Omaha daily bee., 1917-02-11
STDCHER WINS IN
STRAIGHT FALLS
Thirty One and Fifteen Min
utes Required to Put
Peters to the Mat.
BIG CROWD SEES CONTEST

Joe Stecher. the Dodge, Neb., cham
pion, won two straight falls from
Charlie Peters, the Papillion carpen-
ter, at the Auditorium. before an audi
enee estimated at 5000 persons, Fri
day night.
Stecher won the first fall in thirty
one minutes and forty-two seconds
with the celebrated Stecher scissors
hold aided and abetted by wrist lock.
He earned the second fall in fifteen
minutes and thirty-two seconds, en-
ploying the same method to secure it.
The match was unquestionably the
best Stecher has ever wrestled in
Omaha. From start to finish it was
entirely satisfactory to the immense
crowd of fans. The match was suf-
hciently long and exciting, not so
short as when Joe wrestled Charlie
Cutler two years ago. And these was
no unwillingness to mix il on the part
OF either wrestler such as there was
at the memorable Lewis-Stecher
hasco.
Stick to the Mat.
Except for a few short seconds
Stecher was on the offensive during
the earlier tangle. Peters employed
purely defensive tactics. but he didn't
mind the mixups and the wrestlcrs
were on the mat large part of the
time.
1t was during the second tilt that
Peters took the offensive for few
seconds. He made bold charge at
Stether and bore the startled Dodge
phcnom to the mat so quickly that
Stecher's shoulders hit the mat in
what looked like flying fall. Peters
seconds called to the referee for q
fall, but Stecher was up in the same
motion and it could not have been
called a legitimate fall and it hap
pened so suddenly one could not posi-
lively tell il it was even a flying fall.
Peters followed up the advantage OF
his charge and got behind Stecher,
but could not begin to work out on
Joe before the Dodge champ scram-
bled to his feet.
Referee Cy Sherman climbed
through the ropes and in two minutes
had the combatants at each others
throats. When Peters discarded his
bath robe plasters-covering boils with
which he had been suffering were dis
cernable, one under the right eye, one
on the left arm, one on the shoulder
and one toward the bottom Of his
back.
For seven minutes the two belli-
gerents merely trotted about the ring
in an effort to feel each other out.
Stechers was calm and easy. Peters
looked to be very nervous. Stecher
was obviously looking for an opening
to insert his leg around one Of Peters
in an attempt to bring Charlie to the
mat with q grapevine, pet trick Of
Joc's, but Peters offered defense by
pushing his head against Joe's ribs
which had the champion baffed.
After seven minutes Stccher tried
other tactics. He made dive for
Peters legs. But Charlie blocked, got
behind, but apparently neither man
cared to start mixing II on the mat for
few minutes because they both got
up. seemingly OF mutual consent.
Dives For His Legs.
Three minutes later Stecher esssyed
the same trick, the dive for the legs.
And again Peters blocked, got behind
and both men rose to their feet But
one minute later, after just eleven
minutes Of wrestling, Stechcr made a
successful dive and by sheer brute
strength dragged Peters to the mat.
instantly Stecher began to strive for
the scissors and in q minute had
clamped his legs around Peters. But
Peters broke the hold before Stecher
had made ii secure.
This didn't bother Joe, however,
and. he Immediately returned to his
knitting, striving for that scissors
hold. 1t took him just minute to
get it again. Peters laid in the scissors
for minute, then he decided il was
time to get out. He did. His struggles
were so successful he not only broke
away from the scissors, but propelled
both himself and Stecher off the mat
The warriors went to the middle oil
the mat with Stecher on top. Joe
started after the scissors all over
again, but Peters broke away handily
and jumped to his feet.
After about three minutes on theii
feet the grapplers went to the ma,
again and this time Stecher clampet
a real scissors on his Papillion foe. I,
was q genuine scissors and Peter.
could not break out OF II as easily a.
he had the others. Stecher went aftel
an arm hold to use with the scissors
but Peters turned out of this ant
rode" the scissors on his stomach.
Some Win on Time.
While Peters was lying in this scis
sors Referee Sherman signalled witt
his hands that twenty minutes of tim,
had elapsed and cheer came from
hundreds OF throats, many OF who's,
owners had placed little coin tina
Joe would not accomplish his task II
that brief time.
A couple Of minutes later Peter
treated the fans to some regular wres
Ting. With a mighty effort he brok
out of the scissors, the first tim
Omaha fans have seen one o
Stccher's real scissors holds broken
The cheer that greeted this achieve
ment inspired Peters to try a littl
leading OF his own. He made the ad
vance, but missed and returned to hi
defensive tactics.
The referee signalled that twenty
FIVE minutes had elapsed. Peters be
gan to chide Joe about il. Practicalt
+ all Of the betting that was done wa
that Stecher would throw Peters tn