The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-12-16
JOE STECHER IS
| WRESTLING MARVEL
Nebraska Youth is Head and Should
ers Above Everybody Else
In the Mat
Game.
HIS RECENT VICTORIES
Demonstrations of His Great Power
Scissor Hold is Sure Win
ner Every
HIS RECENT VICTORIES

CHICAGO, Dec. 16.-JOe Stecher,
the Dodge, Neb., wrestler. is head,
shoulders and scissors above every
body else in the mat game. That
much was demonstrated to the salts
faction of everybody recently in Chi
cago when the fellow they call mar
vel polished off Charlie Cutler of Chi
cago for two falls in 27:04 1t wasn't
SO much the fact that the Nebraska
farmer defeated the Chicago man as
it was the speed with which he ac-
complished the trick under conditions
which in advance pointed to long
drawn out contest.
When Cutler entered the arena he
had just one purpose in mind, and
that was to make his struggle on the
defensive. He hoped by adopting
these tactics to tire Stecher. To bat
tie on the defensive was just about
the best policy that Charlie could
adopt. BY SO doing he had an out
side chance of making the contest
long one, but that was his only chance,
for in the end the farmer would have
beaten him regardless of the methods
he used.
Youth Favofs stecher.
But if Cutler had any idea that
roughing it on defense would tire his
opponent and favor his own chances
he had another guess coming, for
Stecher is powerful. has stamina, and,
of greater advantage than all, he has
youth. AS matter of fact, to prolong
the contest would have tired the Chi
cago man more than his opponent.
With his famous scissors. formed
by pair of powerful legs, Stecher has
carved his name in the hall of wrest-
ling fame. 1t Is a safe and sane
statement to say that the Nebraskan
can crush to defeat any man on whose
body he can lock his strong legs. 1t
also can be said without much fear of
the necessity of contradiction that
Stecher is a one hold wrestler, and
that grip is the scissors. Take this
hold away from the westerner and he
is cut down to an equal basis with
other heavyweight wrestlers.
There are some who know the mat
game who go so far as to say that
without the scissors Stecher would be
easy picking for a number Of wrest-
iers, but that has to be proved, so
there is no use terming a man medi-
OGRE by saying IF he didn't have the
scissors" Stecher is the heavyweight
champion of today, for there is no
Frank Gotch standing in his path.
Is No Discredit.
To call a man d one hold man is not
casting discredit on him, for the Ne
braskan is a credit to the sport in
which he has entered. He is clean
cut, intelligent farm boy. He was
mentally capable of discovering the
scissors which has brought him to the
front, and he deserves praise for that
Talking with him a few days ago, he
showed plainly that the success he had
achieved has not spoiled him in the
least He Is a big, good natured, lik-
able kid, minus the ego which so fire.
quently appears in an athlete in any
line of sport who ascends the top rung
of the ladder. .,
There are many fans who possibly
are not fully informed what the scis-
sors hold really is and what it's effects
are on the man on whim it is locked.
AS used by Stecher it is rib crush
ing, torture producing grip from which
there is, no escape. Charlie Cutler will
vouch for this. The Nebraskan has
perfected it to an extent that he can
clamp 1t on from almost any position.
In fact, he might be nearly on his own
shoulders and still put it on and defeat
his opponent. Stecher simply swings
his long legs around the body of his
foe. lock his ankles tagether brings
an inward pressure on his powerful
knees. and If his opponent does not
cry for help the victim is quickly roll
ed over on his back in defeat. Stecher
makes his hold effective by forcing his
knees into the midsection Of an OPP
ponent, just below the lower and short
ribs. As an accessory he applies
half nelson.