Evening star., 1911-08-20
C0TCH CONFIDENT
HE'LL BEAT HACK
Worlds Champion Wrestler
Doesn't Think Russian Lion
Knows the Game.
FOREIGNER RELIES
SOLELY ON STRENGTH
DR.. Roller Not Competent to
Teach Him Fine Points of
Art-WiII Be Fit.

HUMBOLDT, Iowa, August To-
Frank Gotch, worlds champion wrest-
Ter, who is to meet George Hacken-
schmidt in defense OF his title at Chi
cago Labor day. today loosened his
| tongue for the first time and talked OF
| the battle as he expects 1t to be fought
Gotch has been taciturn to the ex-
treme up to this time. In fact, he has
considered it best to make no refer
ence to the Russian lion" in his con-
| versation relative to the coming match.
He has been willing to discuss his own
| side OF the affair with freedom. and
particularly that part which has to do
with his condition and training. AT
Riverside Park, only four blocks from
the residence Of the champion. he has
been working just six weeks to gain
the proper condition for what he con-
siders the greatest match of his ca
reer.
There is no gainsaying the fact that
this farmer wrestler has brought him
self to the perfection he started out to
attain. Today he is I'm the grandest
shape physically that he could expect.
and IL tomorrow were Labor day he
would be more satisfied than were II
two weeks hence
All Humboldt, village of 1.6oO people.
and the country side have seen Gotch in
dren for miles around have visited River
side Park and watched him as he went
through the stui.ts that have brought him
the perfection of condition.
Gotch has been asked time and again
IL he was ready, and his answer has
been in the last three days Yes" He
has been prodded by reporters to talk
about Hackenschmidt but declined. be-
cause he did not want to be considered
| boaster. But today, after a warming
up on long road trip. playing handball
| and punching the bag. he felt fit for
| the real thing and was willing to discuss
| Hack and the coming match.
Will Be Cautious.
''Well. how are you going to be at
| Hack?" was the first question shot at
| him.
Beat Hack?" he replied. We'll I'm
| going to beat him the best and quickest
| way / can. You can depend on II that
| 1 will win IL 1t is in me to do so. He Is
big. strong fellow, you know. and
| shall not forget what / found out when
| / met him and won after that struggle of
nearly two hours at Dexter pavilion, in
| Chicago, three years ago.
DO you know, the Russian did not
| show me one thing about wrestling then.
| and, while /. must give him the credit
| he should get for two years OF expert
| ence. I am not OF the opinion that he has
| greatly increased the knowledge he pos
| sessed at the time of our first meeting.
Hacks greatest forte at that time was
his strength, and / believe 1t always will
| be- He is a powerful man, but what he
knows about the fine points OF the mat
art Is not great deal IL he had showed
me something that ] did not know l
would be forced to play him differently
| this time.
Whether or not he has become a great
er wrestler since first met him can only
be answered Labor day, but I do not
| inl ha has
chief trainer, DR.. Roller. Making allow
ance for the fact that DIR. Roller and my
| self are not friendly, and considering only
the Seattle mans qualifications as a
wrestler or an instructor, j want to say
| that he will be of no assistance to Hack
There is not single American wrestler
that Roller has ability to beat, and IL
the newspaper men In Chicago can show
me one, I'll give 800 to the Newsboys
Home of Chicago.
You may ask why L offer only 800.
Well, if / said $4,000 1t might look like
| a bluff. / mean it and am sincere; so
you may see Rollers standing as a wrest-
| ler. So how can he teach Hackenschmidt
| to beat me?
There is no use in my telling how
| will defeat Hackenschmidt. That would
! be next to the impossible. But / have
confidence, and more of ii by Tar than
! l had when we met before.
when we enter the ring must gov
ern nv own activities according to the
| tactics adopted by the Lion" II he
| starts at me in way / do not expect, |
| shall have to change my own plans.
1 Every man 1 ever met made me do that,
| and 1 expect to act according to. the way
Hack forces things. Aggressiveness, OF
| course, will be big part of my une of
battle, for without 1t | could not accom-
plish much. Sooner or later l Will get
on to what he is intending to do to me
| in an offensive way, and I'll find the
| way to beat him at his game or my own.
Expects to Be Fit.
For the reason that i do not intend
to be caught mapping l am going into my
| training work harder than L ever did
| before. I only wish / could meet Hack
! tomorrow, for the only thing l fear now
| is case of staleness. / shall cut down
| my road work to a minimum from now
on. with a little handball and wrestling
to keep me at the same notch at which
am at the present time"
When asked about new holds that might
| show as factor in the coming match,
Gotch smiled. but behind that smile 1t
| wasn't hard for one TO see the. cunning
CLEAN in his eyes. Gotch has been work
! ing on a new grip. but he won't say what
/ 1t is. 1t has been called an ankle and hip
| lock, but if anything new is sprung on
Labor day 1t will not be that, for Gotch
| Is not going to tip off anything good. 1t
| will be something just the opposite TO an
ankle and hip lock.
| Gotch's training partners have had
| strenuous time, and the result is they
also are in good condition. His training
corps contains an array of talent that
| is about as good as any one could get.
Farmer" Burns only couple of days
ago took charge. of the work. Besides
Burns there are on the staff Joe Rogers.
| the New York giant; Jess Westergaard.
| the Des Moines grappler: Jim Asbell Of
kansas city, and Yussiff Hassan, the
Terrible Turk. who provides the speed
work. will get back In the game next
week. as his shoulder, which Gotch re-
Gently injured. has recovered sufficiently
to permit his wrestling.
Rogers. who Is the comedian or tho
Riverside camp. is most versatile. He
provides the champion with the rough
endurance bouts, and, as result.