The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-08-28
SPORTING GOSSIP
HACKENSCHM|TT AND
GOTCH MATCHED
After Three Years of bargaining SEQ
vile Finally Succeeds i'm Sc
curing Great Mat Battle.

| curing Great Mat Battle.
With the announcement that Frank
Gotch, champion wrestler of America,
has accepted the offer of the Missouri
Athletic club of Kansas City for
match with George Hackenschmidt,
known to the wrestling fraternity as
the Russian Lion, the attention of
the wrestling world has been turned
to the man who consummated the
match, after bartering with the prln-
cipals for three years.
Ten thousand dollars for wrest-
ling match. This will be the largest
purse ever offered for bout between
mat artists, and it will mark the
elimination of the wrestling game in
the west, and bring before the sport
ing world a promoter whose history
is really unique.
w. ID. Scoville, matchmaker and
manager of the Missouri Athletic
club of Kansas City, is one of the
men who have made wrestling a pop
ular sport in the west. In the past
three years every championship mat
battle held in the United States has
been made by the Kansas City pro-
moter.
Last Big Match.
Two years ago he brought Tom
Jenkins and Frank Gotch together
for the championship of the United
States. Afterward he matched Gotch
and Beel. After Beel had won his
victory over the Iowan at New Or
leans, Scoville again matched the two
men, with the result that Gotch re-
gained his lost laurels.
Having made his reputation for
promoting big matches, Scoville set
out to bring the two greatest wrest-
lers in the world together, and after
two years of endeavor he has finally
landed the match. Two weeks ago
Scoville received Hackenschmidts ac-
ceptance of his offer, and few days
ago Frank Gotch signed up, and the
: battle is set for February next.
About six years ago Scoville was
known in Kansas City as great fight
! fan. In small way he began to pro-
mote smokers, in which he engaged
!, kansas City's local talent, and grad
} uallv worked himself into standing,
SO that when he started out to handle
some of the big fighters he found
success easy.
Was Fight Promoter.
He never had much of a fortune
to start on, but was able to obtain
almost unlimited backing, and in the
three years when the fighting game
2 was open in Kansas City he promoted
some of the most famous events In
fistic history 1t was Scovile who
brought Philadelphia Jack o Brien
and Hugo Kelly to gether; afterWard
he matched Kelly with Jack CTwin)
Sullivan, and subsequently he staged
battles between Battling Nelson and
Clarence English, Brooklyn Tommy
= Sullivan and Kid Herman, Harry
Forbes and Johnny Kelly, Jack ROOF
- and Dan Creedon, and Jackson anC
. Bob Long, which was won by Jack
son after seventeen rounds OF fierce
milling.
Then it was that the lid went on in
. Kansas City, and Scoville found his
: meal ticket gone. He began to look
about for attractions, and got q
wrestling bug" The first show in
Kansas City was a frost, the second
, was even money, and the third, &
handicap match between Frank GOtcf
and Parr, paid a dividend, and from
the third match three years ago unit
today Scoville has matched them all
and made money.
Probably the greatest match which
the Kansas City promoter has pulled
] off was the one between Tom Jenkin:
and Frank Gotch, two years age, wher
Gotch won his title of American
champion. Eight thousand specta
! tors paid admission to that mat bat
: tie. Since that time Scoville ha!
matched Frank Gotch with ever!
q wrestler of note in the country, il
handicap matches, always with the
y same result-a victory for the loWan
t How. Big Match Came.
;. After Gotch had beaten them all
S Scoville began to have dreams of al
e international battle between thu
+ Iowan and the Russian Lion, ant
g last year came to the fore with al
d offer of 200 for the match. Las
n year Hackenschmidt pleaded Euro
h pean contracts, but stated that hi
:, would give Scovile the first call OF
n his services when he could find time
t to come to America.
n Three weeks ago, Cochrane, Hack
+ enschmidt's manager, wrote Scoyillt
@ that his man would be ready to come
: to America next February, and SEQ
S vile Immediately cabled him one o
e the greatest offers ever made wrest
D Ter. He offered Hackenschmidt So,
n 900 for five matches in the United
e States with any wrestler in the bust
! ness, excepting Frank Gotch, and re
d newed his offer of $4,000 for thu
d Hackenschmidt-Gotc battle, it beint
S agreed that the battle would be helt
v in Kansas City Immediately afteI
: Hackenschmidt had filled his en-
), gagement to Scoville. Hackenschmid
: accepted.
i Scoville plans to wrestle Hacken
@ schmidt in five of the principal cite!
0 of the country-Denver, New York
: Chicago, st. Louis and possibly Mon
: treal, Canada, before the date of The
big battle.
e The $4,000 for the five matches, a!
!, well as $4,000 of the $4,000 purse
y will shortly be posted with Rober
= Edgren, one of the leading sporting
= writer's in New York City, he having
a been chosen as stakeholder by Hack
e enschmidt. The contract states thai
+ Hackenschmidt will make the tril
e to America next February, the exact
date to be agreed upon later.
BRITT'S GOLDFIELD PROMISE