Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-19
GOTCH TELLS
OF HIS CAREER
MET TARTAR IN COUNTRY MAT
ARTIST
Is Scheduled to Meet Haekensehmidt,
the RUSSIAN Lion" for the Heavy
weight Championship Of
the World

Frank Gotch the American wrestler
who is matched to meet Hacken-
schmidt at Kansas City, in the follow
ing article tells Of how he made his
start at the mat game:
How did l, farmers boy, break
into the wrestling game, and how did
l become so proficient? are questions
put to me in nearly every town l strike.
To be candid, l really do not remem-
ber why / took to wrestling, but pre-
sumo it was because 1 was built for it,
and all the farmers boys thought 1
was the best kid on earth.
This when still in my teens and when
l could flop the big farm hands as
easily as l can pin down the shoulders
of the professionals today.
OF course 1 did not intend to take
up wrestling as a profession, and as a
money maker when a youngster, and
probably still would have been plain
Frank Gotch of Humboldt, Ia, had not
Dan Mcleod, the ex-champion, made
me look like fool before all the town
people-people who regarded me the
strongest and best wrestler on earth.
To tell the truth, 1 had an exalted
opinion of myself. But L was like the
town folk, did not know anything about
the art Of wrestling. With me it was
case Of run in, take hold and bear
man to the ground.
1 was as ignorant Of half and full
nelson's, hammerlocks, strangle and toe
holds, as were my admirers. / thought
knew it all, and that is why Dan
Mcleod made me look like fool.
Pride of Village
1t happened as follows: We had
little country fair at our home, and the
committee, all friends of the family,
thought it a good idea to arrange
enr.iA 90 9th Ioti nj
considered the best athlete for miles
around, and was expected to capture
al the prizes, the town folk sub
scribed handsomely.
Unfortunately, as it proved, they ad
vertised the events and the prizes
throughout the state with the result
they received numerous entries.
Among the entrants was one Mr.
Reynolds, furniture dealer from a
nearby town, and who, by the way,
captured all the prizes which the COM
mittee thought were clinched for nae.
Reynolds won the shotput, the saber
tossing, the hop, step and jump. In fact
he won everything, and the best L
could do was to finish second.
To say and the town folk were dis
appointed would be putting it mildly.
Reynolds looked and acted the part of
a furniture man, and was much smaller
than 1. They wanted me to spill him
all over the ground in a wrestling
match.
OF course we knew he was no match
for me at that game, and we were
puzzled as to how to broach the wrest-
ling question. After lot of quiet pow
wowing they subscribed $50 and told
me to challenge him for the amount.
Bluff Called
"Can you wrestler" 1 blurted.
Don't know anything about it," he
replied.
"Wrestle you for $780, I said.
"Wish I knew something about
wrestling. Would take a chance, big
as you are, for the money"
You are not going to leave town
bluffed, are you?"
Guess I'll have to-"
Then we began chatting him, calling
him a cur, etc. This made him mad,
and digging down into his pocket he
pulled out a roll of bills big enough to-
choke a COW. He said: II did pretty
we'll today and can afford to take a
chance, but will not wrestle here on
the cinders. Come over on the grass.
l thought he was weakening. and l
wanted to fill his back with cinders.
"'We are making the match here, and
here we will wreStle," 1 said. He acted
as if he wanted to crawl out of the
match, and after heap of coaXing and
joshing he finally consented to take
holds on the cinder road.
We took holds and-well, that is all I
remember of how and what happened,
only that he walked off with the money.
They carried me home, so they told me
a long while after put me to bed, and
hired a specialist to dig the cinders out
OF my back.
They did not have to chloroform me,
either I was dead to the world. About
two weeks after my father sent one of
my brothers up to my room to inquire
when l would be able to have dinner
with the family.
1 felt pretty cheap and really was