Waterbury Democrat., 1902-01-08
WITH THE WRESTLERS.
Manager Tuohey Expected in Water
 bury To-day.

bury To-day.
 Tt is singular" says a Cincinnati exchange, that Charley Wittmer, without doubt the best of all Ameri- can Graeco-R Roman mat performers, should have never appeared in the east in his long and honorable career as a wrestler. Time after time he has had offers of purses to meet the best men in the country in the east, but he is essentially a home man and his position as superintendent of in clines for the Cincinnati Traction Go paid him liberally for the past twenty years. Wittmer, however, has just secured a long leave of absence and intends to go east and meet ali those who believe that they are his master at the grappling game. 4Ae has ann pie backing to satisfy anybody in the world and for long time his open challenge remained unanswered. His great performances in defeating "Strangler'' Lewis, from whom ne won the American championship, and his terrific struggle with that giant oriental, Yousouf, have won for Witt meP the esteem of .Ie wrestling fra- ternity, and these performances stamp him as the best American wrestler of modern times at his own style. The fact that he could toss Tom Jenkins and Dan Mcleod like meal sacks shows of what timber the big fellow is constituted, and his cleverness at the French style; is unsurpassed. As he has been unable to secure finish matches with any of the top notehars he intends to take on all corners at any style and offers liberal handieaps that are bound to make the contests he engages in interesting Wittmer is rapid fire wrestler, tricky, a thinker, and with ample strength to put into play anything his quick brain suggests He is, perhaps, the coolest wrestler under fire that has been be- fore the public in long time and even Yousouf with his 365 pounds had to admit that for sang froid and triclziness Wittmer was the peer of all the men of normal size he had ever faced" Wittmer will arrive i'll Wa terbury this week to prepare for his match with Professor Dwyer, which takes place at the Auditorium on Jan uary IT.
 New London, Jan s.--Hjalmar Lun- din had no difficulty in defeating Carl Schmidt at the New London opera house in the wrestling bout last even ing. The Worcester boy outclassed the New Yorker in both strength and the finer points of the game. Lun- din's victory came by winning two straight falls. He tipped the Ger man over for the first fall in nineteen minutes of wrestling, after securing a three-quarter Nelson, changed to q half Nelson. The second bout was won by Lundin's securing a scissors leg hold after ten minutes of wrest- ling.
 John Piening, the Butcher Boy," who is filling an engagement at the Olympic theater, Harlem, this week, meeting all corners, found an ann bilious and rather tough customer in Billy Edwards of New York last night. Edwards is 8 well built man, strong and vigorous, with fair know ledge of the game. He was not afraid, either, and made q bold bid for the $25 which Johnny Dunn offers to any wrestler, irrespective Of weight. who can stay fifteen minutes W1In 9leu1HS. 1dSL $ UOuL NdS at catch as catch can style. Piening permitted Edwards to cut out the pace for the first three minutes. Edwards made a desperate lurch at the Butch CT Boy," and succeeded in bringing Fleming to the mat. Edwards at once got on top and the two squirmed all over the carpet. Edwards got firm neck hold and worked off the mat. Fleming was partially on his back and everyone in the audience expected to see him thrown. But John by a clever move of his legs turned on his stomach. Then real test ensued, both breaking holds which wound have made an ordinary Inan suceumb. Nothing of momeIt occurred until the tenth minnt, Edwards was winded from his efforts and Fleming bridged him with crotch hold. Then apply ing a full Nelson he put Edwards's shoulders to the mat for a fall. The time was 10 minutes and 45 seconds.