From: macika@emunix.emich.edu (Dominic Macika (Asst. Lab Supervisor))
Subject: Dutch Mantell Brody article
Organization: Eastern Michigan University
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 21:17:10 GMT


As I semi-promised, here's a re-post of Mike Lano's article on Bruiser
Brody's death, based on an interview with Dutch Mantel.  It gives a
somewhat differant perspective from the one posted by Dave.


		DUTCH MANTELL - DESPERADO HERO  BY DR. MIKE LANO

	After booking the AWF frist tv taping the afternoon of 12/16/91
with Dutch Mantell (along with Shiek and Pez Whatley), and after watching
him run tv things at the arena; I know Gordon Scozzari and I both thank
him for his extra-beyond the call of duty efforts.  Since supposid 
bookers Ed Gilbert didn't show, and Sonny Beach did very little - Dutch
pretty much saved the day so Gordon had 4 hours worth of tv.

	Dutch killed three hours with me the next morning at the airport,
riddling me with funny stories, but more importantly telling his side of
Frank Goodish(Bruiser Brody's) murder for the first time, and I wanted to
share it with you.  "That evening, Gonzalez was wilder than usual.  He
had a slimy way of asking-no, telling you to do something that you didn't
want to do.  I was told to juice, big that night - and I told him - Hell
no - I'll blade myself if I'm going to do anything.  He was a weird little
dude.  Another guy who came thru later at the police depositions,
Roberto Soto - who I had heat with in Georgia - I never thought would say
what he truly say.  For some reason, Roberto potatoed me in Georgia a
few years back.  After the match I kicked the shit out of him in the locker
room, and saw all this blood on the ground that I thought was mine from
the match - but it turned out it was his.  Later still, I was driving to
the next town and he tried to push me off the road.  So I waved him to pull
over and we'd settle it right then and their, but he drove off.  I never
saw him again until Puerto Rico.  Atlas, Jaggers, Ricky Romero's kids
(the Youngbloods) were there, along with Ayala and TNT.  TNT and Ayala
would later testify that Gonzalez cut Brody, and I was proud of TNT - he
was yelling - "we have to go to the police and tell them Jose did it."
I was pondering what Gonzalez and Colon had told me, and the way the locker
room was, the showers were centered and in the back, seperated from the
main locker room by a smoky glass window.  I was in a walkway on the other
side and directly in front of the smoky glass.  We all heard a scream, and
saw someone's hand with a knife go into a bigger guy.  Gonzales ran out
a secret hideaway in the back and we all ran in and I knew it was pretty
bad.  Brody's main chest wound had blood that was bubbling - so I figured
his lung (peritonium) had been sliced open.  He kept asking Tony (Atlas)
to take care of his wife and kid - he knew he was dying, but could talk.
It took well over an hour just to get an ambulance there - and it ws a 
mickey mouse one at that.  If this had been the US, a good crew would've
been there in no time, and Frank would be with us right now.  But things
medically are backwards in Puerto Rico.  The police were disorganized and
got there well before the ambulance and knew nothing about emergency care.
Even Jose and Colon were standing over Brody while the police questioned
us all - that was sick.  We all knew Jose had done it, then ran out the back
way.  Only Brody and Jose had gone in there, carrying their argument to 
the back shower area.  I tried to clean and compress the wound to stop the
bleeding, but we were told hours later that the bleeding just couldn't be
stopped.  In fact those butchers at the hospital did experimental,
observational surgery on him that caused more intense bleeding, and then
I got the call he died around 5am the next morning.  I called Mrs. Goodish
and told her she better come down a few hours before he died - that the
rumors she heard were true - it really was bad.  Abby met her at the airport
as he was boarding a plane home for the US, and told her the news.  Tony
Atlas and I volunteered to go to the cops- but the cops acted ignorant -
like they couldn't understand a word Tony told them.  I credit TNT and some
others for having the guts to tell the cops it was Jose too - since they
were regulars.  I couldn't leave right away, and I got the hell out of where
the other wrestlers were staying, for my own safety, and got a condo
elsewhere on the island."

	Dutch might be looking for Stan Hansen in his act which he still
role plays today, but he felt danger was looking for him the next few days.
"I asked the police for some guard protection, but they didn't have that
kind of help there.  So I stayed in my condo room, looking out the window 
and I was one nervous, scared sonofabitch.  I kept dreaming Colon and
Gonzalez would climb up the stairs to my room, and a couple times I 
thought I heard my door open and I jumped out the window in fear for my
life.  If you know anything about Puerto Rico, you know how inept the
police are, and how you can be dead like Frank for hours before anyone
will help you.  But I stayed and saw my part of the depositions through -
although most of us discussed and knew justice wouldn't occur.  The big
arena show at Bayamon, the damn day Brody got cut - Colon asks us all to
continue with the show.  TNT, the Romeros and most of us all refused to
do it no matter how much Colon begged.  He finally had to cancel the show,
with all the fans there and issue rain checks - so at least the press and
all the fans knew what Jose had done - and they weren't happy."  Dutch's
eyes got really watery discussing this, and how proud he felt at Shohei
Baba's deceny in having the memorial shows in Japan with the proceeds
going to Mrs. Goodish.  "Thank God there are some decent people in this
business of ours.  I want everyone to know that although Frank was a
rascal, he was loved and shouldn't have gone this way."

	Sounds like Dutch survived an ordeal - and Puerto Rican crowds
have never been the same.  it remains the Bermuda Triangle of wrestling
destinations, a place where Dutch's enemy, Roberto Soto, will never be
allowed to work again because he spoke up and fingered Jose.  Dutch and
Roberto did the right thing.  WT&N salutes all who survived this 
terrible tour.
-- 
Dominic Macika

"Aim for the cat, dude!"
			Keenu Reeves as Evil Robot Ted in
			_Bill_and_Ted's_Bogus_Journey_
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