Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-03-17
FRANK GO|CH GOT RICH
--------------
Iowa Wrestler Cleans Up $4,000
Among Sports OF the
Klondike.
lie Met All Corners in Alaska
and Won Plenty OF
Money.
Was Known in Dawson as Frank
Kennedy-.Some Of His
Experiences.
snecial to Times-Republican

| Sioux CITY, March 1T.-Frank Gotch,
:. young son of a farmer of Humboldt
Iowa, has just returned from the klon7
dixie and brought with him ''wad' of
some O,OOO. That's what he made up
/ there in just six months. Two years
ago Frank Gotch was a young man just
/ of age, tipping the scales at 100 pounds,
| five feet ten and half inches high, his
neck large like bulls, and muscles
standing out over his body like the
limbs of gnarled oak. Farmer
Burns, the well-known wrestler dis
covered" Gotch. and put him to wrest-
ling. Since then the young giant has
thrown about every one in Iowa and
Nebraska, and capped his record in the
gold fields of Alaska last summer and
fall by putting every wrestler of note in
the Klondike both shoulders to the mat.
When he went to Alaska it wasn't as
a wrestler. So the people who saw
young stranger making his way up
creek" from Dawson and stopping at
the claim of James Brown We're told he
vas young miner named Frank Ken
redy. He began daily labor on Browns
claim, washing gold dust out of the
sand.
One day, in camp he CHANGED to
wrestle with a bully, and threw him in
a trice. The bully didn't tell it, but
others did. So next day Billie Muir
dock, best wrestler on the hill, chal-
lenged him and Murdock's friends went
to the camp saloon to see the fool
hardy stranger discounted. To their sur
prise, Gotch threw his man to the hard
floor of the saloon in just four minutes
and pocketed Murdock's $500. Things
were starting we'll.
Kennedys fame spread. Two light
weights down the Geek, Riley and Muir
ply, heard about him, and put up 81
500. They pushed their bargain hard
and Kennedy agreed to throw them
both twice in an hour. He did it in half
the time.
The miners began to believe Kennedy
was a remarkable wrestler for a plain
placer miner, but Kennedy just kept on
looking for gold on Browns claim, and
let the rest talk.
Down at Dawson. White, crack
wrestler of Alaska, had the papers
print under big headlines that he had
posted $4,000 for three fall meet with
Kennedy. The young miner" came
down the creek, took the money out of
his pocket, and covered the purse. The
Dawson papers predicted the downfall
of Kennedy, for White had reputation
for throwing people-in fact the. klon-
dixie boosted only about one better.
Money went up freely on White. The
next day the papers said white was
like wax in Kennedys grip" He had
won three falls in eighteen minutes and
about $4,000 in purse, bets and gate re-
ceipts. But still he held his tongue.
The champion of Alaska was Silas
Archer. The newcomer having thrown
the next to the best man, the champion
became interested. But he declared he
wouldn't wrestle for less than 5000.
That suited the young miner. and the
$4,000 was promptly doubled. This took
Archer's breath away, but the papers
said he would surely win, so he felt
better. The winner was to get single
fall. Archer was not alone the cham
pion of Alaska, but resident there.
Local pride and loyalty to their
champion brought miners from every
field in the Klondille down to the Old
Savoy Theater on the night of Aug. 13.
and every man came with bag of
gold-dust in his hip-pocket. Values
run high in the Klondike, and when it
was all over the papers said more
money was bet on that contest than on
any wrestling match that ever took
place in the world. AT all events men
fought for standing room at 81 head. |
Kennedy went at his man with vim,
and seventeen and half minutes later
pushed Archer's shoulder blades into
the mat. He Won. in purse, side bets
and gate receipts, $1S,640.
A five style match followed between
Kennedy, Ole Marsh and "the mighty
Colonel Mclaughlin" as the sporting
editors put 1t, and when all was over 1t |
was found that Kennedy had cleaned I
them all out. Unable to find any more
opponents who wanted to put their
money up on straight contests, Gotch
began wrestling against time for night
ly purses of from 500 to $500.
He left the Klondike two months ago
with the sincere respect of the sporting |
public. In spite of their heavy losses
the people bade farewell to the young
man who had defeated their every vet
eran, and wished him WE'LL Gotch is
back in Humboldt. leading quiet life
again. But his advice to the wrestler
who seeks financial assistance is, 60 |