Waterbury Democrat., 1902-11-22
NTH HE URESTLERS.
Another Big Tournament Arr
 ranged For This City.

On Thanksgiving Night John E. Kelly
 of This City and John Rober) Rea-
 gav of Brockton Will Meet for the
 Championship-Tw Good Prelimi-
 naries Are Arranged George Both
 ner Holds Off John Fleming and Els
 capes With Snly Two Falls Mar
 tin Muldoon Retired Wrestler.
 Waterbury people will have another nance to see d good wrestling tourna-
 ant on next Thursday night when Uohn B. Kelly and John "Rober" Rea gan of Brockton face each other for the championship of New England in the 13S pound class The men have posted a forfeit of S25 each with the sporting editor of this paper and they will deposit $75 more each on the day of the match. They will weigh in at the ringside and the winner will take all the money after expenses are paid. The match will be at catch-as-catch- can style, pin falls only to count and the strangle and double Nelson holds barred. The double Nelson is barred at the request of Reagan who would
 
 Reagan is one of the best wrestlers of his weight in New England and up Massachusetts way he. has no equal. Kelly claims the championship and the contest will be a warm one.
 For DreliminarieS Jack Roach will wrestle William Cnaki of the Colum- bia Athletic club of Bridgeport and Jesse Foley has accepted the chaI- lenge of O'Connell of New Haven and will agree to the handicap he asks, but there must be a side bet. O'Con- nell said he was willing to make a side bet and if he does it will make an interesting bout. In fact there will be three star bouts.
 John D. Kelly had very success ful benefit rendered to him last night in Turn hall and the well filed hall will aid him materially in, securing wrestling paraphernalia. A very good program had been arranged and those present enjoyed the sport immensely.
 The first preliminary was between Jack Roach of this city and Nick Plunkett of Watertown. Roach was the lighter man of the two but he was the aggressor from the start and at the end of seventeen minutes and for ty-ffye seconds he had the Watertown man on his back. There was no other fall in this bout and Roach was declared the winner
 Fred Barribault followed with an exhibition of dumb bell lifting. He is a representative of the Washington E Hill Athletic club and his work was most praiseworthy. !
 Jesse Foley of this city and Max Gorton of Naugatuck were the next pair to come together. Foley was the lighter man. but he played rings around the Naugatuckian and secured the first and only fall in the match in sixteen minutes and fifteen seconds.
 The principal match was between John B. Kelly and Walter Kiersted. Kelly cut out the pace and Kiersted worked back with him and made the Waterbury champion hustle all the time. Kelly was to throw Kiersted twice in half an hour and he secured a fall in nineteen minutes and thirty seconds. That was the only fall taken for Kiersted was working out of some difficult holds and locks and kept it up to the finish.
 New York, Nov 22.-At the Grand Central Palace last night the light weight champion, George Bothner, de- monstrated that he has no peer as a defensive wrestler. In the face of overwhelming odds as to weight and strength Bothnerlstayed off John Pien- ing, the Butcher Boy,'' in one of the most exciting handicap bouts of the season. Fleming undertook to throw Bothner four times in one hour, and failing, Bothner was declared the win ner. Fleming only threw Bothner twice.
 Although Fleming sprung a number of holds, the only grasp which aided him was the hammer lock. Toward the finish Piening's energy was almost spent and he had all he could do to even budge Bothner
 It was nearly 10:45 before the ''stars' appeared. Both were heart fly received. Bothner was handled by Bell Brown, George Fischer and Char ley Harvey. Fleming was looked af- ter by John Quinn and Neil Olsen. The style was catch-as-catch-can Hughey Leonard, instructor of the New York "A. C., was referee All holds were allowed except the 'sstrangle''
 Fleming weighed 190 pounds, while Bothner tipped the beam at 135 pounds. They went to work with a vim. Bothner was not afraid and fougned IL TOT the nrSt two minutes. Then Bothner acted on the defensive and George showed his cleverness by escaping out of some very tight places. Finally Fleming, secured hammer lock and put George down The time of the fall was 14 minutes and 21 sec onds.
 After a rest of fifteen minutes the contest was resumed. Fleming again sought hammer lock, and after evad- ing it three times Bothner finally sue cumbed. The fall was gained with hammer and bar hold in IS minutes and 12 seconds. The third trial, which proved to be the last, was very exciting. When time was up Bothner was literally carried out of the ring by his admirers, and the police had all they could do to restore order so that the decision could be heard
 The first preliminary, between Max Iuttbeg of St Louis and Young Jef- fries of this city. resulted in an easy victory for Luttbeg in two straight falls. For the second preliminary Bill Brown. a pupil of George Both ner, downed Peter Hanson of Brook 1yn in exactly minutes and 51 sec