The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-01-04
most WRESTLER5
ARE WEALTHY men
Topnotchers Are Nearly All in Mil
Iionaire Class, and Second and
Third Raters often
Get Rich.
FOREIGNERS GET COIN
Joe stecher Was Champion Only
Few Months, But In That Time
He Cleaned UP a Hundred
Thousand.

-AasM H
He Cleaned up a Hundred
Thousand.
NEW YORK, Jan. 4rWlth the es-
ception of a few topno tchers the pro,
fessional wrestler has been regarded
as a person who did not. eat regularly
unless he happened to he attached 10
a safe lifting crew or tKained with a
moving van. Take it from George V.
Touhey, the oldest wrestling promot-
err extant, this view of the grapplers
is all wrong The champions and
near champions are all wealthy gen.
tlemen. and ever the second raters
enjoy incomes that enable then TO
nave sugar and meat on the table
every day.
George v. Touhey goes away back
to the days when John PaTnell Dunn
was the chief wrestling inpresarid
of New York and that was a few
years ago. Touhey is a Boston man.
He has conducted wrestling carnivals
all over the country. Jack Curley
was a mere baby in arms When
Touhey was a veteran in the
art Of manipulating beef on h mat
"The fact that Frank Gotch left an
estate worth from 100000 10 $400..
900 seemed to surprise a lot OF folks,
said Touhey, but over on the other
side, where wrestling flourished up
to the time of the war, immense for
tunes have been earned on b mat.
II should say that Giovanni Raice-
vich. the Italian champion, was the
best money getter of them all. Be
fore the war he was reputed to be
worth 81, 800 O0-not all made on the
mat, of course, but the foundation OF
that fortune was laid there. His
brother, Emilio Raicevich, was prob
ably worth more than half a million
before the war.
The Thrifty Russians
Alexander Aberg, the Russian who
won thfs Greco-Roman tournament At
the Manhattan opera house two years
ago. | should rate as a millionaire.
He may have lost his money by this
time, but he had it before the war.
Even George Zurich, another Russian
who was just a fair wrestler, is very
wealthy. Zurich invested his money
well in the old country.
George Hackenschmidt was an
other who made a fortune on the mat.
So did Stanislaus Zbyszko. DR.. Roll
er is one of the busiest wrestlers.
He gets good none and has quite an
besides.
], Others Flake Fortunes.
Ivan Linow has been Industrious.
] should say he earns several thous.
and a year on the mat. Ivan may
deny it, but he pays an income tax.
Tom jenkins. retired heavyweight
champion, is comfortably fixed and
holding down a position as instruc-
tor at West Point George Bothner
has a gymnasium and his services
are constantly in demand as a referee
and matchmaker. Oar Mcleod is
Instructor at the Los Angeles A. c..
Farmer Burns is wealthy and operates
a correspondence school at Omaha.
"The original Stranger Lewis Is
a wealthy land owner in Wisconsin,
as is Fred Beal, one of the few men
to defeat Gotch. Innumerable west
ern middleweights are rated as well
to do, while many who were never
heard of in the east are in easy Cir
cumstances.
H4 FieNIy OF VSOFk-
ri believe heavyweight wrestlers
are the best in any class Of
athletes. They can perform six
nights a week, picking up a hundred
here and maybe a thousand there.
But the point is that they are always
working unless they are lazy. Box
ers. even the preliminary boys, are
lucky to get a couple of bouts q week.
Few wrestlers have managers, so
they collect 100 per cent of their earn
ings. And those who believe these
lads have no brains should do busl-
ness with them. They don't overlook
much. And | want to add that they
are the cleanest living athletes I
ever encountered.
sat the time Joe Stecher was in
jured he was earning over $3.50, 900 a
year and had fifteen good years ahead
of him. Earl Caddock was Just be-
ginning to get the big money when
he joined the army"
Touhey estimates the fortunes of
prominent wrestlers as follows:
Giovanni Raicevich. Italian
champion .-.---.. -.....$1 SOC, 900
Emilio Raicevich, brother
Of above $4,000
George Hackenschmidt, Rus
sion lion 1900, 900
George Zurich, Russian 80. 1000, 900
Alex Aberg, Finland 49,. 1000, 900
Stanislaus Zbyszko, Poland $500 0
Frank Gotch, American ode
ceased) ................. 100000
DR.. Roller, American 800. 800, 900
Americus OF Baltimore $50, 900
Ed C"Strangler") Lewis :. j.?
AID Santell of San Francisco $4,000
Joe Stecher of Nebraska 100, 900
Henry Ordeman of Mime q.
a2oli....... $4,000