Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-06-08
ON THE MAT.
Much Talk of the Parker and
 Bothner Match
If the Match Is On the Level Parker
 Should Win-Wrestling Is Now Get ting Knocks in New York-Tom sharkey Is Drawing Lot of the

CAAS 1AuoShS HI NSW 1OIh-1Um
 sharkey Is Drawing a Lot of the
 Long Green.
 To Sporting Editor Democrat:
 The coming week in New York two athletes who are at the head of the human family in their respective
 class, viz, 135 pounds, champion catch
 as-catch-can wrestlers, will meet to de-
 eide that long disputed and coveted po- sition. Many of the sporting public in this city will recall the match between
 George Bothner and Harvey Parker, April 27, 1899, at 13S pounds. John B.
 Kelly had gained the title of 198- pound champion of New England and
 was successfully defending 1t against all corners. The wise ones were lying awake at night thinking where to get a 13S-pound man to beat the Water
 bury wizard of the mat, Kelly. Mau- rice McCarthy had secured George Bothner to beat the Brass City cham pion and win g barrel of money. About the same time Jim Carroll had in tow
 Harvey Parker for the same purpose.
 McCarthy and Carroll issued chal-
 lenges in behalf of their men to meet Kelly, the latter having match par tially on with Mr Burns of New Ha-
 ven. Kel1y.s refusal to meet Bothner OF Parker and suggestion by the even ing paper soon brought Parker and Bothner Together. The result of the
 match is told in a few words. After
 i hour and 5S minutes wrestling, neither man securing a fall, Parker se- cured both of Bothner's legs. stood him on his head thereby disabling Bothner, who was forced to give up the contest.
 Since then both men have met in three
 different contests. neither securing fall. Parker a hard punishfng wres tier, Bothner one of the greatest de-
 fensive and most scientific men on the
 mat to-day. Parker the king at 143,
 Bothner the peer of all the 135-poun6 wrestlers on the mat. These men meet at 1855 pounds on Tuesday evening,
 June 9, in New York, for $20O side. There are many bets in this city at even money Carroll says he has $10O
 more which he will place on Parker.
 MT Mccarthy next. A SPORT. The following from the New York Sun bears out the suggestions offered by the sporting editor of the Democrat the other day: "A local promoter of l wrestling has hit upon a novel plan which he thinks will do away with fake bouts. He proposes that every contest which is to be decided in this city and
 elsewhere go to a finish and that so called handicap matches in which one
 man contracts to throw another so
 many times in one hour, should be
 abolished. It's the hardest thing in the world to distinguish fake from the genuine in wrestling continued the promoter, ,tbut there are plenty of ways to prevent fakirs from putting in in the game and hurting good sport. would suggest the abolition of bouts at, theaters following shows. These are more in the nature of exhibitions and give the patrons wrong impress sion Then would compe lall wrest- lers to do their level best, with a pen atty of being barred from competition l in New York and elsewhere. Three are many 4so-called wrestlers travelling from town to town under different names. It's a brazen piece of hippo l drome and should be stopped. It's only 1 a question of time when the authorities will close down on the sport in this 1 city if there is a semblance of any crooked work. The game has been bar red in some of the big cities because of bunch of no-account fakirs.'
 One of the greatest wrestling match es that has ever been pulled off in this
 country will take place tomorrow evening in New York when Harvey
 Parker and George Bothner face each 1 other for the lightweight championship ! of the world. The articles of agree ment call for each man to weigh 135
 pounds at the ringside. This will be
 a hard task for Parker, but he has l told the writer on several occasions
 that he could do it and do it easily l but he wanted to see some good in l ducement offered him before he start l ed to train for that weight. He all
 ways said he would get Bothner some 1 time in good match and perhaps he l has him now where he wants him. Parker defeated Bothner four years
 ago in this city by injuring him so l badly after nearly two hours Wrest- l ling that Bothner was unable to con 1 tinue. Bothner has a host of friends l all over the country who will back the I clever little wrestler, and he is clever, perhaps the best defensive wrestler in
 this country. Parker, while 1t will
 weaken him somewhat to make l3o
 pounds, should land the winner of the
 match.
 There are things to be considered,
 however, in this match and one of i them is the referee This official has
 a whole lot of power and he may force
 Parker to lose, if he is a friend of
 Bothner's. He may see foul that
 no one else can detect or he may not
 see a fall when others do see it. A foul | will give the match to Bothner, while 1 fall which Parker secures but does
 not get from the referee may keep
 Bothner off his back until yne match l is declared draw If the match is | on the level and the referee is square Parker should land the winner, with
 all due respect to Bothner's prowess.
 Many from this city will attend the match.
 Gus Schoenlin better known as
 Americus and Max Wiley of Rochester |oro Iaoop +n T1ooof in g finish