| OCR Text |
Show jn'Kijr'-Hiisr'si .uiiiittvsrrEisi-iieiM en 'iitarjji I! sr; bii:ibii ;i.'.jijf isiinv I una mm wail lliiliiii iiii . 61 lillliMH) il it1 fKFiPlTPjiiiiilii'iillili iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii' 'HiiiHI'ifi lii'iiiiiiiiiiiiiii ' '! i ! Ml plHt-J lllllllllllilllllllllllll I IIIIIIIR L jn'Kiite' iiisr'si ,iiiiiiiHvsf;'SSiJia en !ei sfjjs ii sr; bii:ibii ;a.'jsif ish.hu .! " . ta: --v---.41 LJ h Illl llllllliHiiiiiallllliriu mm 1.1161 lillliiiiflti il tl1!-- -.-z s , mm ' .;. ; 'Xtw,.- x , . t - - . . - i . :ki: ..:,-:.. - r :.'.. , J " s v t ,( , f , C - - ;r H: "V-5 , s - l; 'J: " I a.? : - - ''. v i ; f;.;sv.:v::.; f; : ::srr?;;sSf : . "I Don't Know - : Has Champion's How Powerful Ffiain Reliance They Are' Says r r-- ., . Li Gone Back on Joe Steelier, Him?-Fans Wrestling Charnn. I i u )- Jkff ; .'rv I of Wrestling Are "The Only Time jif$.K . xHiKS llV;? ' Asking the I Exerted All My ' Question Since the K!W ! life h-S;H "I Don't Know How Powerful They Are," Says Joe Steelier, restling Champ. "The Only Time I Exerted All My Force I Killed a Horse Between My Knees" Tf J--iTiLjrx. ' " llle strongest pair ff es in tlle world f "ST "S' f bsea rendered useless Cy V a unable to earn for their Ja JL A owner the largest for- A JL luIle "3a'; was ever vSJfA promised an athleteV When in wrestling Grappler Olln recently Joe Stecber, the Nebraska Ne-braska I'arnier boy, who possesses these wroclerful legs, quit in the midst of the hout, claiming he could not proceed on account ac-count of injuries, this question was asked all over the world, for Stechor Is the foremost fore-most wrestling prodigy of today. Stecher maintained that he had suffered an injury in the match with Cutler in Chicago Chi-cago and that it had been aggravated to the point of danger when in the tussle with Clin the Nebraska a fell through the ropes into the seats among the spectators. Thla pair of legs have commanded within the last year great public and some serious scientific comment, for they are probably the most remarkable and abnormal abnor-mal pair of legs that ever graced the trunk of man. They are so strong that once they ' grip a wrestler that man succumbs. No human being can stand the terriflo pressure pres-sure that they exert. These legs are so supremely strong that Stecher can in sitting astride a horse kill the animal by forcing inward with his knees. It is highly interesting to bote that the strongest pair of legs can earn more than the strongest pair of arms today. Stecher, an ordinary wrestler without this leg grip, known as the "scissors hold," is by Its us made world's champion. He relies upon it Earr.s $100,000 in Year. Regarding this monetary value, George V. Tuohey, ooj of the greatest matchmakers matchmak-ers and promoters of wrestling bouts, says: "It will prove a terrible thing if this young man is permanently injured, as he has the greatest earning capacity of any athlete in the history of tlie world, besides being of inestimable THlue to the sport as a 'cleanser,' who has the power physically and morally to refuse to stoop to anything that is unfair or unsportsmanlike. "As a promoter for the last thirty years I am free to say that no athletes earn so much as wrestlers. Fugilists may receive more for a single performance, but these are few and far between. Wrestlers often compete every night in the week and keep it up for months. 'The fact that the average wrestler can compete fur many more years than a boxer aud that wrestlers mature more slafvly and Above, Stecher, the rear figure, is applying the terrible "scissors" around an opponent's body. The man is nearly unconscious as Stecher pulls his head over to pin his shoulders to the mat for a fall. Below, the beginning of the "scissors." Stecher is the figure facing forward. are at their best after 30 makes the injury to Stecher a big financial loss. Two or three years ago the wrestling game was dead. Frank Gotch, champion of the world, was in retirement following the historic fiasco with Iiackenschmidt. A dozen wrestlers of more or less ability were still In the arena, but a disgusted public had turned away from the sport and promoters pro-moters were unable to find a "card" that would lure the fans back. One day the managing editor of a little newspaper out in Nebraska wrote a long letter to the sporting editor of a large city daily, asking a hearing for an obscure wrestler named Joe Stecher a farmer boy living near Dodge who had taken up wrestling wres-tling while attending the village school and had shown amazing ability in the estimation estima-tion of the leading sports in the Nebraska community. The letter went on to say that the Stecher boy was not connected in any wajr any claim to distinction and would lay down but one condition the match must be on the square, without any agreements as to the length of time it would last, two out of three falls in the quickest possible time. "We believe in this boy with a faith that cannot be shaken," the letter said. "Joe Stecher is as honest as a gold collar. He is just out of school, living simply and healthfully on his farm. Everybody knows him here. And he is the most wonderful wrestler America has ever seen. If he can get a chance and that's all he asks he' will prove that he can throw any wrestler in the world, up to and possibly including Frank Gotch. "We have been reading that wrestling matches pulled off in your city are crooked, and as a result the game there is dying. Joe Stecher is the boy who can revive it It would be well worth yonr while to take a trip out here and look this boy over, for tried to bring him here, but the darned fool doesn't know enough to work in a big city. Why, he's got the village . postmaster of Dodge as his manager, .and they're nuts about square wrestling. They won't agree to give the public a run for its money. They talk about tossing a guy in five minutes. min-utes. Can you imagine THAT? The fans wouldn't stand for it. The public likes a lot of hippodrome stuff in its wrestling. They want to see two big stuffs haul and maul each other around the mat for an hour or so before they get a fall. "Why, if this rube is as good as they say he is, and he should come in here and toss one of these truck horses on his neck in fifteen minutes or so, the public would run the promoter out of town. If Stecher will agree to let me pick his opponent and give me his word that there will be no fall for an hour, after that the best man to win, I'll bring him on. Otherwise I don't want any of his game." lying idle. Wrestlers must wrestle if they want to eat. Stecher, having refused to come into the limelight of the big cities at the other fellow's terms, the other fellow began to figure on invading Nebraska at Stccher's terms. One by one they drifted out to the Stecher boy's town, expecting to pick up a little easy money, and were hurled on their ample backs almost in less time than it takes to tell it -f ' When Tussiff Hussane, a wrestler of undoubted un-doubted ability and a wealth of experience, experi-ence, announced that he was .going out to Nebraska to clean up Stecher a lot of the "wise birds" in the sporting world said, "This is where the farmer gets killed," and inquired about the possibility of a few wagers. The response from Nebraska was prompt and satisfactory. Yes, there was plenty of Stecher money out there. The farmers in the neighborhood of Dodge and Fremont were willing to mortgage their f Ufa - h-:l Mm. - J A ' -s- I ili1 "' V'" A V-, -j - ' hi I p J - -5 r- ";"" h i'liii1 i h'--'"! ' ' h - V-- 5 : ' , 1- t-" "1 m( :tfkipilflljlil C Where Stccher's great strength of leg helps. He is shown using his toe in ' . ' $ the bend of an opponent's elbow to break an arm and wrbt lock. Stecher (L-- ' '"y S : i A '':;.! is the wrestler on one knee and elbow. I JjL J ' 'J Stecher, at the left, using grapevine twist at the opening of a bout. with the discredited clique which had done the wrestling game to death. He was a simple son of the soil with an ambition to 1 become the champion wrestler of the world. i He was willing to meet anybody who had Where Stccher's great strength of leg helps. He is shown using his toe in the bend of an opponent's elbow to break an arm and wrbt lock. Stecher is the wrestler on one knee and elbow. be Is destined to bo a world champion just " as sure as fate. What we want now is a few matches with the best known wrestlers, and If It is possible to promote square wrestling let us bear from you." The letter was shown to a man who bad been interested in promoting wrestling, ind he laughed. "I've beard of that hies," he said. "I Well, that proposition was mnde to Stecher similar propositions have been mtrde: to him about once a week fur two years. He stood pat. If they wanted to wrestle him on the level, all right If they didn't, very well. He was doing pretty well on the farm and w;is willing to stay there until the wrestling game was reformed. Meanwhile a lot of wrestling talent was Locking right arm of opponent trying try-ing for crotch hold. acres to back the Stecher kid against Hus-fcaue Hus-fcaue or anybody eise. It was a killing. The farmers flocked to the match with their pockets bulging with dough. Hussane died game. Bui he Has Champion's Main Reliance Gone Back on Him? Fans of Wrestling Are Asking the Question Since the Nebraska Boy's N Injury in His Last - Bout' .With " Cutler lasted less than an hour. The neighbors banked the profits and sat back to wait for the next one. Hussane went back to town and told how it happened. "He's got the strongest pair of legs in the world," he said. "He has only one hold a body scissors but that's a plenty. He wraps his legs around you and squeezes. By George, I never felt such pressure in my life. Then, when he's got the breath all out of you, he clamps on a wrist lock or some other simple hold and turns you over on your back. That's all there is to it. It's in his legs the strongest stron-gest pair of legs in the world." From that day on Joe Stecher has been winning and winning from the best wrestlers wres-tlers the promoters could find. He has never been beaten. One man, "Strangler" Lewis, wrestled him to a draw. The high spot in Stecher's career was reached a year ago last Fourth of July, when he met and defeated Charley Cutler of Chicago for the championship of America. Amer-ica. Cutler held the title beyond a doubt, and by many was considered the real champion of the world, since the technical title-holder, Frank Gotch, had quit the game. The match with Cutler was a matter for the Nebraska farmers to tell to their grandchildren. grand-children. The day the match was announced an-nounced the rural community around Dodge went into hock. Every dollar that could be borrowed by Stecher's faithful following came out of hiding. The farmers prepared for a killing, and they put it over. "I'm going to bet every dollar I've got In the world." Cutler told his friends, "and If you're wise you'll do the same. This farmer hasn't got a chance on earth to throw me." The match was held In Omaha. A delegation dele-gation of sportsmen made the trip and took all the money they could lay their hands on. They had no difficulty In placing plac-ing It The Nebraska farmers met them at the train. Out in Nebraska, where the farmers literally lit-erally have grown wealthy by wagering on Stecher they never have lost, and had draws but twice they tell many stories about Joe's famous legs. By one worthy it is related that somebody once asked Stecher how strong his legs really are. "I don't know," he replied. "I've never found anybody who could stand the full pressure, so I've never been able to extend myself. But one day when I was training I straddled a horse and gave hira the old body scissors. I must have let out a notA too much, because I killed the horse!" w, (Copyright, 1917. by J. KccleyJ .. |
