The Connecticut labor news., 1921-01-28
Story Within Story


 Interest concerning him after his ab- sence from this country of more than IA wears, and the information relatlng to him which the Boston Post IS en- ab1ed to forward to the former ring ster's relatives in England, IS a story within a story.
 Immediate concern dates back to last Auo,,st when Charels F. Mathson, tfle boxing authority of the New 1orf Herald and Sum- in one of serles o1 articles relative to holders ot American rino titles gave the name of Abe t1lcken of Woiverhampton, England, as the hrst holder of the lightweight honor Ill the States It is contention open to arSu- 1nent for the reason that MT. Mathson entirely ignored Patrick "Scotty Bran agan, Barney Aaron, Sam Collyer ana Billy Edwards, respective holders or the title in the opinion of writers ot tnelr day. who make no reference to f11cken as ever holding the honor American Fistiana, published in 1860 and agan Ill 1972 of which the writer holds one of the few copies in existence, i'll no place gives Hicken credit of being the title holder, but does so honor Branagan, Aaron. Collver and Edwards Ill the order named.
 However, Mir. Mathisons' articles found favor with the editor of the Sporting Chronicle of London, England, who reproduced them, and the refer ence to Hicken came to the eyes ot N. H. Ferguson of Barrow England, a grandson of the old rlngSter: MT. Ferguson wrote to the editor or the New York paper, also to A. F. Bettinson of the National Sporting Club of London in hopes of obtaining some information as to what had become ot his pugilistic .kinsman. Bett1nson could not make any answer, while the pest the editor of the New York paper could do was to refer Ferguson to br1et item apeparing in Little Fistiana, pub lished in 1898, to the effect that Hicken and Pete Mcguire fought i'll Perrysvllle, Md, December 23, .18o8 for the light weight title.
 Edwards the Champ
 The editor of Little Fistiana i'll thus honoring the melee between Hlcken and Mcguire as a championship fray was very inconsiderate of Billy Ed wards of New York, then holder of the American lightweight title. Another case where editors and historians failed to agree.
 In hope of assisting MT. Ferguson where others had tailed the Wr1ter LOOK the long, long trail last September and finally ascertained that Abe left the country about 1875, and journeying to Australia was whipped by Larry Foley in Is rounds March 13, 1876, at a place known as Echuca on the Victoria side of the Murray river.
 While there may be many sporting authorlteis in Australia the" authority recognized by the writer is w. F. Cor bett, sporting editor of The Referee of Sydney, in the game for years and years. To him the writer appealed con- cernlng Hicken, and last Tuesday re- ceived reply from him dated Decem- Der 10, 1920, as follows:
 Yours of September g at hand Abe Hicken died in Melbourne, Australia July 7, 1910, aged o7, Larry Foley died in July, 1917. He fought Abe Hicken more than 40 years ago at Echuca on the Victoria side of the Murray river for $2,5OO side. The battle lasted one thour 10 minutes, the first round occupying g minutes. Foley won by knockout It was the last contest for the prize ring championship of Australia"
 Thus, thanks to persistent research and the courtesy of Brother Corbett, one of the many mysteries of the ring has been scratched from the long list.