Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-15
BATTLING" SIKH
FOUND MURDERED
Fighter, Figure in Many Es.
Capades, Killed in New
York Street.
Ey the Associated Press.

Ey the Associated Press
NEW YORK. December 15.-"Bat-
tling" Sikh, the Senegalese pugilist,
whose turbulent career in the prize
ring and elsewhere has given him
wide notoriety, was mysteriously mur-
dered early today in West 41st street,
in the district known as "Hell's Kitch-
en- The one-time light-heavyweight
champion was found lying face down
ward with two gunshot wounds in the
back. A revolver with two exploded
shells was found In the gutter not far
away.
The police could find no one who
had witnessed the killing. The
neighborhood had not been aroused.
Patrolman John J. Meehan, who had
exchanged greetings with Sikh shortly
after midnight. came upon the body
four hours later An ambulance ply
sician found the Senegalese dead
with one bullet in his lung and an
other in the kidney.
Believed i'm Brawl.
Sikh is believed by detectives to
have had a brawl In one OF the num-
ber of night clubs in the neighbor-
hood and that after the alteration he
was followed into the street and struck
down from behind. He was felled
in the same spot where last Sum
mer he was attacked and almost
killed with a knife in a street fight.
The Senegalese lived near the scene
of the killing. His wife identified the
body at the police station.
Skis widow told police that she last
har h,,S ha nd ~ 10
night, at the street door of their
apartment. She said Sikh had told her
he was going for talk with some
of the boys for a while She went to
a movie, returning about IL o'clock.
Sikh was not in, and she retired. A,
6 o'clock this morning she was awak-
ened with the news that her husband
had been killed.
Mrs. Sikh said their household eff
fects were all packed, preparatory to
going to Washington. where her hus
band had a theatrical engagement.
He was a good boy" she said of
the fighter. He was just mischiev-
Gus. He would never harm anybody"
Sikh recently had trouble with 2
resident of the neighborhood over an
alleged debt of $50. which the man
said Sikh owed for liquor, the widow
told police.
Had Many Experiences.
Battling" Sikh. who first sprans
into public notice when he won the
worlds light-heavyweight champion
ship from Georges Carpenter in 1922
in Paris, has had many escapades
which frequently resulted in brawls.
He has been injured several times in
street fights in this country and spent
some time recently in the French Hos
pital here as a result of knife wound
Since his arrival in the United
States in 1923 after losing his title at
the hands of Mike McTigue in Dublin,
he has engaged in many bouts, but
without notable success.
In July, 1924, he came into promi-
nence when he married Lillian Wer-
ner, an Octoroon. although he had
white common law wife in Holland.
After his marriage he took residence
in one of the negro sections of New
York, but soon ran afoul of the immi-
grafton authorities, who sought to have
him returned to France He was
given several stays and on November
10 of this year made application to
take out his first citizenship papers
Sikh seemed to have a penchant for
getting in trouble with taxicab drivers
when he would go on long rides with.
out sufficient funds to pay the fare
Frequently he was arrested for not
paying his fare, but always managed
to find friends who would make good
the amount. Once he attacked q. DO
liceman while intoxicated and was
charged with felonious assault. He
was fined SIS for this escapade and was
only saved from a workhouse sentence
by his wife, who pleaded with the
magistrate for lehiency.
Knocked Out Carpenter.
Battling Sikh won the light heavy
weight championship Of the world,
together with several French titles,
when he knocked out Georges Car
pentier in the sixth round Of "a match
in Paris September "a, 1922. His SEN
sational rise to pugilistic fame, how
ever, was followed by storm which
rocked French boxing circles for sew
eral months.
Sikh, a picturesque figure of the
Montmartre section of Paris, who
boasted that he trained for his bouts
on wine and high life," was in the
midst of receiving deluge of fabu-
lous offers for fights in England, the
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