Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-01-09
|CAINS REPUTATION FARMS SAVE THEDAY
FRANK GoTcH, AN IOWA BOY, 4
CANDIDATE FOR NATIONAL
WRESTLING HoNoRs.

Metreoic caree of Young Farm Boy
Who Has Won Prominent Place in
Sporting World - Humboldt is the
Home Of New Celebrity.
A farm boy with apparently little
prospect of ever achieving fame or
fortune but few years ago; today
one of the worlds most noted wres-
tiers and a candidate for the national
wrestling championship. Such is the
record of Frank Gotch, a young Hum
boldt boy, who is getting into form for
his big match this month with Tom
jenkins, of Cleveland, for the wres-
Ting championship of America.
Only a few years ago he was rough
and ready farm boy, wrestling with
the boys and men in the neighborhood
of his home and getting put down
about as many times as he put the
other fellows down. Since then, how
ever, he has grown somewhat, both in
oNlll dHu ISday 1iS oLeIhN'
as one of the hardest wrestlers of the
day. Just now Humboldt is pinning
it's hope for national glory to Frank
Gotch's colors.
After he had wrestled a year or two,
young Gotch got considerable local rep
utation and he looked around for big
ger game than Humboldt county offer
ed His first real match of any conse-
quence was with Mcleod, a former
champion of the United States. 1t took
place on the fair ground and at the
end of one hour and seven minutes the
young and unskilled farmer boy sue
cumbed, but the defeat was a victory
for it displayed the latent power OF
Gotch.
Farmer Burns Takes Him.
He did not leave the farm immedi
diately after. but combined wrestling
with farming. But soon that old vet
eran of the mat, Farmer Burns
recognizing the ability of Gotch, tool
him under his wing, where Gotcf
trained and grew wise on the laws o.
wrestling.
About four years ago, Gotch gave W
the farm life and went to wrestling ex
clusively Victory after victory
came to him. He soon became the I'm
disputed champion wrestler of lowe
after long series of victories. He de
feated Ole Shellenberger, state cham
pion of Michigan; D. A. Mcmillan, al
round wrestling champion Of Iowa; j
H. Galentin, champion of Nebraska
Michael Grove at one time famed fol
his wrestling victories and so man.
other notable wrestlers that it woult
| take a good part Of this column tt
name them. His fame had become
SO great by 1901 that Gotch could ge
no one to wrestle with him withou
| his first putting up very heavy odds
So Gotch decided to leave the Unite'
States and departed for the gold field
of Klondike. where the fame and fac
of Frank A. Gotch was unknown.
His Alaskan Trip.
Taking the name of Frank Kennel
he innocently set out from Dawson
/ "up creek as a young miner and 500
was engaged washing gold dust out O
| the sand.
1 One day while in camp he happene
to wrestle and defeat a bully TIL
news of the event travelled fast and h
was soon doing fairly good business
1 clearing $4,000 in two matches. TIL
miners thought him a remarkable fe
low for just a plain prospector, bu
I Kennedy just kept washing gold dus
and keeping mum.
Down at Dawson, White, a crac
wrestler of Alaska put up $4,000 for
bout with Kennedy. which the youn
miner soon covered. The papers a
predicted defeat for Kennedy, but tn
!. next morning they said: white wa
! like wax in Kennedy's grip" The las
big event was for the championshi
of Alaska, Silas Archer, then the hol'
er, next challenging. But he also wa
defeated and Kennedy won $3.50
and the Alaskan championship. H
soon after returned to his home
Humboldt, bringing with him $4,000
, the profits for his little trip of s.
: months.
Meets Jenkins and Loses.
The next year after his return fro1
5 the Klondike, in 1902, he went afte
: the championship OF America and los
!. to Tom Jenkins in Cleveland, Obi
: April "a, 1903. Cleveland is Jenllin
e home town. and those who saw til
n match say that Gotch received vel
7 unfair treatment. They even say tn;
= Gotch really had jenkins down mo-
e than once, but nothing could w
n against the officials. At the end of 8
: Ehour and fifty-fve minutes of CONT