Professional boxer Kid Johnson, an American light-weight champion, was touring Ireland in 1902. In January, while at the Town Hall in Castlebar, he sparred with Darkie Barton. The Boxing World & Mirror of Life announced that Barton, an 'old man' in boxing circles, held his own, and afterwards, the pair agreed to a formal match. In September 1901, Barton had been knocked out in one minute and five seconds by Henry Brown, Liverpool's 'coloured champion'. Browne had also disposed of Johnson in four rounds.
Charles Edward Barton, or 'Darkie Barton', was born in England. He was the son of John Barton, a labourer. In 1892 when he was twenty-one, he enlisted with the Buffs (East Kent ) Regiment. During his time with the regiment, he was posted to India and Ireland, where he spent time at Castlebar Military Barracks. His military service was far from distinguished. His military boxing career was another matter. In March 1896, the Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore ) noted Barton, the 'Buff's Middle Weight Champion of Ireland', had knocked out George Huxtable, the Devon heavyweight, in one round. Barton was boxing for years before this. A report in the Sporting Life in 1890 records Barton as boxing Harry Cummins at Battersea. Later that year, he fought fellow Battersea man Dick Stone in a bare-knuckle contest near Chelsea. The police ended the fight. On 10 March 1893, while stationed at Castlebar, Barton married Ellen Clesham, daughter of John Clesham of Lucan Street, Castlebar.
On 14 January 1902, Barton agreed to fight Johnson in a twelve-round contest at the Town Hall, Castlebar. The purse of £10 was to be split £7 for the winner and £3 for the loser. The match was to be governed by the Marquis of Queensberry's rules: rounds of two minutes with a one-minute interval; gloves to weigh six ounces; clean break-aways and no hitting on the break-away. Both parties deposited £1 as a sign of good faith. The Mayo Examiner billed the fight as the 'Great 12 Rounds Glove Contest' between Johnson, Champion of America and Barton, Champion of Castlebar, India and the British Army.
The fight took place on Monday, 17 February, in a packed Town Hall. It was one of three scheduled for the night. The others were six-round contests for the Championship of Castlebar and the Championship of the West of Ireland. The Barton-Johnson match was, however, the only contest the large crowd witnessed as the other competitors failed to appear. The non-appearance of the boxers and the fact that Johnson did not arrive in the Town Hall until 9.30pm caused consternation among the crowd. Barton and Johnson were, however, facing each other in the ring a few minutes later, and when the bell rang, the crowd quickly came around when they witnessed the intense aggression of both men. They were, however, to be disappointed.
In the first round, Johnson struck Barton with a foul punch as the pair broke from a hold. The referee called a halt and awarded the bout to Barton. The crowd were incensed; they expected a contest of twelve rounds. An evening of boxing was concluded in less than two minutes. Johnson, sporting a bruised and blackening eye, admitted the foul when interviewed by journalists. He expected the referee would not pick it up, but he was wrong. The crowd protested loudly and called for the return of their money.
When questioned about his decision, the referee said he believed the foul was intentional. Johnson wanted to end the fight to escape severe punishment at the hands of Barton. Barton, the referee noted, was intent on knocking Johnson out. The correspondent in the Connaught Telegraph believed Johnson had made several overtures to Barton before the fight to 'square' the contest. Barton, it was noted, said there would be a fair fight or no fight.
In May 1902, Barton's wife, Ellen, attempted to throw herself into the river at Castlebar. Charles Guthrie prevented her, and she was committed to the asylum. Details of Barton's many victories and defeats can be found in the newspaper archives and boxing publications. Image: Linen Hall Arts Centre, formerly Castlebar Town Hall; before that, The Linen Hall, www.buildingsofireland.ie
