OCR Text |
Show " tbat 1g responsible for numerous scars thero, "Any et 1 of wrestling goes.- once the men are ollod and have on their leather trunks. There le only one difference dif-ference to the American style, and that Is a fall Is constituted as. soon as one shoulJer touches the ground The men naturally have to Inflict great punishment or wear out opponents to win, for the reason that they cannot get a firm grip. "In hurgaria and Turkey I fhould say that there are at least 1.500 first class heavyweight wrestlers. Each rulor has his own staff of wrestlers, who act In a measure as his bodyguard- Only the best of these wrestlers wrest-lers are allowed to wear the sultan's decoration. The prizes for most of the big wrestling tournaments, which a-e held In a big open field on the bare ground, are sheep, horses or cattle. Sometimes, for an Important match, a cash prlzo Is awarded." TURKS ARE ROUGH WRESTLERS Not Uncommon for Mn to Bo Killed in Bouts In tho Sultan's Country. The wrestling In this country, generally gen-erally confined to the catch-as-catch-can style, is merely child's play in comparison to that In vogue' in Bulgaria Bul-garia and Turkey, is the statement of Antonio Plerrl, tho man. who brought Nouralah Yousoff and, last, Yuelff Mah-mout, Mah-mout, to tho United States. Pierri Is at present managing the last named "unspeakable." Mahmout will meet Frank Gotch, American champion wrestler of tho world, in a match for tho world's championship cham-pionship in Chicago April 14. The men will wrestle catch-as-catch-can style. "In this country It Is indeed an unusual un-usual occurrence for a high-cla6S wrestler to be injured, let along killed," kill-ed," said PlerrL "In Bulgaria , and Turkey it is nothing remarkable for a man to die from the result of Injuries received in a match. Mahmout has killed hie man. That ia, he did not kill bis opponent outright, but the grap-pler grap-pler wae so ibadly hurt ho died 'In two hours from tho effects of tho gruelling contest." . Mahmout has beaten Charles OlBen, Fred Becll, Amerlcus, Tom Jenkins and practically very wrestler of note In this country. Ho has never used rough tactics. In fact, he seems as docile as a lamb, even in a match. In almost every city where he has wrestled wrest-led since coming" to this country, about three months ago, ho. has always put up u clean exhibition, even if his opponent op-ponent did try unfair tactics on him. Pierri is a Bulgarian. Ho declares that there are few men In this country who know the stjles of wrestling under un-der which tho Turks and Bulgarians compote. "In tho flr6t place, have you ever noticed that Turkish and Bulgarian wreBtlors always havo their hair clip-pod? clip-pod? The reason is that in Bulgaria and Turkey tho wrestlers oil themselves them-selves from head to foot. Their only article of clothing is a pair of leather trunks that do not quite reach the knee. These leather trunks are soaked in oil bo that they are aa slippery as a man's body. Wrestlers Wear No Shoes. "The wrestlers wear no 6hoes. You might think It Impossible for one man to hold another. It Is hard, but there is where the punishment comes In. Vwo years ago Mahmout met a man known aa the Little Yousoff, at GonJ Poejar, Bulgaria. The men wrestled for threo hours and 40 minutes, when Mahmout Anally gained a fall. Youseff was carried from the field of battle. In two hours he was dead, "They don't think much, of human life In Turkeyl Take the caso of Mahmout Mah-mout When he was young he contracted contract-ed smallpox. They turned him out of bouse and home. He was left to wander wan-der about tbe farm. to get well or die, as he might. Mahmout became delirious. de-lirious. He scratched his head and |