The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-03-10


is to meet Frank Gotch, the American /
champion. TO a finish at Kansas city,
No. i'm May Of this year for a purse Of /
$4,000 and the title.
This international match has aroused /
fresh interest in the sport. Scores OF |
short histories OF wrestling and records 1
of former champions will appear in the /
newspapers. Hackenschmidts admir-
ers and press agents will dwell espe-
cially upon the wonderful foreign ath- !
lete's ability TO throw his man by means /
OF the crotch hold, although Gotch is
also famous for that particular style OF /
offense, and It will be asserted that the |
Russian has brought il to his highest !
perfection.
Hackenschmidt's Crotch Hold.
Those who saw Hackenschmidt defeat |
Tom Jenkins. the then American cham ]
pion. in Madison Square Garden, New |
York. on May 4. 1908, will be inclined TO !
accept this view. Stepping between the
uDturned heels of the American cham
plon. who was on his hands and knees
on the mat, Hackenschmidt grasped
LEG in either hand and. lifting his pre-
sumptuous challenger clear of the hoor'
whirled him around as if he had been
a baseball bat, finally dashing him down
with such violence that Jenkins was
rendered almost helpless and immedl-
ateIy succumbed.
Thereupon the excited reporters
amazed by the light and trolicsome
manner with which the Russian had
handled the 30 or more pounds OF
American Drawn, unthinkingly denoml-
mated Hackenschmidt the klnBpm OF
all the grapplers who had ever u sea
the crotch hold. But there Is nolhlnE
new under the sun, and he was but an
humble imtatOr Of Bhima, who hVea
some $500 or 1000 years before anu
probably more. who reduced inc hniu
10 science and by its means Won his
principal bouts
Jacob a Great Wrestler.
The earliest wrestling champion with
whom the general public is familiar al
though he is seldom considered in that
light was Jacob. the son of Isaac. the
son Of Abraham. who wrestled all night
with an angel. at "A place which he after
ward named PeDiel, or Penuel, as set
forth in Genesis xxi, and only lost be
cause the angel. seeing he was up
against il. brought his supernatural
powers into play as morning appeared
and threw Jacobs hip out Of joint Even
thus far back were foul tactics a fea-
ture OF the game
In newspaper histories of wrestling
the OIymplan games are generally men
toned as the nursery Of that sport as
well as Of boxing. AS matter OF fact.
there is very clear evidence that boxing
and wrestling were regularly taught by
professional instructors long before Pa
trOClus won his championship belt for
rough and tumble fighting with his fists
at the siege Of Troy. The great Hindu
epic poem. the "Mahabharata.' which re-
counts the advance Of Aryan invaders
I'm India, mentions a great number OF
clashes in which the heroes acted very
much as two pugilstically inclined mod
ems are wont to do when one calls
the other n liar or casts aspersions upon
his ancestry
Bhiua an All-Around Champion.
The most famous of these ancient
boxers was Bhima, who was probably
n predecessor Of Jacob. He was the all
round champion ''rOughOuse scrapper, %
boxer. wrestler. and beefsteak eater OF
his day. besides which ne was entitled
10 challenge for the title in six-day
walking or heavy marching order tramp
ing. and was by no means a dilletante
in the use of the club, the ak. the bow.
and throwing the chakra. a quoit-shaped
missile with a sharp edge, which, in the
hands Of a man like Bhima, had a habit
OF meeting an enemy in the neck and
y
what he might do next This Bhima
was one of the five Pandavas, or sons
of Pandu. who spent a busy life beat
ing and running' away from their first
cousins. the Kauravas-
When the PandavaS were not reign
ing over their own particular raj, o.
petty kingdom of Indra-prastha, they
were being chased to the woods by theii
cousins. who had il in for the Pandava
boys, and after getting them on the run
kept them going, once for a stretch 1
thirteen years. Before the family
troubles broke out. all the yOungster:
were trained in boxing wrestling. anC
other manly accomplishments by an ole
soldier named DrOna. who seems e
have been the Billy Delaney or Mike
Murphy Of his day, and, like other sue
CesSful developers of champions witt
the mitts OF on the track. was Away:
around to tell you the thing should b'
done when his pupils were exhibiting
No one knows. ever will know, or is
likely TO care exactly when DrOna be
gan preparing Bhima for the world
title. but IL was certainly long befOr,
PatrOclus got the belt Whether II wal
before or after Jacob INDUCED in hi!
all-night tussle with an angel is als'
n question which will never be an
swered as thu reporters OF the day were
not alive TO the value of giving tn
records of other famous performer
when a championship was about TO b.
decided.
Bhima in PIeliminaries.
Bhima had to show he was worth
frst-class engagement by indulging il
many minor matches before small aU
diences. and I'm some Of these encOunt
ers his opponents did not hesitate I
grab the first weapon in sight whe
they found they were losing. And eve
unto this day such unruly proceeding
are likely to occur in a private figh
before a small audience and away froT
the inspection of the constabulary.
One of Bhima's first matches wa
with an Asura. or aboriginal of Indis
who disliked his neghbors in the jung
in general. and the PandaYa boys
particular because the Pandavas wei
Aryan invaders while the Asuras WEI
Turanians Bhima was walking alon
peaceably enough one day carrying h
mother and four brothers on his shOu
ders and under his arms, when J
crossed the trail of this particuls
Asura, who literally ate 'em alive,
that he was an uncanny cannibal, an
was hungry wthal. He was a SUI
enough bad man. and also a gian
Seeing Bhima approaching disguised ;
a sort OF human carry-all. he let out
roar that shook the hills This ros
Inc ac fratTf III,