Waterbury Democrat., 1902-01-13
WITH HE WRESItERS.
Interview With Charley Witt
 mer, Now in Waterbury.

He Tells an Interesting Story of His ] Hardest Matches-His Battle With | Yousouf Was a Frightful One-The 1 Big Wrestler from the West Looks Strong Enough to. Move a House Herschel and Foley in Preliminary. 'What was the hardest contest you ever engaged in?" was asked of Char ley Wittmer today
 | That's rather a difficult question to answer" responded the big fellow. live been in q lot of gruelling bouts, but for punishment 1 think my 15- minute matches with Billy Muldoon were about as hard as any. AIuldoon, you remember, toured the country meeting all corners and used to offer $2 minute for local men to oppose him in 15-minute bouts with $50 bo- nus to any man he did not down in that time limit. Muldoon had evolved a system of punishing an opponent that savored of the Inquisition and he stopped at nothing. He. was the trickiest man I ever faced and when got off the mat I was one mass of bruises. He used, his elbows, his kneess his head and his heels, but af- ter had wrestled him twice 1 learned to block many of his moves and to turn his tricks on himself, so that in | the end lie concluded that it was q bad job to use tactics that could be l turned against him.
 I My three-nour draw with Yousouf, the first of the big Turks, which took place at the Walnut Street theater in. Cincinnati. on June 5, 1898, was 3 terror. Yousouf weighed about 360 pounds and he was strong as a moose. He had defeated Jenkins just before that and I realized that I would have to be careful and prevent him from us- ing his great weight to crush me. Now all Turks are fond of drinking olive oil, and just as soon as they begin to sweat it is like trying to hold man who has been greased with yaseline. We'll. Iousouf strode into the ring, called on Allah to help him, just as if he wasn't big enough himself, and we started. I adopted tantalizing tao tics, feinted all around him and finally got him to the mat by an arm hold. I stayed behind him and kept him on the defensive for some time, but he was continually gripping my arms ! and clinging to them until they be- came numbed. He finally got away and in turn got behind me. He threw his arms around my waist and clasp ing his hands, began to squeeze me with all his might. l thought my ribs would break. My wind was cut off as effectually as if he had strangle hold on me, my eyes began to bulge from their sockets and I began to lose consciousness. I rallied, however, and managed to break the hold by sheer strength. The house was in an uproar. and even my best friends thought it was all over. Breaking the hold, however, took all the starch out of Yousouf, and from then until mid night was reached, we struggled With varying advantage. As 1t was sat urday night the police stopped us on 1 the stroke of 12, and l guess neither of us was sorry.
 l 'tIt was nearly a month before re- covered fully from the effects of that match, but I was convinced that 1T ever got another match with Yousouf that I could defeat him. While ne- gotiations were pending he sailed on I the La Bourgogne, which was wrecked | on JULY fl, 1GSS, AlU Nd5 SteAA4Set NASNAA by the weight of his belt of gold"
 As a preliminary for the DWyer and Wittmer match, John Herschel, who gave such a good account of himself with Dwyer at the last match, will have a go with Jesse Foley of Nauga- tuck. Herschel has been training quietly with Dwyer and he is getting better every day and he feels confident that he can place the Naugatuck man hors de combat. Foley is no novice at the game and he has wagered several dollars that Herschel will look like T confederate bill before he IS through with him. There is not much diff far- ence in the weight of the two and as Herschel is anxious to climb the wres, ting ladder he will make brave eff fort to win two straight falls from Fo- ley. If he does win he will issue a challenge to John B. Kelly or anyone else in New England to meet him on the mat
 John Fleming, the Butcher Boy,'' who defeated Nachad, the Terrible Turk will attempt tonight at the London theater to defeat Fred Moh1 the Terrible Iceman,' and Billy Ed wards of Harlem, who gave Fleming the hardest struggle he ever had dur ing his theatrical engagements. The time limit of the bout IS twenty min utes, and as both men arc recognized heavyweights of ability, who have re- peatedly appeared in public, 1t looks as if Johnny Dunn had mapped out q hard task for the new champion of the grappling game, notwithstanding the latter's phenomenal prowess and won derful strength. Dunn states, how ever, that the Butcher Boys superb condition will tell the tale, and will back his opinion if anyone doubts his assertions.
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