The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-15
A STAR IN DISGUISE
Iowa Farm Boy Outwrestled All Of
Klondike.
Melted $50, 900 IN SIX MONTHS
Gotch Was KENNEDY in the North
and as u Plain Miner Caught
the Unwary.
Special to The Journal.

Special to The Journal.
I Sioux City, Iowa, March Is. - Frank
Gotch, young son of a farmer of Hum
boldt, Iowa, has Just returned from the
K1ondike. and brought with him ''wad y
of some $4,000. That's what he made up
there in just six months. Two years ago,
Frank Gotch was young man just of
age, tipping the scales at 100 pounds, S
feet 10h 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 wrest-
Ter, discovered" Gotch, and put him to
wrestling. Since then the young giant
has thrown about every ono 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 a young
stranger making his way "up creek" from
Dawson and stopping at the claim Of
James Brown, were told he was a young
miner named Frank Kennedy. He began
daily labor on Browns claim, washing
gold dust out of the sand.
His First Match.
One day, in camp, he CHANGED to wrestle
with bully, and threw him in trice.
The bully didn't tell it, but others did.
So next day, Billie Murdoch, best wrestler
on the hill, challenged him and Murdoch s
friends went to the camp saloon to see
the foolhardy stranger discounted. To
their surprise, Gotch threw his man to
the hard floor of the saloon in just four
minutes and pocketed Murdocks $500.
Things were starting we'll.
Kennedys fame spread. Two light
weights down the creek, Riley and Muir
ply, heard about him, and put UP $4,000.
They pushed their bargain hard and Ken
needy 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 plain
placer miner, but Kennedy just kept on
looking for gold on Browns claim, and
let the rest talk.
Down at Dawson, White, a crack wrest-
| Ter Of Alaska, had the papers print under
big headlines he had posted $1,000 for a
three-fall meet with Kennedy. The
Eyoung miner" came down creek, took the
! money out of his pocket, and covered the
purse. The Dawson papers predicted the
downfall Of Kennedy, for White had a
| reputation for throwing people-in fact
! the Klondike boosted only about one bet
! Ter. Money went up freely on White
| The next day the papers said ssWhite was
| like wax in Kennedy's. grip" He had
| won three falls in eighteen minutes and
| about So, 900 in purse, bets and gate re-
ceipts. But still he held his tongue.
| Downs the Champion.
! 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 $4,000
| That suited the young miner, and the
| SIS, 900 was promptly doubled. This took
Archer's breath away, but the papers sait
he would surely win, so he felt better
| The winner was to get single TALL
| Archer was not alone champion Of Alas
ka but resident there. Local pride ane
loyalty to tftheir champion" brought min
ers from every field in the Klondike dow1
| to the Old Savoy theater the might o.
| Aug. Is, and every i1nan came With bat
! of gold-dusb in his hip-Docket. Value:
run high in the iKlondike, and when i
was all over the papers said more none!
was bet on that contest than on an.
wrestling match that ever took place IL
the world. At all events, men fought FOL
! standing room at 81 a head,
Kennedy went at his man with vim
! and 17M minutes later pushed Archer. !:
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 1.-The mighty
Colonel Mclaughlin" as the sporting ed
itors put it, and when all was over, it was
found Kennedy had cleaned them all out
| Unable to find any more opponents Wh'
wanted to put their money up on stra1gh
contests, Gotch began wrestling agalns
time for nightly purses of from $loo u
$500.
He left the Klondike two months ago
with the sincere respect of the sportin!
public. In spite of their Navy losses, tn
people bade farewell to The young NAL
who had defeated their every veteran, am
wished him we'll. Gotch is back IN Hum
boldt, leading quiet life again. But nj
advice to the wrestler who seeks hnancla
assistance is. go to the klondake AM
stay 81 months