Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-09-08
GOTCH RETAINS
CHAMPIONSHIP
DEFEATS GEORGE HAckEN.
SCHMIDT FOR THE WREs1.
LING TITLE.
TWO FALLS IN TWENTY MINUTES
Two Falls Gained Rapidly, Foreigner
Losing His Nerve Before the
Onslaughts Of Iowa
Man.

greatest wrestling fiascos the game
has ever known, Frank Gotch of Hum
boldt, Iowa, wrestling up to his form
as past master Of the art,
threw George Hackenschmidt of Dorb-
pat, Russia. winning the two falls
within 20 minutes and establishing
himself as the greatest catch-as-catch-
can mat artist the world has ever
known. The Russian did not once
make a. show toward victory and aft
er offering tut feeble resistance In
the first bout absolutely surrendered
In the second. Gotch won the first
fall in 14:18 Is and the second In
$3.50.
Before 10000 ladies and gentlemen
of sporting instinct, in perfect wealth
er and with every condition agree
able to him, the much-vaunted Lion
made perhaps the sorriest showing
known to a championship contest and
from the moment he entered the ring
was beaten as badly as when he did
finally surrender.
Hack on the Defense.
In the first bout Hackenschmidt got
up from the mat once or twice after
Gotch had got behind him and 1t
looked as If his strength might help
him along, but Gotch kept after him
like a fiend and continued to keep
him on the defense. Finally after IL
minutes Of wrestling the champion
hurled his man to the mat again and
then showed the crowd the ability OF
his opponent by landing the challenger
by one of the commonest holds known
to the game. While Hack was worry
Ing about the toe hold, Gotch slipped
over a half Nelson and crotch hold
and as the Russian strove to break
away Gotch let slip the half Nelson
end of his grip. This seemed to make
Hack think that he was getting away.
but quick as flash the champion dove
in again and threw his man with .
half-.rotch hold and half Nelson. It
was one of the old leg locks that
made Farmer Burns famous and the
hand of the veteran could be seen IN
the first fall.
| The second fall came SO quickly
that very few of the spectators real.
lied that the great thing was over.
Hack made an effort at the start to
get hold of Gotch's legs, but was
blocked and after five minutes Of
work Gotch again sent his man to the
mat with leg hold. Working over
him quietly and disgustedly. Gotch at
last seized one of Hacks feet with
his left hand, not expecting to get
the Russian on hold which should
have been so easily blocked and It
was Just here that Hackenschmidt
surrendered forever his claim to any
standing in the sporting game. As
Gotch twisted his foot the Russian
begged the American to let him 60.
with an accompanying appeal from
Gotch to go on and wrestle," and
the result that the foreigner sank
back on the mat to the worst defeat
q challenger for title ever had in
years. With anything like show of
nerve he might have pulled away and
continued, but his heart was too weak
for the work and he preferred to be
called gutter than continue the
gruelling that he knew must be in
store for him in long match. 4
The attendance was 10000, gate re-
ceipts $S7,O53. Gotch received $21, 900
and Hackenschmidt $13,5OO. Jack
Curley. Hackenschmidt's manager, re.
ceived $29,937 and the Empire Ath.
letic club $6,25O. The picture royal
ties were divided between the wrest
lers. Walter Eckersall. the football
player, acted as timekeeper.