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Show T. . . ' Joe Steelier, Nebraska Boy, Who Is Out for World's Wrestling Championship HEKK is Joe Stecher, the sensational Nebrat-knn wrestler. The photograph at the top shows him putting a half-nelson half-nelson on an opponent. Below is Joe as he looks off the mat. A young, sturdy farm hand, Steelier has developed strength that is almost superhuman. He has only been wrestling for the past few years, aDd since his entry into the game has never been defeated. Steelier 'a famous ' scissors hold" is expected eventually to win him the world's championship, now held by Frank Gotch. f ' ' ' - v; " 'I f ' , I h ' ' ' v : f - - - ? j p ' j I - - - . - , 1 i r, s - " J 4 "---. s Young Wrestling Giant Is to Meet Lewis, Zbyszko or Masked Marvel. WRESTLING, a sport that haa descended de-scended to us from the times of ancient Greece, and has recently recent-ly been undergoing a revival tn this city, seems due to receive the greatest boost it has enjoyed In years through the arrival here at the end. of this month of Joe Stecher, a farmer boy from Nebraska, writes Fred Hawthorne in the New York Tribune. Stecher is only 22 years old and his wrestling career extends over a period of about three years yet today he la recognized in the west as the marvel of the age on the mat and the greatest young wrestler in the history of the game. Here In the east Steelier' s name has only lately come Into prominence, but so glow jug- were the accounts of the farmef boy's prowess that plans were quickly made to bring him to -this city. Efforts are being made to have Stecher meet either Kd (Si rangier) Lewis, Zhyszko or "Tlie Mysterious Masked Marvel," In a finish match at cat ch-as-catch-ean style at Madison Square Garden, 'with the winner win-ner to face Frank Gotch of 11 uinholdt. Iowa, for the championship of tlie world. Gotch has not been on the mat for several sev-eral years, having been retired as the undefeated un-defeated champion of the world at that style of the grappling game. During his active career the Iowa farmer was recognized rec-ognized as the greatest catch-as-catch -can wrestler in the world, and it was lack of opponents that finally drove him into retirement. Joe Stecher. however, is declared by those who have seen him on tlie mat to be as formidable a man as the invincible in-vincible Gotch ever was. hence tiie desire de-sire lo see him meet the retired champion cham-pion and decide the question of superiority. superi-ority. In Sixty Bouts. The raw-boned Nebra ska youth lias taken part in more than sixty bouts in the last throe years, and hns never had his shoulders pinned to the mat. None of his opponents, no matter what bis hulk or strength, has been able to i f stand against Stecher, and where a fall was not scored by Joe, the o titer man has either been so badly disabled that he could not continue of else refused to face Stecher after sampling his skill and strength. Strangle!' Lewis, of the same age as Stecher, and one of the most perfectly developed men in the wrestling game, has been one of the sensations at the present international tournament In progress at the Manhattan opera house. Many who hove watched his work believe lie is destined to be the champion of the world nt ea t eh -as-catch -can wrestling. Let us see how Lewis and Stecher compare, com-pare, for they met last October in a western city. According to the records, Stecher and Lewis wrestled for two hours and two minutes, the matidi being fiercly contested every step of the way." Levis had never been known to ask onarter of any man, so great i? his strength and so apparently unlimited his endurance; yet at the end of the two hours and two minutes on the mat with ihe marvelous Stecher the Strangler fell over the rones and out of the ring. Stecher paced the mat and waited for Lewis to it turn, but the lat ter claimed he was so seriously injured he could not continue the battle, for such tt was. and after waiting a reasonable lime the referee ref-eree forfeited Ihevmatch to Ktofher. Mort Henderson of Altoona, Pa., who Is sa id tu he the "Masked .Marvel" now wrestling nt the Manhattan opera house, nift Si eedier at Fremont . Neb., last A ugust. and was thrown with ridiculous ens by the farmer hoy, the- Hrst tall rniuirimr t'jvr minutes a nd the second only two. That In Itself speaks won- rs for the prowess of the Germun-Americah Germun-Americah from tlie middle west. "Amor-ifis," "Amor-ifis," Gpoi's;e Turner, Jesse Westcncaard and Chancy Cutler are among otocv wre?Hci a of tb f Ivp! ranU who h-'p fallen Vie fore the might mid skill of Stecher. Sensation of Age. Mm tvho are competent tn juritd are a unit in declaring thar .lo" Strhrr i'' the most enS(ttonal wr?siicr who ever "a Iked on 1 1 i o m :-i t . c; e : -2 M a 1 a d y o f Omiina, v. ho has seen Src'lnr perform i ; in all bis most important mair-hrs. doc ! ! not believe titer is a man livine to- , j day who can withstand the N'phrasko. boy's savrtse oupfa nglii . j -larh Curly who promoted the Golch- . i-Tackenyhmidt niatcli ahout five years aco, is ano'iipr ho PWfai- by Stoc'-r end is fPi'i a in be will en sily defea t Gotch, Zhy?sko or any other man woo oppose? op-pose? llii'll. A not her feature a '--out this roup a farmer from the w.-st thai ill r-e hailed dth del is in by wi line fan.? a !1 o''T th'1 conn f rv ie r.he f3'M diat he li a f ik-vc; coeri knuivn tn "f mil." no mat ; Ar who Ins opponc-nt t t j i v i r hv Stecher has camed the repination of never allowing an adversary to ay a second longer 'haji ip nti-f j-'-ary, and no amount o; mono' con id induce him to be a party to a frame-up. This means much to ih wrestling game, for pich not sn pMrtii'ilar a? to how they grimed thr mntiev on th- mat have given t ;i sport ? f-ethH'-k from which ii has not yet ful!y rco-ered. Therefore, anvbo-ly who s,? frvr in 'ion ih thip i-ity be Rip 1 i : a "i the Sb3 ka fr-.nr g;.;ni; of iiis hPt. J-.ist as a ;i iil'ir.iTlon of t h--. effect P;pher iifp ,;i '.he rox of;!'-" whpn he takps p.i'' h: a it m.rr h raid li.Kt hpi'i.re hr. wpj;' ' Cm,,,- ,, OrnaJ-.a. la t July fv.'i a! re" Cue i.y.q noted vriesi'.'VF in the '-our.tr'. met in de same iv and oui-i d:tT o"lv a "-.rn;. Tne t?;o -litr-i 'yiir u-aiii nt r.'-. ''-d a fi.'V'i't cafp Q-.i'.i? a vo'e of ctuifidenoe in yowi.st Mr. ir'-'ft?r. e'. ? Obscure Beginning. v o ' ? d ' p i ?. : o know .int: li o jiarip'l Cniw :Ttst ?n-a!inn of the mflt ; on a ro:-i.;ir,c career, and '..j- r,anoes. :.'oes r:0':r.g: tr u fiCd 'r-r- c r. J" '.'-'- n : p fo ;r rC- a'Vi t.vn tovp ; in t:--e S:---.r farr.nv. r,.i ah nr ot th sturriy ffTO'-k that iii;3 the toil and vir.g the farm mores in the C.U iandp of Ne-V-raskn.. It has been said of the eldp? giri., joe favorite sister, Uia,t aha rn hold her own on the wrestling mat with almost any man, so it does not seem so rernarkahle that her 2-year-old brother should have achieved such a startling reputation. Pictures of Stecher are misleading in that they do not show any of that development devel-opment that we naturally associate with a wrestler. The upper part of Joe's body does not bulge with huge muscles. His arms are modeled efler the Bob Fitzslmmons plan long, thin, wiry. But it is below the waist line that the Neiuaskan gets his power. The legs are long and marvellously developed, with ridges of muscle showing along tlie Inner side, and there is a reason for the abiiorma 1 strength St echer has achieved in this part of his anatomy. "Funnel'' Burns, one of the great wrest lers of a lew years bark, took .Joe in hand when the latter first became in-ternsted in-ternsted in the game and started his raw-botied raw-botied pupil to work at breaking pecking boxes wHh 3 lis leg. Burns was always a firm believer in thp use of the legs In iraich -as -catch -can wrpstling, and be-!ieed, be-!ieed, too, that the scissors hold wa3 the most deadly Kiip one ma u "ould obtain on a not her, were Us possibilities fully realized. j Develops the Scissors At first Joe tried his Viand, or. rather,' lus IrcK at crushing small fragile hoxes. Burns Instructed him carefully in the art , of lockiim his feet and then applying the pressure by degrees. As Steelier grew niore adopt in tiie gentle art of cracking hoxes between his kneee. Burns Increased Ihe size and resisting powers of the lum- her. In a few weeks .roe wna etushins ' small packing' cases. upholstered with had;, bptween his legs, end, after a ; Suarlan course of Iralnins', Burns decided' hip pupil had mastered liiis dotal) of tho wre 1.1ms ft. 1 ' remained to brush up Ste.'hpr in the other hold--: used at catch-np-'R tch-ean t'tyie. and then Jop. in November. No-vember. 11, vi as set out on his profea-: profea-: jjionul -ecr. ! In almost r ei ' mairb in whh-h he took p;trt, it was tho deadly taod' scissors i;nM thsi v.on for ttomer, and small wonder, for how could any man withstand the terrible prefsure t liut the Nebraska farmer ty cxen ed with bis ? Joe has frequently squeezpri a full Bleed hag of oat s bet wp.pn his I' Es until rl burt , a;id nticu he secured this held oti an op-nonnni op-nonnni tlie mpich usualhr ha a sppp.dy eiidina;. viib Cue othr man eitl'ier fon;ed to cry quits of run the chance of serious n:j ury. It ! en lei of Sfprhpr tiis. once he has Inrkpd his 'jinewy Itsm; about an op poopnCp bod, there ip I'othiog for the virinn to F.io but surre.mlpr. The Xc-"orHs'c.sn'p Xc-"orHs'c.sn'p p'i"-pri u Ipq- .-oil a b-iut n 4 1 j pi" '-i r,-'s bod'.- Jikp twin python? ftnd ci 'id u-Til y squc ze bre.it h and reietance ouf of him. AViiilo no de-finiife arranerr-ient? have, vet bppu made ap to i-'teehr's first op-pfinent op-pfinent hrre in 'he. t, it spemF prnb-aclp prnb-aclp that Z'oj'pzko iil liave the contra con-tra ct. '1 h misrhty P-'le hap ohtaiiiPd r."r-.'lcsj-Jof) from haniupf Kachman, promotpr of the tH'Urnatrcnt rit the Manhariart oi-ra hfMB, to mppi tpcb.er at Madison Square gsrdpn. ZbyszKo m under contract con-tract to i? a c h t n a r4 h u t lie wa so i n -sij-rnnt in iv d'.ir.and tiiat h allied to i-'ice ttp i;er that K-cnirian reir r.jr) him tcmi ouirih'. ?o v;-)nv.j could make thp nint'"i. Ti e hie 'vidian t.Tpt-p(,"fl th, ' lif-viHt -r' ':- A-rr- in iu.1 abilUv to throw j th- Vrhta.c boy. j "Top Ms.- k r ,. M;in pi" ha f a h-.fi ir-adP kivc.rri b9 .V-iic w. tc:--:t. jst-.-tra cMi j on ihp mat. s-'ing that he if. wpI) c w.i acoua'ii; f-d v.-n h the fa rmer's r. rMlir.a- , J F-y tu -;p1at hi io. Lewi hs likr-wj.p c-u'f'i hps v -"oulo like 10 net rtp i,er st , ; h-ss-ca t'-'h.-i a c. whii A tp;a nder y--Yfi. pv.i npir.fi of thp w.cid r lirar.- ( ; r.nPian. U ihins" to v ar'-r 5i0.'io)t 0f ' j fi:ni- 1 1 a I ;. c:in heat t h N- jbrftfkq-, nt' that stvi of mat w.rk. Ail of v ;! ntok"? it fpp?T) :if!y rPr ! sin that '-'"t'T will ha vp nlntv of I j v n-i; n ynd that Xp-a ynikr-j-f. arc I croiT t; 'o .i rr. -n r'snr'""d p f;:y-i;,, : " -' ; : f L-r-r-.i vr'-iir t Plauk S'iU in Demand. tJp-pitP hp ijcpdnpff, Hiuhpy Jnn!n(rs Is Bpp-:ped of navirg a. desir to sign K,o-rilA K,o-rilA Piunk, wno is thi or.iv io-yuarold pitch 6i- iu the major icaut-s. |