The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-12-30
st. CIairite Proves Easy One
for the Rapidan Man.
Moth Will Try to Take a Fall
Out of the Winner.
Next Contest Is Scheduled for
Wednesday Evening.


From Fridays Daily.
Bert Shores of Rapidar last night
defeated Fronk Cords of st. Clair in two
wrestling bouts at Mankato Theatre
Shores proved himself to be the super
ior man on the mat in every respect
and often played with his antagonist lest
the match should appear one-sided and
the three hundred spectators should &c
away feeling that they had not obtain
ed the worth of their money. As it was
however, the house was delighted with
the entertainment given and cheered
Shores to the echo at the end of each
of the two bouts. 1t was not neces-
sary to decide third fall, as Shores al
ready had the two necessary to win
the match.
Both wrestlers appeared in the pink of
condition and magnificent specimens of
the physical man they certainly were
Stripped to the waist, their powerful
frames from which -the well developed
muscles protruded on all sides excited
the hearty admiration of every lover of
the sport. They are not giants by any
means, yet many Judged that each of
them ought to tip the scale at lS5
pounds when stripped Neither of the
men seemed to sh2ve weighed himself
previously to the contest and it was
generally believed that the two were of
about the same layoirdupois. After the
match each was Sasked concerning his
own weight and eeh seemed DESTROYS of
making Che othef 0ut 10 ne the heavier
man. Cords thought he weighed about
l72 pounds and Shores placed his weight
as low as l6S.
In both bouts the struggle was fast.
The reddening forms, striving and with
ing, and presenting continual chang
ing spectacle, as they urged back and
forth on the mat, with sometimes one on
top and sometimes the other, were
watched with the keenest of interest by
all present. There were occasional out
bursts of hand-clapping and now and
then merry Jest, but the utmost good
humor prevailed everywhere, and the or
der was all that could be desired. 1t
was clean, fair contest from first to
last, and nobody went away feeling that
he had not been squarely treated.
In the first bout Shores disposed of his
man in fourteen minutes and twenty
six seconds, finally downing him with
the hammer lock and half Nelson hold
The second bout was shorter, lasting
twelve minutes and ten seconds. This
time Shores had the scissor and half
Nelson hold.
Oates Phillips and Frank Kieffe acted
as timekeepers. The matter of the
choice of referee was referred to the
spectators. Several names were sug-
gested, and standing vote was taken
showing that it was the general desire
that Police Officer Robb should perform
this duty. The officer stepped forward
and excused himself, and Gustave San
berg was appointed in his place.
The evenings program contained an
other feature that excited considerable
interest. This was a match between two
boys, Ned Davies, aged fourteen, son
of w. B. Davies, and Arthur Rainerson
lad little younger. The boys wres-
tied two indecisive bouts, being limited
to ten minutes in EACH Ned was the
heavier of the two, weighing 95 pounds
while Arthur weighed only 50. The
former by his superior strength and
heft would certainly have won the
match, had he possessed a degree of
skill and agility equal to that of his
doughty little antagonist.
The house at one point of the eve
ning's proceedings enjoyed little en-
tertainment that was not on the pro-
gram and was quite unexpected. Bert
Shores, just before his first bout with
Cords, stepped before the spectators and
announced that he would like to have a
match some time with Charles Moth
He said that he had made repeated of
fers to Moth and has named good
round sums to stake, but Moth had not
given him the chance he sought. Seated
in one corner of the gallery was Moth
The latter replied that he was ready to
wrestle with Shores after the Moth Will
ard contest, which is to take place at the
opera house on the evening of Dec. %
Moth incidentally hurled taunt at the
man who he had defeated four years be-
fore at New Rockford, n. d., saying