Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-16
COMING BOUT OF
HACK AND GOTCH
Little Betting, for the American
Wrestler Is Not Deemed
to Have a Show.
By Clarence L. Cullen.
Special Correspondence OF The Star.

NEW YORK. March IA. 1&0S.
Recently I had a look at the moving
pictures of that wrestling seance between
Russian Lion Hackenschmidt and Joe
Rogers which took place at Oxford Hall.
London. last month-the pictures have
just reached this side of the pond. The
views-marvelously good ones-show thai
it was a pretty soft evening for Mr.
Hackenschmidt 1t appeared as if Hack
enschmidt could have spent the time of
the bouts looking out of the window
and still have turned the trick just about
as easily. although the Joe Rogers -erson
is an enormously big man with stovepipe
arms and a chest about the size of a
Heidelburg vat. 1t looked about as easy
for Hackenschmidt as it was, on an occa-
sion at Washington Light Infantry Ar
mory a few years ago that [ remember.
for Frank Gotch to pin Joe Grants Shout
ders to the mat.
At that. the pictures show Rogers to
have tried all sorts of wrestling tricks,
such. for example. as wriggling off the
mat when he saw that he going to be
downed for II sure thing. and he also dis
played some adeptness in SquirminS out
of the Russian lions" holds. But the
sheer amazing strength of the Russian en-
abled him to toy with the large Rogers
individual.
In common with A lot of folks over
here who have seen both men WreStle on
many occasions. it is hard for me to fig
ure Gotch to have a chance with Hack
enSchmidt when the two come together
for their big bout in Chicago next month.
Gotch. indsputably. is the most scien-
tific wrestler this country has known since
the days. long time back. when Bi ly
Muldoon-now William Muldoon. esq.
trainer OF members of the cabinet. etc
was giving his mat exhibitions. Gotch.
too. Is an immensely strong young fellow.
who has always taken the keenest care
of himself and who has studied his game
from every angle. But 1t can hardly ap-
pear otherwise to anybody who has seen
Hackenscbmidt on the mat than that he
is simply in a c'ass by himself at the
misunderstanding game. He Is as much in
a class by himself as wrestler as JEFF
fries was as a prizefighter. jeff was SIM
ply too dig and strong for any of them.
That's how it is with Hackens- hmidt.
Supernormal Strength.
The Russians strength as well as his
development of muscles is supernormal.
He looks like the ancient sculptors' idea
of Hercules. The muscles stand out on
the mans arms and torso and thighs and
legs like exaggerated doorknobs. He is
q straight out freak in the matter of sheer
strength. 1t is said that while ago In
Germany he lifted heavy siege gun
mounted on it's carriage as if it had been
a little box of soap. Curiously enough.
for all his gigantic protuberances of mus
Gle, Hackenschmidt is not. like most
men of that sort. at all muscle bound
On the contrary, he is as quick as ca
both on his pins and with his arms. Jin
Corbet,. looking him over the last time
he was in this country and studying h.
lightning moves on the mat, said that
Hackenschmidt would had made great
fighter if he had gone in for that game.
But Hack is a masterful wrestler, alive
to every kink and trick of his game anC
good-natured, too, as 1 observed in study
ing the pictures of his bouts with Rogers
for Rogers roughed him with his head
several times only to get the perfectly
visible laugh from the CHEEKY Russian.
Not Much Betting.
just what chance the ever-so-husky and
eager Gotch can possibly have with this
verita BILE ourang- outang of strength Hack
enschmidt, does not figure in any sort of
dope that the sharps wrestling in thi.
town are able to unravel, and so there is