The Washington herald., 1908-06-21
GOTCH TO WRESTLE ROLLER
Coast Physician Said to Have Chance
with Champion.
Newcomer Has Size and Has Thrown
Every Big Man I'm the Country.
Meet in seattle on July 1.

Seattle. Wash. June 1s.-The next great
wrestling match for the championship OF
the world viii be held in Seattle on the
night Of July /. Frank Gotch. probably
the most powerful and most feared
wrestler in the world to-day, viii take
on a comparative stranger. at least
stranger 10 the wrestling game, Or.
Roller, OF this city. Gotch has met Rol-
Ter before. but that was in a handicap
match. Gotch was 20 throw Roller twice
IN an hour, but failed 20 throw him al
all. That was two years ago, when
Roller was new 10 the game, particularly
as FAR as wrestling with the big men
was concerned
Since then Roller has wrestled all the
big men in the game who live in the
United States except Gotch. He has
not met a man but whom he has thrown,
and in the seven match held here this
spring and summer. Rollers shoulders
have not been forced 70 the mat. BY
meeting and defeating Farmer Burns
last winter by winning from Westegard
IN two separate matches and recently
defeating Fred Beeu twice within ten
[
Gotch and the world championship.
Roller is a physician by profession, and
he follows that work while not wrestling.
He enjoys a lucrative practice Before
breaking into the wrestling game Roller
was for several years athletic director
at the University of Washington lie is
a member OF the Seattle Athletic Club.
and il is there that he does most Of his
training.
For long time the idea OF wrestling
publicly was repugnant to Roller and
he declined several chances 10 meet big
men.
At the urgent solicitation Of his friends.
however, and strongly urged by Joe Car
roll. the dean OF the wrestling game.
Roller was persuaded 10 take en- Farmer
Burns last winter.
One Of Rollers great weaknesses has
been umidneSs on the mat. This has been
plainly apparent in all of his first
matches. but in the last two encounters
with Beell this has been less conspicuous.
Roller has all the confidence in the world
is his own prowess and has never been
known 70 express doubt as to the outcome
Of q match. In the last few matches he
has gone On the mat Weighing approx
mately 100 pounds Physically. he is a
giant; is well proportioned. His great
| forte lies in his legs, which are long and
powerful. Combined with strength Rol-
| Ter has alertnesS and has shown great
speed. HIS hardest match was with BeeII.
! who though nearly twenty pounds light
( or. stood off Roller for nearly two hours
/ IN the first encounter before he was
/ thrown the first time.
Roller lacks experience. As a rule. he
takes the defensive, letting the other feI-
! low make the advances. He is now twen-
| ~ pounds lighter than when he met
/ GOtch two years ago, but expects 10 take
on weight between now and July I.
/ A unique feature of the coming Gotch-
/ Roller match Is that the champion chal-
! lenged Roller. Roller wanted to wrestle
/ late in July, so as 10 give himself an op-
portunity to rest up and take on weight.
/ Gotch was inslstent. wanting to wrestIe
/ in June. a compromise was reached. how
/ ever. and the match has been arranged
/ for July I. Personally Roller would have
/ preferred 10 wait until next winter
or late this fall before meeting Gotch
and then met him in the East He con-
/ sidered the opportunity of turning down
/ Gotch's offer too great, however. and af-
/ ter going 10 his home in Illinois for about
/ two weeks, Will return 10 the Coast and
| pSSAA @tNiNV ~ "iHi-e- JoT NaiIoA Is lIall-
/ ing Roller. Carroll says Roller has the
! better Of Gotch, but such a statement
would naturally be made by Carroll in
/ the circumstances. Roller is a hard
trainer. There is great danger OF his
| entertaining unless carefully watched by
! others. he is very nervous at all times.
/ but his extreme confidence In his own
] ability Offsets this.
/ GOtch and Roller wrestle for $500 a side
with the winror getting 90 per cent OF
the gate receipts. Ii goes without saying
that the attendance az this match will
be a record-breaker for this part OF the
country. Seattle Is wrestling mad Ca
pacity crowds have witnessed every match
held here this year.