This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Keeton/Keaton, Lykins, Barnett, Burton, Williams ,Mcguire, Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/TBB.2ACI/2930.1 Message Board Post: Name: Felix Thomas WALTERS Sex: M Birth: FEB 1830 in Morgan County, Kentucky Death: 8 JUN 1910 in Magoffin County, Kentucky Note: Felix Walters was a prizefighter and won a belt when he was 19. Up until 1889 prize fighting was a lot like cock fighting. It was bare knuckle and wrestling all together and that is how Felix fought. Each territory had a Belt that the champion wore. In the early days, the champion would look up the person who was best known as a fighter and challenge him to a fight. That is how Felix got his start. Early one morning, just about daybreak, you 19 year old Felix Walters was building a fire in his mother's cook stove, he hear a knock at the door. "Come in," he said. The door opened and a huge man, a stranger, came in and asked, "Are you Felix Walters?" "Yes, sir," was Felix's reply, "What can I do for you, Stranger?" "I have come for to whip you!" said Big Jim McQuinn. "You can't do it, sir!" replied Felix. Big Jim jumped Felix with a flying tackle and fists flying. Felix, who at the time, was about 6 ft. 2 in. and weighed about 200 to 210 lbs, grabbed Big Jim, who was also about 6 ft. 2 in. but weighed about 240 lbs., dragged him out through the door, saying "Sir, we will not do this in Ma's kitchen." They say it was a very one-sided fight. Felix who was very agile and could jump a six foot fence from a standing position, hardly had a hand laid on him. He knocked Big Jim down 6 or 7 times before he knocked him out cold and took the Championship Belt off him. He wore it until the day he died. He never was defeated, always won fights very easy. When he was around 40 years old, Kelse Risner, his nephew came riding up on his big mule Old Jack. Kelse said, "I have to see Uncle Felix right away. Where is he?" Kelse Risner said, "I have just seen something in the woods, it was something black with no head or feet." (Now, Kelse was a fearless man himself but he was scared half to death.) He said the thing, whatever it was, made him stand there and listen to it. The mule he'd been riding stood on his hind feet, also scared half to death. Kelse said he could tell no one what the thing said to him except Felix Walters. It isn't known wat he told Felix. It is known that Felix never looked for any more fights. Some said it was an omen because Felix almost killed some men in fighting.