The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-06-02
Tom Milton Wins Hardness Handicap

of articles which MT. Corbett is writ ing concerning the career of the late Frank Gotch, who went to his grave the undefeated heavyweight wrestling cham pion of the world The next installment will appear tomorrow)
 Frank Gotch was not an idle champion. It always was his theory that titie holder should prove his supremacy by tackling all corners. So Gotch took on his challengers as fast as they were ready to Srappie with him.
 On February 24, 1904. Gotch wrestled for the first time in defense of his newly gained title and easily defeated Aoyagt Jap srapper, in Bellipgham. On March 10, Chris Pearson was beaten in Iowa City and the name of Tim liar rington vas added to the list of Gotch victims on April Il in Butte, Mon
 Then came the spectacular macth with Jim Parr, the great English mat war rior They met on June 2 in Buffalo, Gotch weighing 1SS and Parr 175. Parr was master.in wrestling cleverness and his brilliant maneuvering in the tight places into which Gotch repeatedly placed him filled the immense crowd with delight. But the almost superhu- man strength of Gotch triumphed in the end, Parr losing the first fall in 49 min utes and 10 seconds and weakened by the earlier dueling, lost the second in 27 minutes.
 After defeating John Berg in Seattle on July 20 Gotch hardened to the plead ings of the public to give Dan Mcleod a chance" It was this same Mcleod. who, after defeating Gotch when the lat ter was a novice in 1S99 really started the Iowan on his amazing career by ad- vising the youngster to go In for wrest- ling Mcleod had lost his title to Jen- kins sometime later, but even then was ranked as one of the wrestling marvels of the age.
 The match between the veteran and the youngster was a furious affair from start to finish The two men realized that they were there to wrestle, and they wrestled from the first call of time There was no let-up no stalling. Each man was fiercely eager to secure victory Gotch wildly eager to demonstrate that he was the greatest man in the wrest- ling world: McIoed hopeful of regaining the crown he had lost to Jenkins. After 32 minutes and A seconds of , lighting action. Mcleod tricked Gotch l to the mat and by series of bril- liant maneuvers finally succeeded in forcing the Humboldt boys shoulders to the mat.
 But the effort really cost him the match Mcleod came out for the sec ond fall looking bit tired and show ing a certain amount of weakness in his movements. Gotch, on the other hand was as full of fight and ginger as he had been at the outset. Realiz-
 ing his, advantage. Gotch began fu- | rious attack and by the use of an arm l lock, trapped Mcleod into the second | fall in 21 minutes
 l The third fall and the match, went | to Gotch in 2s minutes and 20 sec | onds
 | Mcleod, not quite satisfied that | Gotch was the better man, challenged gain and Gotch gladly accepted, They wrestled in the same place on Octo- | Der 5, 1914 and Gotch was an easy winner. demonstrating beyond all ques- | tion of doubt his superiority over the I once wonderful Mcleod.
 | On November 25 Gotch met Yankee I Rogers in Buffalo who was famed foi | his trough house" work. Gotch ad. hered strictly to wrestling in the earl, part of the first fall. but when Rog CTS continued to slug. gouge ans | rough it, Gotch began to retaliate. Tn, match quickly resolved itself into | slashing bout with Gotch the winnei
 of the first fall in 43 minutes ant I10 seconds.
 The men had been wrestling nearly 6 | half hour for the second fall wher | Rogers feeling that he was slipping l down to defeat, began to foul by Jab- | ping his elbow into the face of Gotch One vicious iab that nearly gouged
 out one of Franks eyes infuriated ths Iowan. ~So he whirled Rogers around and flung him toward the ropes. Sc | violent was the heave that Rogers
 smashed through them and fell onto
 the floor outside the ring. There ht lay in a seemingly unconscious cordi. tion. Many thought Rogers had beer killed. The police jumped up to the
 ring and formed a cordon around il and the unconscious Rogers. A reSi.
 mental hospital corps entered tht
 building at dog-trot, carrying g
 stretcher and laying Rogers on it
 rushed him to the dressing room.
 doctor was summoned. He ex.
 amined Rogers and said:
 "Nothing wrong with him except
 that he needs hot bath and rub
 down.
 After the match Gotch's comment was
 Rogers found that was willing t.
 give him as much roughing as he ha ] been used to handing out and am afrai, that when he saw what was coming t ) him he showed yellow and took the eas , fest way out-through the ropes ont, ) the floor and into his dressing room" On December 21 Gotch failed to vii
 from Jim Parr in handicap match. an, also lost to Emil Maumus on Jaanuar' l, 1905 in another handicap affair II Montreal. Ten days later he rnet Yanke
 Rogers again and won easily. On Feb
 ruary 1 he defeated Tom Jenkins il
 Cleveland, followed this with victor on February over Ed Atherton, wol
 zl . V U