Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-27
FRANK COTCH
TALKS OF HIMSELF
Tells London Reporter All
About His Wrestling
Career.

Frank Gotch has been talking to Lon
don reporter about his experiences a
wrestler. He seems to be getting fairly
popular over there The impression that
Gotch has created in London may be I'M
ders TODD from the interview, which is re-
ported verbatim.
I'm hoping quite a lot that Hacken-
schmidt will meet me again. he said.
because it will put things straight all
round. At present you've got his opinion
and you've got mine, and you're not sat
isfed. But if we make another match of
it you'll have your own-and then you
will be-"
Gotch started out in life as farmland
in the states. but caught the gold fever
badly and went to the klondike.
Seeking for gold, however proved in his
case to be an Improbable pursuit, and,
more by accident than design he drifted
into wrestling for a living
At Dawson City he met numerous men
of local reputation and triumphed over all
of them. The result was that wrestling
as d spectacle became as much a fever
with the miners as the search for gold
and G6 to GS was frequently paid for
single seat in the hall where the matches
We're held.
Used Gold Dust for Money.
Coin being an unknown commodity in
Dawson City. admission, like everything
else, was paid for in gold dust. This form
of money naturally had its inconve-
niences, and Gotch declares that the bar
tenders at the big saloons often made as
much so shillings a day out Of the
floor sWeepings.
Gotch has suffered three beatngs alto
|,
at this period that he experienced the
first of them.
He met Farmer Burns, wrestler we'll
known in the states, who had at one time
followed the occupation implied by his
nickname. Burns quickly knocked all
GOtch's recently acquired conceit out of
him. but after the match he came up and
sa id:
Lad. you're wonder but you want
science. Come with me and I'll teach you
something"
Gotch went. He was with Burns for
several years. and confesses to having
learned much of his present skill in the
sport from the old farmer.
At one time GOtch had fancy to COM
bine the art of boxing with that of
wrestling; but an encounter with Slavin,
i'll Alaska. decided him that the combina-
ton was impossible.
In this contest there were to have been
fifteen rounds, with four-ounce gloves.
but the unequal struggle ended with the
seventh round. And no Wonderi For as
Gotch humorously puts it. ''Slavin made
800 hits at me and never missed once
His Second Defeat.
His second wrestling defeat occurred at
the hands of man named Dan McCloud
The circumstances were noteworthy.
There was kind of fete on in the town,
and the two wrestleTs. quite unknown to
each other were both present. Under the
assumed name of Reynolds McCloud
entered for nearly every kind of event on
the program. and Gotch followed suit. the
laurelS generally falling to the latter.
Toward the end OF the day some one
suggested that the two should have
wrestling bout. and a match was speedily
put up for E10 side.
Being only in running costume, the con-
testants decided to tussle in their socks.
and. as the ground consisted simply of
cinders. these garments speedily became
reduced to something in the nature of
mittens.
McCloud was one hour and twenty min
utes obtaining his first fall. but it was
more than enough for Gotch, for by this
time not an atom Of skin was left on the
Soles of his feet.
Gotch's name had become pretty we'll
known in his own country and Canada.
and he was in constant demand all over
the continent.
On one occasion he appeared at the
80 d
week. Jackson is not a very large town.
Wise Old German.
At the conclusion of the first perform
ance Gotch and his friends stroled into a
neighboring saloon, which was run by
stolid old German. The latter had him
self been to the theater. and one Of the
party casually inquired how he had en-
joyed himself.
'Goot.' said the German. Very goot
indeed
And what did you think Of Gotch?"
asked the other.
"Oh, goot! Goot again, splendit. But,
say now. that wasn't Gotch himself"
Not Gotch himself? Why, of course it
was"
My friend" cried the German, angrly,
''you speak nonsense, 1t was not Gotch
Gotch in Jackson. Ach, Why Gotch
gets twenty pounds week where he
shows, SO you may bet your head he
wouldn't show in Jackson"
Not long after this Gotch met Rogers
in Montreal and defeated him.
On leaving the theater for home he
boarded a tramcar. There We're three
men inside, and as he entered one of them
looked up and asked:
Can you tell us who won the match?"
"Gotch,'' replied the individual
"Gotch again. I'm dead sick of Gotch.
Why don't some one put fall on that
| man."
Wish some one would break his neck"
said Gotch
so do IT, cried his audience in unison
| Soon afterward the car arrived at
Gotch's destination and he got up. my
card said he. very pleasantly, to his
three ill-wishers. And the CONSERVATION
| which followed may be imagined
Third Defeat.
Gotchs third defeat in wrestling was
| triumph for Beell. another wrestler better
| known in America than out of it. Moth
| ing specially remarkable attended the ac-
| tual contest, hut very amusing incident
| was connected with it,
The evening before the match came off
one of the worst kind of American news
paper men dropped in on Gotch and bonn
| barded him with all manner Of questions
From interrogations concerning his fam
| lily affairs the intruder branched off to
| minute questions concerning Gotch's
methods of training: and here the latter
saw a chance to score off his unwelcOme
guest by pitching him fairy tale.
| With as much gravity he could COM
mand he explained to the man that when
he wanted to get specially tit his custom
| was to go TO the nearest farm and wreStle
| with tuo-year-Old steer When 10 rOuId