The Anaconda standard., 1899-12-31
WRESTLING
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| wrestling is written by Ernest Roeber,
| and will be read with interest by those
who like the game:
| The manly art of wrestling is going
to regain it's old time popularity in the
| near future. ! am convinced that dur
| ing the coming year much OF the en-
| thusiasm oover wrestling bouts that
| used to be witnessed in days gone by
| will be seen again.
| / have several reasons for this opin-
| ion, one being the much larger crowds
| of people that have paid to see wrestling
contests and exhibitions during the past
I few months than for several years pre-
| Vious to that time. Only short time
| ago | was challenged by Professor Atlas
| of New York, and the affair was ar
ranged TO take place in hall in rath-
er out of the way part of that city.
| ! thought possibly a couple of hundred
dollars would be taken at the cnor.
but to my great amazement we cleared
! over 81 100 that night.
| Little straWs like this show which
way the wind is blowing, and am per-
fectly convinced that it is at last veer-
| ing round in favor of wrestling, and l.
hope it is. for it is a great science
| Such contests are not only intensely
interesting to watch, but it Will he
good thing for the youth of this great
country if they VIII go in foT wrestling
more generally. 1t is one cf the best
| possible exercises man can take UP,
| as it not only serves IS develop every
muscle of the body, but also in3'ls es
quick thought and rapid action, besides
| making one able to gra s., \ sudden op-
portunity without fatal delay.
Many Challenges.
Still another reason for my opinion
that wrestling is coming to the fore is
the number of challenges that I have
| been inundated with, directly and indi-
rectly, during the past few weeks. Some
| of these have been from men who have
issued defis simply for the sake OF
| little possible notoriety. To them, Of
| course / shall pay not the slightest
attention, as they have no intention of
| ever facing me on the mat. others,
| again, have come to me from ambitious
| amateurs who think that because they
have downed few local eelab.itiss
| they must of necessity be world hcattis.
/ cannot afford to pay any attentton TO
| this class until they have lone scme
work that necessitates my man'sns
| them, not only because he matches
| would draw no crowd, but The Jesuit
would be so farcial that the old cry of
| fake, that has already dole so mnc.l
| to hurt the game, would inevitably be
| raised again. l have never been guilty
| of trying to hoax the public and will
| not be a party to any scheme that, even
if perfectly legitimate, looks like a skin
| game.
There are others who have challenged
me, however. whom l shall be only too
| glad to meet These are men who are
| champions in their own countries and
| who are coming to America to try to-
wrest the title of champion OF the world
| from me.
Among the foreigners who have signi-
| fled their intention to come over and
| wrestle me this winter are two men
| who are likely to give me good tussie
| before l down them, for they are fei-
| lows with splendid regulations abroad.
! and there are few tricks in connection
with the game which they do not know.
skillful Frenchman.
One of these men is Paul Pons, the
| champion Greco Roman wrestler OF
France. He is about feet inches in
| height and built in proportion, with a
! tremendous muscular development. He
| has defeated all aspirants in Gaul 80
| handily that now everybody over there
| is afraid to meet him.
A similar complaint as regards a lack
| of opponents is said to be the reason
| that Beck Olsen. the champion of Ger
many, has decided to come over here
| to get on a match with me. tie is
another giant in stature, being consid-
| cradle over feet in height, while I Gm
| but feet tx inches. Olsen is common
| ly known in Europe as the Great Dane,
| because Denmark is his native land.
| lie IS SalQ TO nave ueIedleu all luSeE-
| SarieS with such amazing ease that his
countrymen believe him invncible. Nat
| urally. am confident of defeating him
| and shall do my best to keep the cham
pionship of the world in this country
| a few years longer.
I have twice made tours of Europe.
wrestling any one who would meet me,
and in 1896 I brought home with me a
sheepslSin emblem of the champion
ship of Europe, While there I met and
defeated 100 men in IL months, after
| meeting four and five men in one even
ing. The wrestlers over there are not
to be sneezed at, for they are good men.
| but we nave better over here,
| During the past two or three years
! there has been an invasion of This
country by several alleged Turkish
| wrestlers, each of whom has Hla;'nsd
to be the champion of the Ottoman en-
! pire. and each of whom has in turn ee-
| clared that he has defeated all comsrs,
! including the ones who were here bef1re
| him. Now, as a matter of fact, none
of these men was wrestler according
| to our standards They were simply
| very strong men who endeavored to win
| by first hurting or Gripping their op-
ponents by breaking Their bones.
| Now that is all wrong and lors tie
sport no good. l want to win by squire
out and cut wrestling, and not the foul
| means such as they employed, The first
time I met one of these Turks he tried
to fire me bodily over the ropes and did
throw me out of the ring. The secoad
time l met him l. was on to his little
game, and so he couldn't repeat the
trick. Instead he tried to hurt me by
throwing me against 8 ~ =, and con-
sequently won on a foul.
In conclusion let me state that am
willing to defend my title of champion
Greco Roman wrestler of the world
against any reputable opponent provid-]
ed ne puts up the proper forfeit and
stake money and gives me six weeks
to get into condition l wrest1e At $50
pounds weight and require at least that
time to get into shape,