Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-06-27
s.Thc,, wrestling Match.
a VIcTIMIZED COMMUNITY.
A FOUR MINUTE JOB

on Saturday evening. A large number
of persons were present in town during
the afternoon and evening, and the ex-
element and betting run high, and with
constantly increasing heat as the hour
of seven approached. Here we may
premise that we know nothing OF the
science of wrestling or of the particular
rules that govern this special science or
art and we can only give facts as they
were disinterestedly observed and the
natural deductions that are irresistably
drawn from such observed facts.
At seven o'clock, or soon thereafter,
crowd of persons had assembled on the
grounds named, variously estimated at
from six hundred to one thousand per-
sons. A gate fee of fifty cents ($0.5O)
each had been charged to most of the
spectators, so that the sum realized was
from three to five hundred dollars.
These persons had assembled to witness
a genuine trial of skill, in wrestling, be-
tween John McMahan of Rutland, and
one J. H. Covill. McMahan has lived
in Rutland for some months and will be
remembered as the person who wrestlcd
for and won the championship Of Vel-
mont, in February last, t10e7etyJiUe min
utes being occupied in the match, there
being only zone round" j. II. Covill
claims to hail from Boston, and further
than this we have no information OF
him. They claimed to have put up Cor
it was claimed for them three hundred
dollars each, making purse Of six hun
dred dollars, the ownership of which
was to be decided by the result Of the
wrestle. Certain it is that the money
was got together and, at least pretended
to be put up. Whether it was actually
staked, or ouly got together as blind,
so to draw crowd and make a specula-
ton for themselves and their confeder-
ates, must be left for the facts to decide.
Certainly the scene at the fair ground
was one of the greatest of failures,
farces or put up jobs-call it what you
will. that has occurred in Rutland since
the celebrated ''Artemus Ward lecture.
The crowd having assembled and the
gate money being collected, as afore-
said, Mr.. Coyill steps into the ring, and
carries out his little part of the farce by
making, in substance, the following
speech:
Il did not come here to bully any
body. This is the man am after and /
think | have found him. If | get the
advantage of this man don't want any
body to cheer me-"
Now Covill looks and bears himself
like a man of ordinary intelligence. He
had been in town several days, had seen
McMahan, had been with him, had heard
all about him, and must have known
something of his powers. His little
speech was either bragadocio, he was
playing a part in a farce, or he was a
most egregiOuS - mistaken.
Wen, the ''oration" having been pro-
nounced, Mr.. McMahan steps into the
ring, shakes hands with Covill, then took
hold, kept batting Covill with his
right leg" got the ''double toe trip on
him, and in four minutes Covill was
thrown, acknowledged himself beat, de-
clined another trial, the match was at an
end, and the spectators were most COM
pletely sold,
The greatest excitement prevailed
when this so-called match was declared
at an end Epithets were freely banded
back and forth, and the almost unani-
nous expression of opinion was that no
real match was intended, that in fact it
was a ''put-up job" and the spectators
had been yictimized to the tune of fifty
cents each, while the promoters of the
affairs had reaped and divided among
themselves a handsome harvest. A
wrestling match may or may not be
proper and right, when conducted upon
honor; that viii depend, of course, upon
the tastes, feelings, or prejudices if you
please, of the individual. But all viii
and do utterly condemn any wrestling
match, or other trial p skill, where the
sole object is to draw money from the
pockets of the people, and then enact
only farce before them. This is the
meanest kind of petty ways to obtain
money without honest labor, and any
one who.engages III it, knowingly, is
worthy of, and will be sure to receive,
the contempt and destation not only of
the parties who have unwittingly parted
with their money, but of the whole COM
munity.
One word more and we are done with
this and, we trust, with all wrestling
matches in Rutland, at least. Besides
the wholesale imposition practiced upon
the attendants, the effect was totally
and utterly demoralizing, not only to
the mass of the deluded ones, but to the
community generally. We hope nothing
may again occur to bring into our streets
satch a crowd as filled them Saturday
evening and night. For hours it was
not safe for respectable person to be
abroad and only the utmost exertions
prevented constant scenes of disturbance
and possibly bloodshed. If this is the
tendency of wrestling Matches" the
sooner they are put down, by the strong
arm of the law, the better But, law or
no law, there certainly ought to be moral
force enough in the community to pre-
vent their repitition.
FOURTH OF July AT MoNTPELIER. u
The people of Montpelier have arranged
a grand programme for the celebration
of the Fourth of July. The committee
have over $140O at their disposal, and
propose to devote $3.50 in prizes to hand
fire engines, as follows
First prize, $3.50.
Second prize, 200.
Third prize, 100.
Several companies have already signi-
fed their intention to compete for the
,,rap,i,pac apd from, ,,raco,t o,1,oor