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Show wrestler of them all was John Willie. In fact, ho made nomc of the good ones hustle on the, mat, and. while not a topnotcher. he was very good. Little Tommy Mow'att has also switched from the mat to the prize ring and back again. Like most pugilists', pugi-lists', though, he was not very4 clever as a grappler, and had to content himself him-self with preliminary work, and took on snch stray Greeks as might bo 1 willing to mix. '' The truth Is, In wrestling. Gotch would make Jim Jeffries look like a plater, while in fighting heavy James would compel Frank to listen to the little birdies. The very tactics that win matches for grappler6 would be foul In fighting, and the fighter, by punching his op- i ponent, would lose on a foul In wrestling. wres-tling. "When two men arc1 In a contest ! they are Just fo much machinery. Their thoughts may be of their hunting hunt-ing trips, or their other little ambi- ! tlons. The fight or tussle, as the case may be, like automitons, and their training keeps them within the rules of their respective game. But let them take on a match for a game with which they arc not familiar and they are entirely loat A man ought to be content to he good In ono line. He can't expect to hold all the championships. There Is Dr. Roller a mighty fine wrestler, 'and a good fellow withal. But ho Imagines Im-agines he is going to be a heavyweight fighting champlor, and what he will bump Into will b the trimming of his life. Lloyd K. Jones. FIGHTERS DON'T MAKE SUCCESS AT WRESTLING There was a time when "Sailor" Tom Sharkey thought he could wrestle. wres-tle. Tom not only fancied the mat Karae was cut out and dried feu him, but he took every precaution to make good. Three years back Sharkey was scheduled to meet Jack Rooney In the wind-up of a big wrestling show at the Coliseum In Chicago. It was a widely-advertised event, and Rooncy was pretty well thought of and wasi generajly regarded (arouud Chicago) n the "large pcream of the grappling game. To be assured of fair play Sharkey took the precaution to warn Jack that any unfair tactics would immediately transform tho meet Into a boxing con- straightened out and understood he was to wrestle. He didn't know much about the game, but he was mighty sincere about it, and gave Rooney all he contracted to handle. Incidentally, Tom won the match which was a handicap affair, because. tr as ho might. Copper Jawn couldn't turn tho sailor turtle, according to schedule. Other fighters have had wrestling notions, but the two kiuds of sport don't mix very well. Different set3 of muscles, different rules, and a different dif-ferent training all the way through mark the great variance between fighting fight-ing and wrestling. Jack Monroe." when enjoying tbo sunshine and song of his short-lived fame, took on a few -wrestling con- test. Now, If there Is any ono man who looks like a mountain of fleh, that guy Is the above-mentioned Thomas. With that ship tattooed on his. nobles bosom, he. sure does look like an annex an-nex to tho navy, and any time Bob Evans or Hobson want to "frighten tho Japs lot them tie Tom to a mudscow. with that front showing, and they'll immediately sue fur four-ply. Iron-clad peace. He would make their fiercest dragons look like humming birds. . When time was called, Sharkey was a. bit excited, and sort of forgot the game he had entered. Instead f going "through the preliminary routine of feeling out his man, he immediately put up his dukes and began prancing around Rooney looking tor an opening. open-ing. After a while Tom got the notion all tracts, and chose, among his competitors. competit-ors. Harvey Parker. "The Little Demon," a6 Parker was known, was' altogethe- too classy fr Monroe, and didn't care to merely throw the lighter. He wanted to show him up. and he certainly lived up to his fondest wishes. So badly was Jack shown he decided to seek revenge. At that lime, I may add. Jack was preparing pre-paring for his fight with Jeffries. In the di esHlng room, after the show, j Monroe started In to tell Parker what he Intended to do to him especially by way of administering a good beating. beat-ing. Harvey was looking for this, and asked the other boys to leave the dressing room, retaining one as referee. ref-eree. "Now. Jac," said Harvey, "I never thought you were anything but a big mut. and I am going to prove it, I'm not a fighter, aud am not going to take chances of a beating, but I'm going to twist your blamed arms off. and you will never ge-i that loser's end with Big Jim." This was the very thing Monroe wanted -to avoid, so fie backed down, and decided that Harvey Parker was not such a bad fellow after all. Pcihaps the most successful lighter- |
