The daily independent., 1937-07-20

New York, July 19.-W.R)-NoW
that Jack Curley is dead, several
of the nations prominent mat
moguls are scheduled to confer in
New York Thursday and select a
new wrestling "czar."
understand that Joe "Toots'
Mondt, who seems to have a
strangle hold on the cream of the
heavyweight wrestling talent, Will
emerge from the conference as
new pasha of the pachyderms.
According to what information I
can CLEAN from the grapevine ra-
dio, these gentlemen are slated to
attend the conference: Mondt;
Rudy Dusek, New York promoter;
Paul Bowser of Boston; Ray Fa-
biana of Philadelphia; Tom Packs
of st. Louis and Tony Stecher of
Nebraska. There may be a few
others.
Stecher, a brother of the former
champion, Joe S.echer, is mana
ger of Bronko Nagurski, new
claimant of the heavyweight grap-
pling title. Nagurski, former star
of the Chicago football Bears, is
top man among the 400 or SO
grunt-and-gr -groan artists whom
Mondt is alleged to control.
Thursdays conference appar-
emily will have three purposes: Cd
to appoint a head man who can
organize and control a big-time
national wrestling circuit with
all of its whistle-stop short-lines;
90 effect a strong combine for
the somewhat disorganized mat
game cast of the Mississippi river,
and 80 arrange for installation OF
the head man in New York City
so that he can conduct the nation
al booking business out of the me-
tropolis and, at the same time,
cooperate in major promotions in
Manhattan, the sports show VIM
dow"
My grapevine information indi-
Gates that big "TootS" Mondt un-
uuestionably will be chosen be-
cause of his corner on heavyweight
talent, because of the extensive
booking circuit he already con-
trolls, and because of more than
E2O years experience in the busi-
ness.
Mondt, a former wrestler, is 43
years old. He is a big, plump,
blond, who weighs $50 pounds and
stands six feet one. Farmer Burns,
one time mat king, gave "Toots'
his early training. Shortly after
wards, Mondt teamed up with Ed
Stranger" Lewis and Billy San
dow to form the Gold Dust Trio"
Since then Mondt has been an ac-
tive and, at times, important fac
tor in the game. In recent years,
he is reported to have handled
much of the booking for New
York's impressario, the late Jack
Curley.
It is extremely difficult to get
true reflection of the national
wrestling picture at any time. Be
cause it usually is split into var
ious warning factions. Because it
is hard to put your finger on
facts. Because there is so much
skullduggery, manipulating and
double crossing. Because you do
not know whom to believe. And
because most of your information
must come via the grapevine,
which some times proves poison
ivy in camouflage.
However, as near as I can dis
Germ at the present writing, Mondt
and his cohorts seem TO have a
strong toe-hold on the rasslin'
racket in the United States and
Canada outside of these cities
and their immediate hinterlands:
Chiago, Columbus, Cleveland,
Montreal and Quebec. Those two
Canadian cities may be included
in the Mondt domain, if reports
are true that Jack Ganson and
Dan Koloff, who handle wrestling
in those two cities, actually CO.
operate with Paul Bowser of Bos-
ton.
In the Columbus and Cleveland
territory, I understand that Billy
Sandow, AL 1aft and Dick Shikat
have their own group Of grapplers,
and that they cooperate with Ed
White who seems to have the Chi
cago area well organized. The
Mondt crowd claims that the San
dow, Haft and Shikat group is
unimportant, anyway, because
most of their talent is in the light
heavy weight and lesser divisions.
know nothing about that. 1t
may not be true.
1t is the claim of Mondt hench-
men that Toots already has his
circuits so well organized thru
the cooperation of promoters in all
sections that he can start
flock of wrestlers from Los An
geles or San Francisco and let
them tour cast Cd by swinging
up through the northwest and in
to Canada; 90 heading directly
east through the central United
States, or 90 taking the southern
route. Likewise they can be sent
westward over the same itinerar.