Omaha daily bee., 1917-04-11

clash Caddock came out behind in
nine mix-ups and had Stecher in Sc
rious straits several times.
But the Anita lad found trouble
pinning Joe. The Dodge lad, fight
ing desperately, always managed to
wriggle out except when the finish
came. After a mix-up Caddock PIN
ioned Stecher's arms with the reverse
Nelson. Then he added the head
hold and it was but a moment later
when Stecher was clamped hard to
the mat and the referee had to
acknowledge the fall.
The huge crowd settled back into
their seats to wait for the third fall,
even though it was l:30 in the morn
ing and time when most members
of the large fraternity were accus-
toned to be in bed.
Applause For Caddock.
They waited until Caddock appear
ed and greeted him with thundrous
applause. The timers held their
watches long past the fifteen minutes,
but Joe failed to appear. Then Het-
manek came out and said Stecher
would not return. Whereupon Sher-
man raised the hand of Earl Caddock
and announced a new worlds cham
pion had come to the front to de-
fend the wrestling title.
The crowd which saw the event was
the largest that every jammed its way
into the muny Auditorium. 1t num-
bered over $500 persons and the total
receipts were over $4,000. Every seat
in the building was occupied and
hundreds stood up while scores Of
others who could not gain entrance
to the building fingered around out
side.
The Bout Begins.
The gladiators entered the ring at
9:3l. Joe Stecher was the first to
climb through the ropes, while Cad
dock crawled into an opposite corner
a second or two later. Anton Stecher
was Brother Joe's second, while Frank
Gotch, the retired champion, was in
Caddock's corner.
A few moments were taken up,
while photographers shot a picture OF
the combatants, their seconds, Referee
Charley Sherman and Gene Melady
At 9:39 the match was on.
Both men appeared bit backward
at the start. Caddock was perceptibly
nervous, while Stecher seemed hest.
tant TO mix it with the much-heralded
Iowan. For six minutes Joe merely
tried to feel Caddock out, while Earl
was content to keep a careful eye on
his opponent.
Stecher Starts to Move.
Stecher made the first real move al
9:45, six minutes after the opening ot
hostilties, when he tented for Cad.
docks legs. The Iowan was quick
though, and blocked the maneuver.
From that time on until almost an
hour elapsed Stecher did all the lead.
ing, with Caddock blocking every
move. Not until 1887, fifty eight min,
utes after the start, did the wrestlers
&c to the mat. Time and again Stecher
made Intellectual attempts to pull the
1owan to the mat, while Caddock
made no effort at all to carry the
wrestling to the mat.
1t was clearly apparent that Cad.
dock meant to stay an hour if possible
before permitting Stecner to mix it
Followers of the Anita lad bet large
sums that Stecher would not throw
Caddock in an hour and it is presumed
he was out to win his supporters coin
Crowd Restless.
While the bone-crushers were push
lug and pulling each other about anc
getting nowhere at all, the crowd be
came manifestly restless, especially
the Stechersupporters. 1t was so tam,
and lady-like for the first ffty-eigh
minutes many of the spectators hat
visions of the Stecher-Lewis affair al
over again.
But their fears proved groundless
for at 1887 was the hour the glad
ators began to mix. Stecher dived fo
Caddock's leg and pulled the Iowal
down, but as they hit the mat Cad
dock twisted out of Stecher's grasT
and got behind. 1t was the first tim,
the men had gone to the mat anc
Caddock was behind. The Iowa sec
ton broke into a roar.
But Caddock could not hold 10,
down. The Dodge phenom clamborec
to his feet with seeming ease.
For FIVE minutes they resumed thei
easy-going tactics.
Caddock Takes Initiative.
Then Caddock took the initiative
He raupht Ioe'e iau ,,d hurIoJ .h,