HACKENSCHMIDT BACK IN G ENGLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 129, 30 May 1908, Page 15

HACKENSCHMIDT BACK IN G ENGLAND.

TELLS THE STORT OF GOTCH'S GOUGING AND SCRATCHING. When Georges Haekensehmidt, the famour Russian wrestler, stepped out of the boat train at Paddington, London, on Monday, April 13, there was a crowd of Pressmen photographers, and sportsmen in all grades" of life to welcome him. Naturally everybodj wanted to hear what Haekensehmidt had to say about his match with Frank Gotch in Chicago, from which, after a two hours" struggle, the Russian retired- While characteristically modest on the point, and asserting that to a certain extent the loss of the match was his own fault, Haekensehmidt practically bore out the reports of Gotch's unfair methods, of which he still bears traces. One ear la still badly swollen, and It will be a month before his right knee is fit to bear the strain of a match. 'I went into the ring,'" said Haekensehmidt. "practically untrained. All the training I had was done in the hotel room. The Chicago Athletic Club offered mc the use of their premises, but as they wanted mc to do all my work before their members I could not accept. ""Gotch, on the other hand, was trained to the minute, and showed wonderful powers of endurance. He is not a particularly strong man, but is certainly a geod wrestler." OLLED ALL. OVER. Hackensrhmidt went ou to say that the ring was much smaller than he had been accustomed to —only eighteen feet square. He had no regular seconds, only two men he picked up haphazard in the hall, and who consented to act for him. "Directly we got to holds, I found Gotch was oiled from head to foot, so that every time I tried to grip him he slipped from mc like a piece of wet soap. All the time we were wrestling Gotch was spitting in my face, making insulting observations, and using bad lan^nape/' Haekensehmidt denied that be replied in any way to the continual flow of vituperation with which Gotch assailed him. He never opened his month, he said, during the whole of the two hours, excepj to appeal to the referee, who. however, took ao notice. Asked about the scratching and gouging. Haekensehmidt said: "Gotch had long nails, and he stuck them in my skin, and scratched mc. His fingers, too, he stock them in my eyes. The pain was awful. I could not open them. Once the pain was so bad 1 seized his arras and held him away from mc, so that I could ease th~ pain, and open uiy eyes. Siy ears, too, were very bad, and I had to have hot poultices on them afterwards to ease them. HAS LEARNT HIS LESSON. "After two bourr, of something that was not a wrestling match, and because I did not wish to lose my eyesight, I chucked the whole thing. I would not stick it anyway." One of Gotch's favourite holds, it appears, is the "toe" hold. Haekensehmidt describes it as follows:—"He catches you by a pair of toes, and he bends them sideways not back, so that you have either to five way or get your toes dislocated." As to whether he was really thrown, Haekensehmidt had a peculiar explanation. "After a scramble I found myself with my hands on the rope and Gotch behind mc. j When I realised that the people mig-ht think I was holding the ropes for safety, I felt ashamed and let go. So, during that hesi- i tation Gotch threw mc to the ground and ! might have secured a rolling fall. "I have learnt my lesson," continued the great wrestler. "I will ne ver again enter into a match untrained. I am willing i to wrestle anybody in the world. Dut not— not in Chicago."

BEFBBEB'S ISGEiftJOTTe STATEMENT. The account of the match written by the •eferee <E- Smith") ana published in the Newark "Erening Journal" affords some renarkable reading. In fact, after reading t, one does not find it hard to understand "hy Hackenschmidt left the ring after 'traggEßg tor two hours to defeat his oppolent by fair means, and it would appear jxtremely doubtful if any European, who sxestled according to the rules as read by iiis journalist referee eoold possibly hope :o win a bout by fair means in America. "The powerful •Lion, , " he says, "comJlained several times that Gotch was jabJing his thumb into his eye. He complained of other things, too, but I did not :onsider that Gotch"s transgressions were worthy of more than a caution. ,. By the rules of wrestling no man is alowed to "jab his opponent's eye," and any ■eferee versed in the rules would undoubtedy award a foul if the offence was repeated "several times." Follows two ingenuons statements which! sum up and explain the whole situation. , 'Gotch is a pastmaster of all the Uttle Tickery that verges on the illegal and unfair "; Hackenschmidt is a fair wrestler ipparently, and willing to be 'gentlemany.' " With a referee who allows "jabbing n the eye" can anything -verge on the ,Uegal and unfair"? The scene towards the end of the con:est, as described by the referee himself nust have been one of the most sickening iver permitted in the name of sport. "Gotch started to kid Hack, and passed ill sorts of remarks to the "Lion. - -You :ame all the way over here to geoUcked.' "Gotch, seeing victory in sight, mauled 3ack in every way allowable. "He made lightning grabs to secure that Done-breaking toe-hold." When the Russian left the stage, dis?usted at his unfair treatment and plainly seeing that it was useless to continue the »ntest, Mr. Smith states: "The Russian Lion left the scene amid catcalls and howls }f derision," an action on the part of the :rowd thoroughly in keeping with the sportsmanlike conduct of the referee himself, and a very proper method of applaudng a foreigner and a stranger who had bought "good and hard , ' for two hours igainst overwhelming odds. In fact, the •eferee's statement is the severest indictnent of the brutal fiasco, and can leave no i ioubt now In the minds of all sportsmen mi what lines and with what glorious inipariallty the cosiest was governed.