Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1908-03-16
BIG WRESTLING MATCH
George Hackenschmidt and Frank
Gotch Will Meet In Chicago on
The Third of April.
Special to the Herald.


Chicago, H., March 16.-In the
Coliseum in this city on the night of
April 8, George Hackenschmidt, the
world-renowned wrestler, will contest
for the worlds championship title
with Frank Gotch, the American
champion The bout has attracted at
tention on both sides of the Atlantic
and should prove the choicest tid-bit
that has been offered American fol-
lowers of the game in years. The
men will wrestle to finish, the
winner gaining two falls out of three
and carrying off the lions share of
the gate receipts, besides a large
side bet and the championship title.
Hackenschmidt, who is popularity
known as the Russian Lion" is not
stranger to America. He visited
this country some years ago, meeting
all corners and returning home with
the scalp of Tom Jenkins, the Ameri-
can champion at that time, dangling
at his belt. Since that time, however,
he has added to his reputation by his
continuous success on the padded mat
until today he is regarded in Europe
as invincible.
Hackenschmidt was born in Russia
and received liberal education. AT
college he became great Graeco-
Roman wrestler and defeated all am
ateurs he met Afterward he went to
Paris and won all the tournaments
there, including the international of
Europe, and later turned professional
On his first visit to England he de-
feated Tom Cannon, then the cham
pion Graeco-Roman wrestler of the
world In turn he defeated Anton
Pierre, the Terrible Creek" and
Madrali, the celebrated Turkish
wrestler
Tom jenkins, who then held the
American title, went to England and
challenged Hackenschmidt to a
match. The Russian defeated him in
the Albert hall in nineteen and TWEEN
ty-one minutes respectively, in two
straight falls Hackenschmidt then
toured America and Australia and
defeated all corners.
Contrary to the popular conception
Hackenschmidt is not a giant in stat
ure. He is only feet 8 IL inches
tall and weighs in condition 210
pounds He has chest measurement
of fifty-two inches and wears a % IL
inch collar. His waist measurement
is npIN22 innhas-His thiehs-aro- wary
heavy and the calves of his legs also,
but for all this he is remarkably
light on his feet.
Frank Gotch, who is picked upon
as the most likely man to wrest the
worlds title from the Russian, is still
comparatively young at the wrestling
game. Not so many years ago he
was working on farm in Iowa
Farmer" Burns owned the farm and
it was he who introduced Gotch to
the wrestling game. 1t did not take
Burns long to discover that Gotch was
born wrestler and he proceeded to
teach him the fine points of the game
The young man was raw at first, but
before long he learned the science of
the game and began to attract atten-
ton. In the course of time he sue
ceeded in getting on matches with
various wrestlers of prominence
Among the men he met were Grip
man" Rooney of Chicago, Leo Pardel-
10. the Italian, Jim Parr, the English
man, "Lank" Rogers and Fred Beel,
the Wisconsin wrestler Gotch shot
through the bunch until he met Tom
Jenkins, and then he stopped-tempo-
rarily. Later he met and defeated
the American champion, and then he
made oyertures for a match with
Hackenschmidt
But Hackenschmidt at that time
was sticking to the Graeo-Roman
style of wrestling, while Gotch was
familiar only with the catch-as-catch-
can game. Since then Hackenschmidt
has become an adept at catch-as-catch-
can wrestling and this is the style in
which the two will contest in their
coming match. In the opinion of all
who are competent to judge the meet
ing of these two warriors of the mat
will furnish the most sensational and
scientific contest of the kind that has
ever taken place in America.
LONG LOST SPANISH MINES