New Britain herald., 1928-04-12
(BY HENRY l.. E.AHRI.LL)

NEA Service Sp0r,S Nfltcr
 'From a Dime to Million." as 1t might be written by Luis Angel Firpo and Thomas Heeney. is q tale that has many high spots in com mon. It isn't matter of official record that either had as much as dime when they arrived in this country. There is record in the U. s. Internal Revenue Bureau, however. that shows Firpo was q millionaire when he left the United States Perhaps Heeney will have as much when he returns to the blacksmith shop in New Zealand. Fortune, in the contribution of opportunities to Firpo, certainly was kind to him and Heeney may be blessed with even more of q golden smile from the fates. By the minute fraction of an inch Firpo failed to win the heavyweight championship of the world when he slugged Jack Dempsey clear out of the ring in New York. Heeney is coming into his big chance to win the millions that go With the heavyweight cham pionship and the decision Of the fates will have to await his battle with Gene Tunney.
 Fate played in Dempsey's favor when he fell out of the ring on to the press table in New York in such a position that he could pull himself back into the ring in time to massacre Firpo. But fate played against Dempsey in Chicago last September when Tunney was per mitted to doze for fourteen seconds after having been smashed to the floor.
 Perhaps, in the workings of those fates, a break against Tunney is now due and Heeney may get the benefit.
 Firpo crawled out of the hold of q South American liner on the Jer- sey side of the New York port He hadn't had his clothes off in days and the only article Of apparel he had to distinguish him from a vaga- bond was a rubber collar that he washed in a water trough on the dock.
 He had no great reputation as a fighter. His size and physical strength, his resemblance to Q wild bull, and his known ability to ab- sorb punishment were his only as- sets. But he couldn't tell anyone about it. He couldn't speak English Rather panic stricken in a bif city. Firpo took refuge in. a cellar under a secondhand store in New ark, sharing quarters with a be negro who was willing to accept hi. unsociable society for coffee money
 Firpo first attracted attention when some one carried the news tt Jimmy De Forest that there was { great-looking heavyweight prospec in cellar in Newark. guy wht wanted to fight. De Forest, ar old -timer, the best trainer in thu country and skilled handler O fighters. had been for years in thu quest of that unknown heavyweight that every old timer is seeking.
 De Forest was in a run of bac luck. He thought he was set fo life when he hooked up with Jacl Dempsey in 1919. He trained Dempsey for his fight with Jes Willard in Toledo and no more su perbly trained and physically con ditioned athlete ever stepped into ; ring than the Dempsey wonder wht smashed the facial bones of thu huge Willard and won the world! championship.
 Luck didn't stay with De Forest however. Jack Kearns though that Dempsey and De Forest wer' too friendly. He charged De Pores with attempting to steal Dcmpse! away from him and fired him bodil. out of the camp. He not only for bade him the liberty of Dempsey company but did everything h. could to discredit the part De Pores had taken in making Dempsey.
 De Forest. accepting the tip or Firpo. dug the huge South Ameri can out of the cellar staked him few him and put him up in hi home. He was making . fghtel