Foreigners (11 page)

After the war, 'Licker' returned to Leamington Spa and
continued to fight as an amateur, but to him it made little
financial sense, although both John 'Gerry' Gibbs and Ron
Stefani were keen for him to remain an amateur and compete
for an Olympic gold medal at the 1948 games in London.
His brother Dick had already resumed his professional
career, and Jackie, a promising featherweight, was also now
ready to join the professional ranks and start earning some
real money. In September 1946, eighteen-year-old Randolph
Turpin became the third family member to box professionally,
like his brothers before him, he did so under the
management of a modest local businessman with round
scholarly glasses and a pencil-thin moustache named George
Middleton. With an outstanding amateur record of ninetyfive
victories against just five losses, all the London
managers were clamouring for Randy Turpin's signature,
but the teenager preferred to remain with a local man
whom he knew and trusted, rather than sign with a bigname
manager. 'Licker's' professional career began handily
enough on 17 September, 1946 with a first-round technical
knockout of a journeyman named Gordon Griffiths. The
boxing press were convinced that the youngster had made
a successful transition to the professional ranks and one
of them wrote: 'The way Turpin leapt on Griffiths, like
a bronze tiger devouring a tethered kid, battering him
halfway through the ropes until the referee intervened in
the first round, was enough to prove that a new
middleweight menace had arrived.' Thereafter, young
Turpin put together an impressive string of twelve victories
in 1947, often appearing on the undercard of fights
that included his better known older brother, Dick. His
progress was extremely impressive, but at nineteen he was
not yet old enough to fight for a British title. In fact, the
rules had only recently been changed to allow a black boxer
to contest for a British title, and both George Middleton,
and perhaps more importantly, the Turpins' mother, wanted
Dick to have first crack at a title fight.

Professionally, things were undoubtedly progressing well
for Randy, but the teenager's personal life was beginning
to show signs of considerable strain. The Turpin boys,
Dick, Jackie, and Randy, known collectively in the boxing
fraternity as 'the dark threats', all had an eye for a pretty
girl, and they were tough, they were cocky, and they walked
with a considerable swagger. Local girls found the boys
attractive, particularly young Randy who, despite his youth,
seemed to rule the roost. Among Randy's sparring partners
at the Leamington Boys' Club was a young Irish
middleweight named Mick Stack who, although he was
destined to never make the top grade as a professional,
already showed considerable courage inside the ring. 'Licker'
Turpin was often short of sparring partners, not only
because of his renowned skill, but because he didn't seem
to know when to go easy on those of lesser ability. Any
sign of weakness was likely to be met with a beating, but
equally any sign of resistance was taken as an affront and
the young fighter would begin to dish out punishment. In
short, Turpin was as much a 'hard case' in the gym as he
was in the streets, and beyond his brothers, Dick and Jackie,
there were few who dared to tie on a pair of gloves and
give him a workout. But not fearless Mick Stack, who could
not only hold his own, but he sometimes extended Turpin
in a manner that others seldom could.

The Stack family were immigrants from County Cork,
and Mick's older brother Willie had already enjoyed a relatively
successful career as an international amateur. They
were a plain-speaking, working-class family, and it was the
sister, Mary Theresa Stack, who really attracted Randy's
attention. As he had begun to climb up the amateur ranks
he had started to spend more and more time with Mary,
looking to create with her the kind of domestic safety and
comfort that was missing from his own turbulent
upbringing. However, Mary Stack had grown up with two
tough brothers, and she had learned how to raise her own
voice and make clear what her own needs and demands
were. In short, Mary Stack was no pushover, and while
Randy may have intimidated some of the men and boys
of Leamington Spa, Mary Stack had her own ideas on
what she wanted and how she expected to be treated.

On 17 March, 1945, while still an amateur and on leave
from the navy, and during his preparations for his first
ABA final, seventeen-year-old 'Licker' Turpin was discovered
in his mother's home collapsed on a sofa having clearly
drunk some liniment. Beattie knew that her son had recently
had a row with his girlfriend Mary Stack, but she tried
not to get involved with his relations with girls. Beattie
preferred to adopt the 'boys will be boys' philosophy and
trust that in time all three of her lads would find themselves
a nice girl and settle down. However, her youngest
son was not only the most headstrong, she knew that he
was also the most emotionally vulnerable. Seeing him lying
semi-conscious on her sofa set off alarm bells that had
been primed for years and she quickly called the doctor,
and while she waited for his arrival she tried to revive
Randy. Once the doctor arrived he realised that the patient
was incapable of answering any questions and so he called
an ambulance and had the young lad dispatched straight
to the hospital. Questions as to how this 'accident' had
occurred could be asked later.

Turpin was treated at Warwick Hospital, where they
immediately pumped his stomach. However, once 'Licker'
was left alone he sneaked out of the ward in his pyjamas
and made his way back to his mother's house. The police
soon arrived at Beattie's place to question her youngest
son, but Turpin had once again 'escaped' out of a back
window and into the night. After a short search, he was
found hiding in a telephone box. Under interrogation
'Licker' admitted to the police that he had intended to kill
himself by ingesting the liniment – 'I was fed up. That's
why I took it.' The problem with his testimony was that
prior to the Suicide Act of 1961 self-murder was a crime,
and anyone who attempted and failed to kill themselves
could be prosecuted and imprisoned. Irrespective of how
depressed the young fighter might have been after a row
with his girlfriend, he had, in fact, committed a serious
offence. The following day he was charged at Warwick
Magistrates' Court and remanded to appear the next week.

The few days' delay was absolutely crucial in terms of
preparing a defence for the young fighter. His solicitor
insisted that the first thing Turpin should do was to deny
that there had been any intent on his part to commit suicide,
and thereby effectively retract his confession. Thereafter,
character witnesses were called to testify to the lad's stability
and good nature. His former employer relayed how sorry
he had been to lose young Turpin to the navy, while a
representative from the Boys' Club insisted that success had
not really spoiled the town's most promising sportsman.
An officer from the Royal Navy, who travelled all the way
from Portsmouth, was perhaps the most persuasive voice
of all. He claimed that during his short service as an assistant
cook, the young man had proved himself both reliable
and modest. Furthermore, the boy was due to fight at
Wembley in the ABA championships at the end of the
following week. It made no sense that he would deliberately
attempt to commit suicide when he had the whole
world at his feet, and a bright and promising future before
him. Mary Stack was neither called nor was she present in
court, but despite the gravity of the situation Turpin felt
at ease, for the pair of them had patched up their disagreement.
Weighing all possible options, the bench decided that
leniency was in order and, having issued a stern warning
to Turpin, they bound the young fighter over to keep the
peace and be of good behaviour for two years.

Two years later, in 1947, Randolph Turpin married Mary
Stack. They were both teenagers, but their relationship had
endured for some years and despite occasional irrational
outbursts of emotion on both sides, to most locals they
appeared to be well suited. After all, they had both grown
up as 'outsiders' in the same town, they had many friends
in common, and both families were familiar with each
other. The Turpin-Stack white wedding took place at
Leamington Spa's Catholic Church out of deference to the
bride's family's beliefs, but Randy was so befuddled by the
details of the ceremony that when the priest placed a small
stool before him at the alter, he shifted it behind him and
sat down. This caused his brother Jackie, who was seated
in the front pew, no end of laughter, but Mary and her
family were not amused. The priest took charge of the
situation and leaned forward and whispered to the squatting
bridegroom, 'You kneel on it.'

How well Randy and Mary were
actually
suited to each
other was something that others, including Turpin's
brothers, had their own ideas about. There was only one
way of doing things to Randy's mind, and that was his
way, and this had always been his modus operandi since
he was a small child. However, as most people know,
marriage involves both compromise and accommodation
of the other person's views, but whatever else Randy felt
for young Mary, he was sure that her first duty was to
obey him. She soon became pregnant, and a son, Randolph
Junior, was born in 1948, but by this stage things between
the newly-weds had become increasingly ugly. Mary had
already left her husband on a number of occasions, and
fled back to her mother's house alleging assault and abuse.
In June 1948, following a flare-up between Turpin and his
mother-in-law, Mary left yet again and this time took a
job at the local Marlborough Hotel, claiming that as far
as she was concerned her marriage was over. After his wife's
departure, training for professional fights, with all the focus
and intensity that is necessary for success at this level,
became increasingly problematic for Randy. He could
dominate in the boxing ring, but outside of the ring he
appeared to be just another voice among many to whom
his wife seemed to pay attention. George Middleton and
Randy's brothers worried that these days so much of
'Licker's' emotional energy seemed to be being spent trying
to control Mary. It concerned them that perhaps this
marriage might eventually cost him his boxing career, but
they chose not to say anything to 'Licker', for any criticism
was likely to be met with either silence, or abuse, or
both.

A month later, on 12 July, 1948, Mary and Randy reconciled
and she moved back into the family home on Wathen
Road in Warwick. Her mother and her brothers, Willie
and Mick, were disappointed with her decision, but they
knew full well that their sister was as headstrong and difficult
as any man and there was little point in arguing with
her. Obviously it was her wilful personality that had, in the
first place, attracted Turpin to Mary, however, as is so often
the case, the very thing that drew him close to her eventually
grew to frustrate him the most. Less than a month
after their reconciliation, on 9 August, 1948, Turpin was
summoned to appear at Warwick Magistrates' Court where
Mary claimed that on 24 July he had viciously beaten her
and caused her actual bodily harm. According to Mary's
testimony, on that day the couple had attended a funfair
in Leamington, but Mary had decided to catch an early
train back to Warwick at 9:35 p.m. She then waited up for
her husband to return, but she became increasingly
concerned by his late arrival. According to her testimony,
her husband eventually rolled in at 5:30 a.m, and when she
asked him where he had been he took up a broom and beat
her with it until the handle broke. Screaming that he should
stop hitting her for she was pregnant with another child,
his wife claimed that Turpin then began to kick her repeatedly
in the stomach saying that he would 'soon fix that'.

The following morning the doctor visited, and having
examined Mary Turpin he treated her for bruises to her
stomach and groin. After the doctor's departure, Mary told
the court that she did not immediately flee the house for
Randolph Junior was unwell and she made a decision to
wait until her son felt better. Once her son had regained
his health she called a taxi and left Randolph Junior behind
with a note which read: 'Dear Randolph, I am leaving you
with the baby because you can look after it better than I
can. I prefer being out at work and having evenings free.
I can't be at work and looking after the baby at the same
time.' According to Mary, the strange tone of the message
can be explained by her claim that her husband had forced
her at knifepoint to write the self-incriminating note before
allowing her to flee the house. She characterised him as a
habitually violent bully who never hesitated to use his fists
upon her to settle any arguments that they might have.
According to Mary Turpin, he was a man who might be
the pride and joy of sports fans in the East Midlands, but
behind that quiet, self-effacing exterior was a violent, insecure
man who had never learned how to curb his temper
or face up to any responsibilities.

When it was Turpin's turn to speak he told the court
that he had once hit her, but he insisted that his wife had
spent the greater part of their time together goading and
baiting him. According to his testimony, she tried to make
him lose his temper by accusing him of seeing other
women, or by throwing things at him or, on one occasion,
actually threatening him with a knife. Turpin steadfastly
denied having had any affairs, although the evidence was
overwhelming that he was a habitual offender, and eventually
Mary felt that she had no choice but to produce a
letter that was allegedly written by a girl named Pam. 'My
own darling Randy,' it began, 'Just remember I love you
and I will prove how much when I see you again.' It was
signed 'Your ever loving Pam.' Turpin's solicitor claimed
that although his client knew of the girl, he denied that
Turpin had ever seen the letter. He then quickly changed
the subject and claimed that it was a known fact that men
who made their living hitting people knew how to keep
their tempers in control out of the ring. He concluded
that all the evidence pointed towards nothing more than
a strained relationship between two young and inexperienced
people. The magistrates, having examined the
evidence, felt inclined to agree with Turpin's solicitor and
they dismissed Mary Turpin's case against her husband.