Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-17
CHAMPION WRESTLER DIES
FOLLOWING LONG ILLNESS;
MADE FORTUNE ON THE MAT

caused him to abandon all plans
of a match with Stecher.
The following winter Gotch be-
came no better and went to Hot
Springs, Ark. He returned home last
spring but gradually lost strength.
Early in October he went to Chicago
on his way to a Southern resort, but
became seriously i'll in a Chicago
Hotel. He was removed to a hospi-
tai, where he was kept until early in
November. when he was brought
back to his home.
Builds Up Fortune
Since that time he had been able
to leave his home only two or three
times, and then for only short strolls.
Ten days ago he began gradually 10
grow worse.
Gotch built up fortune in wrest-
ling and by investing his earnings in
Iowa farm lands. His estate is var
iously estimated at between 100000
and 100000, all of which represents
money made through his ability as a
wrestler.
Gotch won the American cham
pionship January 81, 1904, from
Tom Jenkins, after one of the tough
est matches ever seen in this coun-
try. The bout was staged at Bel
ingham, Wash. Gotch won the first
ter jenkins had fouled him repeated
ly by applying the strangle hold and
by striking him.
Four years later the Humboldt
man won the .undisputed champion
ship of the world by defeating
George Hackenschmidt, THE Rus
sian lion," at the Dexter Park Pa
Vilion, Chicago, in forfeited match
after two hours of gruelling wrest-
| inn IN in
match, but the invader quit, exhaust
ed, after the two hours of effort
against a man who plainly showed
! that he was superior in every re-
| spect.
Wins Championship
Frank Gotch, who won the heavy
! weight wrestling championship OF
| the world in 1908 in Chicago, by
! throwing George Hackenschmidt, the
! Russian lion forfeiting the match af-
| ter two hours and eight minutes
| Wrestling enthusiasts called it the
greatest mat spectacle of history
Gotch lost nine pounds before his
| opponent was floored, and his ton
| que was so badly swollen that it was
a week before he could speak plain
! ly. He wrestled with Hackenschmidt
! in the White SoX ball park here
! again in 1911, winning in short or
! der. After the match it was made
! known that Gotch's opponent had
| entered the contest with a badly
/ sprained knee and although he had
/ concealed it at first, it prevented lis
| eXerting more than a feeble resist
! ance to the champion. The gate
receipts at that match were $751;
| 600, the most money ever taken in q
wrestling show in the present days
1t was in his match with Hacken-
schmidt that Gotch introduced and
! perfected the toe hold against which
! no man was ever able to stand. The
| hold caused great anguish to the
| opponent and soon made the strong
| est of them weak.
The only man who ever publicly
| threw the champion was Fred Beell
! of Marshfield,. Wis, who in 1905 in
! New Orleans, took the first fall to
| Gotch's second and third in three
| fall match. Gotch later won from
| Beell with little effort.
The champions wrestling weight
| was 215 pounds, but in the last year
he had lost weight until he tipped
! the scales at less than $50 pounds
He entered a hospital here a month
ago and was treated for stomach
| trouble, but gained rapidly and was
soon discharged as cured.
Gotch and James JeffrieS, former
heavyweight boxing champion, were
intimate friends and before Jenries
lost his belt to Jack Johnson the
two champions toured tho country
| meeting with great receptions every
! where.