sparring partner with the world champions of that time.

Much to my chagrin, the best minds in the research business, can’t find a photo of Mike Egan; not Michele Tucker who knows every inch of the Adirondack Room of the Saranac Lake Free Library; not Marc Wanner, guru of the Historic Saranac Lake Wiki site; nor yours truly, the walking historian of Norman Ridge.

Now to add to that frustration, I have right here in front of me this brief note:

Photo caption, Adirondack Daily Enterprise, Nov. 14, 1969, page 4.” The caption reads:

“Mike Egan and his wife Bernice in the 1920’s. The undefeated handball champion player was also trainer of James J. Corbett, second world Heavyweight Boxing Champion from 1892 to 1897. He also was a sparring partner for Bob Fitzsimmons, James J. Jeffries and Al Britt, all heavyweight contenders.”

According to an Enterprise story Mike came to the village in 1906 with a lung punctured by broken ribs, cured at Trudeau for over 5 years, then started a taxi company and later a livery numbering 18 to 20 horses.

Mike Egan was born in Ireland in 1879 and Eddie Eagan, ten years younger, was born in Denver, Colorado in 1898. It would seem that their paths might have crossed at some point during the 1932 Olympics.

They both died of heart attacks, Mike at age 75 and Eddie at age 69.

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Mike’s feats of strength

The following are excerpts from many sources but without a straight story line:

“He lifted automobiles, boat engines and front porches all by himself, and once he moved a monument.”

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“Michael J. Egan of this resort [Saranac Lake] was one time handball champion of the world. Before that he was handball champion of America and his picture and that of his hand appeared in the New York Journal for Monday, April 18, 1898 [when he was age 19]. A copy of that newspaper happens to be in the possession of Ernest Rind of 98 Broadway.

“A caption of the cut [photo] says Handball originated in Ireland and an Irish-American quite naturally holds the title of champion.

“During the peak of his athletic career as a handball player, Mr. Egan defeated the United States best, including Jerry McMahon of Brooklyn; Dr. Martin Gillen of New York City; William Carney of Philadelphia; Louis Keegart of Chicago and Jim Fitzgerald of San Francisco.”

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Eddie Vogt, a well known Vaudeville actor who came here to cure for TB became a columnist for the Enterprise. Here is a piece from Eddie’s column:

“Talking on the phone to Mike Egan yesterday, he wondered if I recalled a Bijou Theatre in Brooklyn years ago. Of course I did. Located at Smith and Livingston Streets it was, in the days I remember, the home of the Spooner Stock Company for many years.

“Although my bailiwick was a block or so north at the Star Theatre, I did on occasion visit the Bijou and remember that the shows were rather good, if a bit on the weepy side – which was only natural with a predominately feminine audience to be pleased.

[How would Eddie’scasual observation go over today?]

“Mike had wrestled at the Bijou against a fellow named ‘Yussoff’, the Terrible Turk who was managed by Bob Fitzsimmons.

“And he recalled that Yussoff had gone down on the Titanic years later, with his fortune – $68,000 in gold – in a money belt strapped around his waist.

Eddie ends the column with: “I have often wondered why no one has ever written Mike’s story. Yessir, it’s an idea I might get to.”

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Mike gets in trouble

From the newspaper, The Malone Farmer, Oct. 11, 1922 …

“Federal officers from Malone, armed with a search warrant, raided Mike Egan’s Livery barn at Saranac Lake last week and found there a quantity of beer and whiskey. Egan was held on $1,000 bail for the federal grand by U.S. Commissioner Lawrence. Egan is champion handball player of the world.”

[Now ten years later, maybe the dates are wrong, but probably another offense, the Malone Farmer has this report on August 3, 1932. Prohibition was a Constitutional ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920 until 1933.]

“The jury in the case of Mike Egan and Morton Swinyer, charged with violation of the prohibition law which case was on trial last Wednesday came into court at 9:30 that night and reported that they were unable to agree upon a verdict. The jury was thereupon discharged by the court from further duty in the case. Attorney Andrew B. Cooney was counsel for the defendants Egan and Swinyer.”