River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-04-24
THE JAPANESE WRESTLER.
His Contests with Bibby the great Eng
1tsh Observation-Disclosures of the

His Contests with Bibby the great Eng
ltsh Wrestler Struggles of the
Giants.
The great trials and strength and
dexterity between Japanese and Eng
fish wrestler have occasioned much ex-
element among the athletes of New
York as well as with the public The
Japanese wrestler was defeated at first,
but the sequel is told by correspond
emit:
Sorakichi's revenge was satisfactory
and complete. He had shown himself
to be possessed of extraordinary strength
and a great wrestler according to Jap
anese rules, and he has yanked his re-
cent victorious antagonist around the
ring at his own sweet will As Soraki-
chi cried after his defeat by Bibby it
was quite natural that he should giggle
and dance after Bibby's defeat by him.
When the Jap arrived in this country
he had small opinion of our athletes.
He considered Japan the greateat coun-
try in the world and as he was known
to be the strongest and quickest man in
Japan he had no fear of Americans.
His first match here was with Bibby at
Irving Hail. The two men wrestled ac-
cording to catch as catch can rules and
Bibby, who was once the champion of
England, tossed the great Japanese
wrestler around the stage as
though he were an infant. Accord
ing to the English rules one
wrestler to make fall must throw the
other wrestler on his back and press
him to the stage so that both shoulders
and one hip or both hips and one should
er touch the floor at the same time.
This constitutes fall. Expert wrest-
lers like Bibby and Acton will some
times wrestle two hours before they
have secured three falls. They may
throw each other over their heads, jump
on each others chests and resort to
every trick known to expert wrestling,
but the men always fall so that at least
one shoulder is free from the floor. 1t
at once becomes the work of the wrest-
Ter to work this shoulder down. / once
saw Clarence Whistler wrestle
Dufur, the great eastern athlete,
when he deliberately pulled the New
England mans arm out of Joint SO
as to force his shoulder to the floor. He
got Dufur down on his side, twisted his
arm under his back and exerted all his
immense strength. Both men were
painting and struggling like demons,
when Dufur suddenly yelled at the top
Of his voice and turned white as a sheet,
at the same moment dropping over on
the floor. Whistler jumped up and as
sisted bis fallen rival to his feet. Dufur's
right arm hung at his side, limp, miss
happen, twisted and dead, white in coll
or, except ever the shoulder, where
there were two bright scarlet spots. His
arm was pulled in place, however, and
believe he suffered no serious injury
| from it. Catch as catch can wrestling
depends almost as much upon skill as
strength, so Sorakichi when he met
Bibby was tossed about at will.
The Jap insisted that Bibby should
wrestle him according to the blues of
Japan, and this Bibby at last acceded
to. If ever man was completely used
mp it was Edwin Bibby at Clarendon
hall on this occasion. The Japanese at
home wrestle on platform nine feet in
diameter and 10 feet high. The one
who succeeds in knocking his antagon-
ist on this platform secures fall 1t is
also considered fall if anything but
the feet of the wrestlers touch the floor
| If one gets the other down so that even
the tips of his little fingers touch the
floor he has won the bout. When Bib
by got in front of the japanese the
other night the Jap pounded on the
floor with his bare feet clapped his
hands, believing loudly and shot
forward head first. He struck Bibby
on his breast, lifted him off his feet and
carried him against the ropes, where he
hung exhausted and bewildered. If the
ropes had not been there Bibby would
have probably gone out of the window.
After accomplishing this, Sorakichi
| jumped into the middle of the stage,
waved his hands VIGOROUSLY and began
to dance with delight. Having knocked
his antagonist off OF what would have
been a nine foot ring in Japan, it was
considered that he had won the fall.
| Bibby, however, recovered himself and
rushed at the japanese like mad bull.
The Jap taken by surprise took hold of
the ropes and protested by many wild
gesticulations and grimaces that Bibby
| was unfair. Therefore, forced the Eng
lish athlete away from the Jap, and after
an hour of disputes, during which Bib
| by claimed that he had a right to fall
on his hands and feet as long as his ell
| bows didn't touch the ground, the match
was resumed. In the next round Sora-
kichi butted his antagonist again, siezed
him by the back of the neck and, exert
ing his tremendous strength, yanked
him forward upon his face ON the floor.
Bibby lay like starfish. The Japan
csc danced and giggled. Bibby saw
now that he was no match for the celes-
tial and attempted to laugh the match
off, but his laugh didn't seem natural.
He was wofully knocked about by the
Japanese champion, who threw him
| four times in ten minutes Toward the
last Bibby lost his temper and attempt
ed to out-butt the Japanese. 1t was as
| futile on his part as an effect to out-butt
battering ram.
The strength of Sorakichi is simply
marvellous. All sorts of stories are GO
ing round town about his wonderful
pluck and quickness and the ease with
which he accomplishes muscular feats
| which would appal our heaviest ath-
letes. By the way, Sorakichi's case
may give point to professional train
ers. He eats nothing but rice and alb
hors meat. His condition is perfect,
spirits good and his eyes bright. He is
altogether magnificent type of man
and he does it all on rice. He says the
| athlete who cats meat will lose his
strength early anal die young. There is
at present no recognized system Of train
| ing, and after the example of the Japan
ese it is quite likely that there will be
still more confusion. Every man will
have to train according to his own
knowledge of himself. There is gen
eral tendency, however, to eat sparingly
of meats at all times by athletes, wheth-
er they are in training or not.
"Corpulence and It's Treatment"