The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-01-01
By ROBERT EDGREN.


truuuced by Joe Humphreys as
The Mighty Son of Poland" has
had a career filled with remark
able adventures.
Zbyszko's age is variously given
forty-six. Probably he is forty
eight years old. In spite of that
he now holds the worlds heavy
weight wrestling championship. A
few months ago he beat Stranger
Lewis for that title, and more re-
Gently beat Lewis again.
Born in Poland, Zbyszko received
a good education and might have
been noted in some of the finer
professions of arts IL he hadn't
been a physical freak. In physique
Zbyszko is a throw-back to the
time of the cave men. Only five
feet, nine inches tall, he is gigantic
in breadth and thickness, long
armed, enormously muscled. In
strength he is more like a gorilla
than an ordinary man. Because of
his natural strength he became a
wrestler. His measurements are
abnormal. His chest is 49% inches
when not expanded. waist SO inches,
neck 10 inches. biceps 1879 inches.
thigh 25 inches, calf Is inches,
wrist . inches, and his weight
between 230 and 240 pounds.
The Pole wrestled in Europe and
England, where he became famous
when George Hackenschmidt re-
fused to wrestle him. Hacken-
schmidt had just taken up the
catch s-catch-can style of wrestl-
ing, on a visit to America, and an
nounced that he was through with
the Graeco- Roman. which was
Zbyszko's style. But as Hack had
been Graeco- Roman champion for
years, many thought that the Rus
sion Lion recognized superior abil-
ity in Zbyszko.
Hackenschmidt did wrestle Zby-
szko not long afterward in New
York. 1t was a hard struggle all
the way. Hackenschmidt was to
throw the Pole twice in two hours
or lose the match. They wrestled
two hours without a fall-tough
going all the way. This was one
of the very few ION the level"
wrestling matches seen in New
York in many years.
Hackenschmidt left the mat ex-
hausted by his efforts. while Zby-
szkO, who had been taking the ag-
gressive fully as much as Hacken-
schmidt, was still fresh. In the
dressing room l talked the match
over with Hack. who was much
bruised and battered, and he said
that ZbysZko was a stronger man
and a better wrestler.
81 was lucky that he didn't
throw me-" said Hack shaking his
dead dolefully.
Beaten by Trick.
Zbyszko's single defeat out of
917 contests on the mat, was in
a match with Frank Gotch, when
he first came to America and knew
nothing about catch-as-catch-ca can
wrestling methods. Gotch beat him
by trickery, Zbyszko came out to
shake hands, and turned to go back
to his corner, when Gotch sudden
ly leaped on him and threw him in
a few seconds, Zbyszko being taken
by surprise and entirely uprepared
for defense.
Zbyszko left this country in 1910
to go to his home in Galatia. He
was in Petrograd in 1914 when the
great war broke out. A native of
Gala ia, then under Austrian rule,
he rs promptly informed and at
one time put into a Russian prison.
But in spite of war conditions, he
was released and allowed to COM
pete in wrestling matches that
were frequently held in the Rus
sian capital.
1t was there that Zbyszko had
the greatest. thrill of his life. The
greatest thrill, probably. ever
known by any wrestler. This is
the story as he told it to me in
New York tshortly after returning
and winning the championship by
beating Stranger Lewis.
The revolution came and Keren-
sky assumed power. The wrestling
game in Russia was then domi-
mated by two Russian wrestlers
who had visited America and
wrestled all over the United States,
Alex Aberg and George Zurich.
The political turmoil went on
and the Boisheviki began to grow
In power. Every foreigner was re-
garded with. suspicion. Zbyszko
was an outsider, and Aberg and
Zurich were strong. Zbyszko had
a quarrel with Aberg over money
matters-a claim of Zbyszko's that
Aberg owed him six thousand
roubles, which Aberg refused \ to
pay. Immediately afterward in
formation was lodged with the au-
thorities that Zbyszko was a SPY,
and he was arrested.
The country was in tumult
ABOUT spies, and people arrested on