Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-01-20
WRESTLING
TALL TIMERS HIS
Swanson Took to the Woods Last Night and Failed to Appear
 to Meet Billy Cnaki.

IcS, dHu WILL HiIl ROeS tLilaL SdHlc oiu yellow streak" which he displayed so lavishly on the City hall stage when he met Billy Cnaki of Bridge port some months ago. Exit also Billy Stapleton of Naugatuck as manager of athletics, and this exit is t0 be de- plored. for ,lp to last evening Billy Suspicion had made good in all his sporting events and his many friends now do not know just what to make of his actions last night. Exit as well for the present, wrestling tournaments in the borough of Naugatuck, for the burning the sports received (ast eyea ing will rankle in their hearts for many moons. All honor to Billy Cnaki and his honest manager. Dick Howell. who were on hand to fulfill their part l of the contract and who were as much 1 dumbfounded at the turn of events as l were the spectators themselves. All | honor. too, to the sports from all over the state who. although ugly rumors | were in the air, made sheir way to tile Gem opera house in Naugdttck pre- pared to see the advertised wrestling match for the Nelterweight champion
 ship of the world. but. oh, what { scene was there enacted when the sports learned that they were done good and hard and they failed to even
 get a glimpse of box office receipts. Ii a sensational play writer could only have been present, what a world of groundwork he could have secured TOT a hair raising drama!
 But let us glance over the cifcum
 stances before last evening and just
 what took place when the announce
 ment was made that Swanson was. ir
 New York and not in NaugatlNk
 where he should have been. rho
 writer has before him an article pub
 lished yesterday in which was stated
 the following:
 "Both Swanson and Cnaki arrived 1 in NaugatuCk this afternoon and
 weighed in at tue Y. NJ. c. A. Bott
 men looked fit. Swanson has taken or
 q few pounds since his harH matcl with George Bothner in New York l last week and probably will be strong
 or than in that struggle"
 Is the above true? If it is. thef
 Swanson must have immediately
 jumped train and hied himself back
 to New York. when he saw the excel
 lent trim in which his opponent Cnaki. stripped. But Swanson did no weigh in at all. at least not in Nauga
 tuck. Cnaki was there with his man Lager, but the alleged world bsater'
 was sadly missing. What kept hin
 away. do you ask? Well, there is only one answer that would be likely to bt the correct one. Swanson feared thi; strong little plumber from Bridge
 port and he realized probably that what was done to him in City hal
 was only a patch on what would hap pen to him in Naugatuck last night
 Swanson is no fool. if he does show "thc yellow" once in while. He was in close communication with Cnakis
 training quarters. in all probability
 and the reports from there. were sC good for Cnaki and bad for Swanson that the latter probably believed New | York would he tho more comfortable
 village to be in last evening.
 Tn tho article referred to above also which was probably "boyishly" writ
 fen. was a little. slur rcfereewlse There are lots of referees" who know
 their business and 1t does seem strange sometimes that the good feeling' which prevail generally among th' newspaper fraternity should he shat tered for the sake of some cheap skat, of n wrestler who has no use for ont of the sporting writers. further tllai
 what he can get in advertising Tht Democrat writer has refrained' from saving anything in reference to th' Swanson and Cnaki match in advance m to yesterday. The principal req son for So doing was that Manages Stapleton forgot to send in the nsua little advertisement for such an event
 and for this the Democrat is trai, grateful. under the circumstances as thcy transpired. Yesterday q little ! sauib in the paper told that the bet ! tipg was two to one that Swanson ! yeuld not throw CnakL The writer had heard of the ugly rumors re
 ferre,l to above. but refrained from 1 saying anything about them. because there are those who would shout I'm
 me,liately sour grapes. Those ru mors were to the effect that Swanson | had no intention of appearing in Naug
 atuck. that his forfeit had not been posted and that Manager Siapleton vas wise to tise whole thing Whether these rumors were tru. or not. th, public can beSt judge for themselves
 Rut let US to the exciting scenes en. acted i'm tho Gem opera house. N least five hundred people had paid tu enter the little theater before the first contest was called. There were ai least five hundred more wise ones who remained on the outside and vho evidently got an inkling on the --i mors.- Th0sc PreSent were giNen their first disappointment when it was announced that the much advertised | a.Pittsburg Joe was not present and vounr Connolly of Naugaiuck was I slste,l to ro on with Chick Lawson. I The latter threw the other chap tNics in suereSsion in twentytwo minutes sui eleven minutes rcSpectiveS. Thg i crowd stood for this. for they hsa come to see the main contest and dtlpt care much what the prelimin. < aries werp- There came q delay then ard tho people In tic hall began ts gei s5~pirious while the crowd outside huzzeti themselves in eIee. Swanson E las uat arriVesI- Nas the word sent -ya sr. n.r1 a.sa sr-r. srssr,-.-sor. ,ss the ps.aPle bexsn to assume su sngTy feeling Finally t dercivea oa Sonle aae to explain tae ssuse of the delay < srd James q carrulI ~ this e5fy ss> Z rs-ke-s ovt ss thr anr to fafr the s1aff-