The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-05-09

casion when l had been
treated so handsomely by one
Of the stockholders in the
wrestling cartel. It was in
the year 1929 believe. and after
that no wrestler or wrestling pro-
meter or even q preSs-agent for 2
wrestling promoter ever smiled to
me again.
Thereafter. on the few occasions
when I covered wrestling bouts. the
newspaper which I then graced
paid for the tickets. Mr.. Savoldi
never came within my ken in those
days Though it was reported that
Stranger Lewis would like to get
me in headlock). but when he
threw himself out of the RING. Mon
day night, directly at me. I feared
that my past had been revealed to
him. let him fall and he lay on
the cold Garden floor until he was
counted out.
WHETHER Mr.. Hamer is still the
" general manager of the Ridge
wood Grove, which catered To
huge Nazi gathering two or three
weeks ago, I do not know. His
duties were no doubt an agony
and P struggle to him even at the
time I was in contact with him. It
is imaginable that this contact
alone must have tortured him
thousand times. Mr.. Han1er was
one Of the gentlemen to whom I
represented all that was evil in this
decent world. What he and his CO.
workers labored to put together
ATTEMPTED blithely to tear asunder.
Over this matte did our final con-
versation take place.
Mr.. Hsmer counseled me like
father He had once worked for the
Journal, he told me. and he knew
the best way to get along in the
world. 1t was not the way of rid
iculing wrestling matches and
pointing out that certain fights had
been subjected to gentleman's
agreement. Mr.. Brisbane had not
made a fortune and reputation by
doing that. One could also look at
the other newspapermen of New
York. None of them were as flip
pant and scandalous as I. They
regarded their business as, serious.
They would hold on to their Jobs
forever. and when they died a lot
Of people would follow after their
hearses in fancy linaousines. NV
future, If ] did not change, could
only be bleak one. MY paper
would eventually fire me and no
one would own me. The only thing
for me to do was to look out for
myself. was still young; 1 had
time to reform.
Thus did the counsel go. It was
repeated to me, if not in so MANY
words, by others equally interested
in my welfare. From time to time
even more seductive considerations
than a picture of the future were
laid in my path.
But to all these pleadings and
admonitiOns 1 answered with
stern resolve. / continued to
write of some wrestIers that they
had every crown but the crown
Of good name and of others
that they did not rehearse enough
and that the technique of their
performances was falling down
as a result. l wrote, with the best
intentions, of Zybysko that being
an old man he should retire and
charge people money for simply
looking at him.
All these things, as I said. were
not taken in the proper spirit and
l was never invited again to cover
wrestling bouts. either at the Ridge
wood or anywhere else. I have for
gotten exactly, because I used to
send deputy to cover the boxing
think that boxing tickets were also
withdrawn by the honest impress
sarios of that establishment.
MIR. WERGELES assured me that
though he never reads the Daily
bouts at the Ridgewood. but I
Worker he sends tickets every week:
I therefore imagine that he has an
idea of the "Daily's" influence. Mr..