The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-05-07
HaCkGnSchmidt al His Old
Tricks in New Orleans
BIRMINGHAM "FlNS" "ON''
TO RESPECTIVE MERITS
Grandstand Plays of Little Weights
Misunderstanding the Wresters
and How They Manage
to Survive.

What is this wrestling game of which
one has heard? Must the man believe
it is a repetition OF challenges, and boasts
the like of which has not been heard
since the departure of the schoolboy
days? 1t seems that way.
Right now Birmingham is at rest. Bir-
mingham has been worked out thorough
ly While the working was in progress,
however, the local fanatics enjoyed them
selves and do not regret the money ex-
pended. They became familiar with the
names and the respective merits of the
wrestlers.
Other towns are being worked at pres
ent. There is a big fellow in Chatta-
nooga who is raising sand" indeed. He
answers to the name of Bartyl New
Orleans is crowded with wrestlers, and
the papers are booming their games
Charles Hackenschmidt and Jack Rooney
are quarreling as to which is the best
man. Hackenschmidt, who, as the locals
remember, is only an ordinary wrestler,
is making the people in New Orleans be-
lieve that he is the best in the business
and that he has defeated them all. He
states that Beel must give him a match.
The papers about the circuit do not
know that Farmer" Burns or Jim Parr
exist. OF course they refer to Gotch
But in giving rating they place such men
as Demetral, Hackenschmidt, Griffin,
Westergaard and others above Burns and
Parr. Other than Gotch, 1t is not be-
leved that there is man in America
who can down the indomitable Farmer"
Burns. There are certainly only two who
have chanee-Beel and jenkins.
1t is amusing to watch the antics of the
wrestlers about the circuit. They should
not be blamed, however. The number is
too limited for each to start out exter-
minating the other. They furnish excel
lent sport and this is always appreciat-
ed. Some sporting editor cries fake"
1t is often the case that he intimates
that his knowledge is in advance of every
other man in the house. An old theatre
cal critic, in giving his experiences, stat
ed that he never criticised play accord
Ing to his own judgment until he had
noted how the people received it. Then
he took the mean annual temperature"
as it were. 1t could not be supposed that
a match between Gotch and Burns or any
other wrestler in America could be any
thing other than an exhibition of scien-
tific wrestling. Burns has no more chance
of throwing Gotch than Gotch has of up
roofing gigantic trees that grow In FRS
co. OF course there is always the posi-
bility that an accident will occur. Beel
defeated Gotch, Ii is remembered. in New
Orleans. This was because the cham
pion had received a blow which rendered
him half crazed. Later, however, he met
his "conquerer' and crushed him with
ease, not even allowing him to have a
'look-in." Now 1t is a question. Should
Gotch exert himself and defeat his man
In a second and allow his audience TO
leave without having seen anything or
should he play with his opponent, posi-
bly, allowing him the middle fall, and let
the people leave with a higher opinion
Of the skill of each contestant? If the
champion followed the rule as set down
in the first, 1t would soon happen that
1t would be impossible for him to draw
an audience anywhere.
The game is growing. New faces are
being admitted every week Some of
these days there will be enough strong
men in wrestling to warrant a war of
determination and the Inauguration of
the Survival of the fttest' As 1t is
now, however, every one must live by
his wit as well as by his skill and
strength.
But these antics and "grandstand"
plays about the southern circuit really
do interest the people in Birmingham,
who know.