Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-07-03
EASY
Sportsmen Awaken to the Fact
That Olson is Not Olson
But Somebody Else.
A WRESTLER WITH A RECORD
Wise Ones in Sleepy Town Are Short
About $3,ooo-Rock Island Man
Gives Up Some History.

The sleepy old town of Burlington
is now awakening and rubbing its eyes
and finding that the sportsmen of that
city have been extremely easy in some
of the wrestling matches that have re-
Gently been pulled off there. Under
the name of Charles Olson, wrestler
who has been making Rock Island his
headquarters for several months has
been in two events in that city, the
last one being Friday night. About
So 900 is what the Burlingtonians say
they are short on the match with Was
sem. The man who has been turning
the trick claims the championship of
Canada. and is simply sojourning here
long enough to pick up few of the
easy ones. With reference to the
wrestling match in that city, the Bur
lingtOn Hawkeye says:
"COnAdent of Winning"
No wonder Charles Olson OF Rock
Island, was confident of winning" as
he put it, when he tackled the two pre-
mier local wrestlers. Gamble and Was
sem, in this city The victor of an un-
broken series of matches extending
without a single defeat for over three
years against men who are famed
throughout the land as the fastest
wrestlers in America, has some right
to feel confident of winning" against
men with but a local reputation to back
them up.
When the true facts concerning "Ol-
sons" identity became common knowl-
edge yesterday, the local sports rub
med their and NUnndarnH
did not belong among the babes in the
woods instead of being hOnOred mem
bers of the bunch of wise ones"
which they had thought they were.
"Olson" and his crowd gold-bricked the
Burlington fraternity so neatly that
there is no room for resentment, but
it will be a long time before the wise"
local sports recover their self-esteem.
Olson" candidly admitted after the
match to several of the men most
deeply interested in the match Friday
evening that ne was not the unknown
Rock Island machinist that he was
supposed TO be. With modest mien
he related TO the astonished Burling-
tonians a short sketch of his achieve
ments on the mat in the last three
years. He said he preferred to wres-
lie under a new name in each town in
order that his opponent might not lose
what little confidence he might have
had before seeing him, and just for an
example gave a few instances.
From Gotch by Default.
Under the name of Mays he wrestled
Frank Gotch in Seattle a year ago and
won the event by default, Gotch failing
to score two falls on him in an hour.
Under the name of Miller, he threw
Ardahl. the big Swede,' who weighs
225 pounds and whose reputation is
as far-spreading as that of Jenkins,
and posing as Mann, of Omaha, he
worsted Falkner, a big wrestler from
Davenport, who was considered in
vincible by his hackers. "Olson" has
met Burns. and though he never secur-
ed fall on him in public, he threw
the big farmer several times in private
bouts in Burns training quarters.
These are only a few instances of
his victories in the past three years.
but scores of men of the same calibre
as Gamble and Wassem have been
forced to the mat by "Olson." and
more are expected TO follow in years to
come. OF course. "Olson" will never
appear here on the mat again Salts