WRESTLING.

HARRY PEARCE v. 808 SCOTT

For the Championship of Aastcalasia,

A Great Contest Reasonably Anticipated.

Final arrangements have been made between the famous Australasian champion wrestler, Harry Pearce, just returned from a trip to the Old Country, where he studied ju-jjitsu* under its great Japanese exponent m England, and Bob Scott, the most redoubtable of all the knights of the mat that New ' Zealand has* ever produced or even harbored.

Articles of agreement set forth that the men shall meet m Wellington at His Majesty's Theatre, Courtenayplace (rented for the occasion' from the lesees, the Messrs Fuller), on the evening of this, Saturday, week, Sept. 15, and wrestle the best of two out of three falls. This will be far and away the most important' event : m the professional athletic line that has been brought off m New Zealand for many a long year, indeed it is doubtful if tYro such notable exponents of the various styles of wrestling ever met on New Zealand soil before.

Pearce is the hero of 500 contests and the accredited holder of the proud title of champion. It goes without paying that some day that title must be" wrested from m the due order of things, but he and his army of friends are confident that the. time has not come yet. Many tough tussles has Harry experienced that neither he nor those who witnessed . them are likely to forget. Truly gladiatorial contests many of them have been and notable among them were his two terrific struggles with Andre Christol, "The masked man of Paris" ; the first ending m a draw, after an hour and forty minutes of strenuous wrestling without a fall being ' scored, and the second (February, 3888) at the Apollo Hall, Melbourne, then 1 m the occupancy of Mick Nathan and Martin ("Buffalo") Costello, during the "Queen City's" palmy days of the exhibition and landboom, when the pair wrestled for the middle-weight championship of the world, and Pearce won after a memorable conflict m which the Frenchman's universally acknowledged supremacy m scientific wrestling was more than equalled by the young aspirant to his wreath of laurel.

By this achievement Pearce became the '.most famous of Australasian wrestlers, and not undeservedly, for only a little while before Christol had wrestled a four-hours,, draw, for the championship of the world, with that prince of all wrestlers, up to Hackenschmidt's time, Clarence Whis-

tier, the-mighty,^American who killed himself, later on, m Sydney, by incessant showers to sober up while on a mad champagne razzle ; which •superinduced pneumonia. The doctors cured the pneumonia but couldn't get out of poor, handsome, superbly developed Clarence's system the glass of the many tumblers he had chewed? up "on the side," as they would- sayr m his own country.

Later on Pearce scored notable vie- .! Tories over P, J.. Roachcock, vanquisher of that marvellous all-round athlete, Donald Dinnie, and over the gigantic Eugene . Kneebone, who had only a while before downed the mighty Scotch-American. Duncan C. Ross, and whom the Melbourne "Sportsman" was at the time booming as the coming champion of the 1 world ;, Harry Dunn, one of England's" most famous wrestlers (who died a couple or three years ago at Westport), McHardy, the Herculean policeman, and hosts of ..others. In meeting Kneebone, Pearce conceded no Jess than 3st 6lbs and his" general achievements migihtv bej; 'considered liable to, scare any ordinary r'bpporierit.', * ; But the gigantic New Zealander, is no ordinary wrestler. This country has produced many a good man, but never one at once -so superbly developed and so skilful as, Scott. Not, onlyUs he much heavier than Pearce but he is built on Herculean lines with huge development of muscle just where muscle is most' needed,: and , a : most formidable opponent does' the Madrilander appear to the eye. He has youth on his side, too, being just at that age th aft- Pearce was •when he so well established his claim to the title of champion. Scott's deeds' m both islands of his native land prove beyond quibble or question that he possesses science as well as extraordinary strength, while his very many conquests m many Kit the Australian States stamp him as an opponent m every way worthy of the champion's steel. He is a man wlio never abuses Ms superb constitution and whose life m the open air and hard toil keep him constantly fit. As one of the best judges of wrestling we have says, "If any man is capable of defeating the champion,. Pearce, that man is Scott."

No man with the instincts of- a sport m his make-up will fail to witness this engagement ; while special arrangements are being made to accommodate lady patrons. As the articles stipulate that there must be a decision both men are sure to be at their best on Saturday night week, as neither .can afford defeat. '■.-: