Evening star., 1920-01-31
WRESTLING CROWN
GOES TO STECHER
Caddock Pinned by Heavier
Opponents Body-Scissors
After Two Hours.

NEW YORK, January 31.-Joe
Stecher is undisputed wrestling cham
pion of the world After a struggle
that lasted a little over two hours he
sors and wrist-lock hold. The Garden
was jammed from floor to girders and
the men wrestIed under the glaring
white lights that were set for the
moving pictures.
Once before Stecher held that same
deadly hold on his slighter opponent,
but Caddock wriggled free. The sec
ond time Caddocks right arm also
was clamped in the boa-conStr1ctor-
like coils that were made by Stecher's s
leg and il was just matter of sec
onds. Caddock was pinned to the mat
and crushed down by the fifteen or
twenty pounds. extra weight carried
by Stecher.
The exact time occupied by the bout
was two hours five minutes and thirty
seconds. For two hours it was any
body's bout. Despite the superior
weight and the evident strength of
Stecher the slighter man always
seemeed TO have IA chance.
Superior Weight Tells.
But all of Caddock's tricks availed
nothing against the dogged strength
and perseverance, of Stecher. He knew
that If he once could get the siighter
man in his favorite hold that he could
crush him, and he waited, in the mean
time bearing down with his superior
weight upon Caddock whenever he
could.
Once or twice the hackers of Cad
dock were highly optimistic. Espe-
cially were they that way when CAD
dock had full Nelson on the bigger
man and kept forcing his head into
the mat, but evidently he wasted ms
reserve strength trying to bring that
hold to the finish. 1t was shortly
after this hold was broken that
Stecher got his first body and scissors
hold and came within an inch~or less
of winning then and there.
There were 4plenty of women in the
house-in fact. it looked like first
night at the opera, for they finally
found their way into the place. Nat
urallyZ the feminine sympathy was
money was on Stecher. but the wise
betterS were exceedingly worried at
times.
Finish Highly Dramatic.
The finish was highly dramatic
Caddoek- was on top when Stecher
suddenly twisted and got his hold. his
favorite and deadly hold. With the
crushing it's prev he twisted the
coils around Caddock. who struggled
gamely
George Bothner sprawled out watch
ing Caddock's shoulders as they were
slowly pressed down. One shoulder
fiattened first, then the other descend
ed. touching the canvas and fattened
there. Bothner tapped Stecher be-
tween the shoulder blades. Stecher
rose from the r-~t champion heavy
weight wrestler CT the world. 1t was
a clean bout and Il clean victory.
Stechsr had the advantage in height
and was seemingly about twenty
pounds heavier than Caddock. Both
were yerv cautious at the start and
for ten minutes simply paved each
others: neck and shoulders.
After wrestling thirty minutes
Stecher threw Caddock to the mat
with a side trip and pounced on top.
trying for a body scissors Caddock
twisted out of tight quarters and re-
gained-an erect position cleverly.
At thsrexDiration of one hours time
both THen were on their feet. The
perspiration was dripping from them
ening- -
Efforts Weaken Caddock.
Just before the close of the second
hour Stecher secured a body-scissors
and wrist lock after Caddock had
made supreme but futile effort to
obtain a shalf-Nelson. Cadock brought
the spectators to their feet when he
broke the double hold as his left
shoulder was barely an inch from the
mat fora pin fall. The effort had
however. apparently exhausted him,
for a nnement later he was again grip
ped ina body-scissors and this time
both his shoulders went to the mat