Arizona republican., 1910-06-11
Christensen Quit After Al
Minutes WRESTLING
SHOULDER WAS INJURED.
Audience SWarms On the
Stage In Protest But
Quiet Is Finally Restored
By Oratorical Effort of j.
C.. Adams

At the end of fOrty-SeNen minutes
Of wrestling at the Majestic theater
last night between Dan BalsZ and Al
Christensen. the latter threw up his
hands and walked off the mat sig
nifying that he could not throw Balsz.
The crowd rose in their seats and
yelled their dissatisfaction. 1t looked
like a small riot. till ]. c. Adams.
who happened to be on the stage,
addressed the crowd, telling them
that he believed Christensen had done
his level best under the disadvantage
of wrestling with an injured arm. and
that even if his shoulder was not in
iured he did not think he could have
thrown Balsz twice in an hour. The
crowd was Gained and went away
with expressions of sympathy for
Christensen.
When Christensen came to Phoenix
several weeks ago it was known that
he had suffered a severe sprain to
his shoulder, which he got in run
away accident near Globe. Ii was
this old injury that made last nights
contest comparatively tame eX-
hibition. In the first three minutes
of wrestling the old place was sprained
again, and those who sat close to
the ring could see the expressions OF
pain in Christensen's face whenever
his shoulder was clamped or strained
Christensen said afterward that he
would gladly have given MP the con-
test right at the start when his
shoulder was wrenchcd. but he knew
that the crowd would not stand for
it. and rather than face the disgrace
of being called n gutter he deter
mined to go on with the match though
he knew he could not win.
On account of the difference in
weight between the two men, the
terms agreed upon were that Chris
Jensen was to throw Balsz twice in
an hour. Therefor. BalsZ always act
ed on the defensive. Jeffries. whom
Christensen defeated last Tuesday, |
was asked To referee.
The match started out with snap
and vigor Christensen grabbed BalsZ |
by the head and threw him to the !
mat, but Balsz quickly wormed out
of the hold and both men were on |
their feet again. A moment later |
Chris tossed him over his shoulder. !
BalsZ turned a complete somersault, |
but alighted gently on his feet and |
smiled Then both men went to the /
mat and Balsz got a toe hold on
Christensen that made the man from
the south squirm. He retaliated by /
grabbing Balsz by the toes and Civ /
ing them twist. 1t was during |
these preliminary tries for a fall that |
Chris injured his shoulder. The |
wrestling from this point on was a
tame affair till forty minutes had |
passed and then Christensen made a
final squirt and really tired to throw
his opponent
Ii was very evident to everyone in
the audience after the first strenuous
ten minutes of the match that Chris
was "stalling'' The tactics he used |
i'm his last match with Jeffries We're
missing. The men were on their feet
nearly all of the time. Balsz backing
away from the center Of the mat and
Chris trying for holds that seldom re-
suited in the men going to the mat.
When the men were on the mat BalSZ
was usually on tOp-a position he yield
ed after holding Chris for Il short time. !
1T was the general opinion as the
minutes went by that Christensen
was playing a deep game-that he
was firing out his antagonist and
would later throw him at his ease
II was apparent that Chris was in
better training than Balsz for he
perspired hardly at all. while BalsZ
looked as though he were taking a
shower bath. When half hour Of
the time had passed and the men
were simply doing a two-step about
the mat, with useless neck holds.
hackers began to fear
that he was delaying little too
long. They thought even then that
he was overconfident OF his ability
To throw Balsz at any moment he
might choose. The real status Of the
aase-that Chris could not throw him
at all-dawned on the crowd only
when Christensen told the timekeeper
to let the crowd know he was up
against il on account Of his injured
arm. This was done. and a few
minutes later Chris asked for the
time. He was told that forty seven I
minutes had passed He felt he could
10 nothing in the remaining time and I
gave up.
1t was then that the audience got
lp on it's hind legs and roared They {
poured on the stage to find out what !
had happened. Christensen walked :
10 the footlights TO tell them. but they (
would not listen. and he would not
wait for them TO calm down. He
went to bis dressing room. The crowd :
to yell and at last J-C.
Adams stepped forward. and, like
Demosthenes quelling a riot in the
streets of Athens. raised his hand and
poured oil on the troubled waters c
He said that a fine exhibition of I
wrestling had been given. that Chris a
Jensen wasn't n quitter at all, that I
ne was seriously hurt: but even if
ne wasn't hurt" he said. Il don't be-
ieve he could throw Balsz twice in y