The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1908-04-17
GOICH MUST CUT t OUT.
BIG WRESTLER is TOO ROUGH IN
HIS WORK.
uNGENTLEMANLY IN THE RING
Goteh Plays the Game Altogether Too
Strong to Suit Those Who Like to
See Clean Sport-Does Not Have
to Resort to Such Tactics.

oN0nS u ouN iHoSe WIN LING 10
See Clean sport--Does Not Have
to Resort to Such Tactics.
Chicago, April 1l.-Frank Gotch,
champion wrestler Of the world
through the quitting of Hacken-
schmidt, has one big lesson to learn
in the furtherance of his fortunes as
a popular wrestler. That lesson is to
wrestle clean.
There was a great deal In what
Hackenschmidt said about Gotch's
ungentlemanly ways In the ring. He
did wrestle dirty match against
the Russian, a very dirty match in
fact. The jabbing of his thumb into
the eyes Of the Russian was too oft
repeated to permit Of any explanation
of accident. Hackenschmidt, on the
other hand, conducted himself in a
gentlemanly manner every second he
much more praiseworthy than that Of
Gotch in this respect.
Wrestling is not a gentlemanly
game in so far as regard for the per.
sonal feelings of an opponent goes.
II Is not a pastime for mollycoddles.
enough to suit all purposes. Gotch
played 1t far too strong to suit those
who like clean sport.
1t Is unfortunate for Gotch and for
American sport that this was the case.
1t was an international contest with
Hack the virtual representative OF
England in the struggle. Americans
have had much to say about English
tricks in sport, but when Hack goes
back and tells the story of the butting
and eye gouging it will furnish the
Englishman splendid retort when
Americans talk of the bad treatment
of athletes from the United States in
England.
1t is all the more regrettable be-
cause Gotch is such a splendid athlete
that he does not really have to resort
to such tactics. He has demonstrated
that he is the worlds best. He is a
marvel of speed, strength and clever
ness. 1t is too bad that he should
have chosen to mar his record as he
did in the Hackenschmidt match.
There is, of course an excuse for
him in the fact that small fortune
hung in the balance-that it was any
thing to win. Hack, though, having
more at stake, did not resort to any
dirty work. He bested the American
decisively in the matter of gentleman
lN conduct on the mat. Even when
he saw his title slipping away from
him, he did not resort to any trickery.
He could have lost by punching
Gotch in the face and left the ring a
loser but with his great reputation
unimpaired The crowd who detect
ed Gotch's tactics would have mere
ly thought Hack something of mar
vel to endure the butting and gouging
so long as he did. He could have
struck Gotch and still gone home the
virtual champion-an undefeated man.
Instead he appealed to the referee,
found that official not inclined to pay
attention to his complaints and final
ly threw away his reputation as a
game athlete and the title of worlds
champion rather than resort to what
he manifestly regarded as unfair
work.
Gotch is just entering his career as
worlds champion. He could find
no better way to popularize himself
than to cut out, in all future matches
anything savoring Of dirty wrestling
He is too splendid an athlete to resort
to anything of this kind. Wrestling
has been given tremendous boom
by this match and Gotch, as Americas
best, should lead the way by working
in such a manner as to make impos
sible any further indictments such as
that of Hackenschmidt.
The complaint of course is that OF
defeated man-but, sad to relate there
is too much OF the truth in what Hack
says about Gotch's, rough work. The
oil story is too foolish to consider, but
the buttiug and gouging were mani
fest to every man about the ring
side.