A MYSTERIOUS WRESTLER.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 144, 19 June 1909, Page 3

A MYSTERIOUS WRESTLER.

«»" ■ Followers of wresiling on tho Continent are speculating as to the identity ,of a wrestler who has been following in the wake of Zbysco and engaging with the Galician in some extraordinary wrestling bouts. At Vienna, at the end of January, the promoters of a tournament received a letter irom a man who did not wish his'identity to b« known, and who wished to wrestle in a mask. Permission was granted, aud in a bout with Zybsco there was .vome -sensational ■wrestling, reminiscent of the famous bout betvieen Zbysco and Kara Suliman. Zbysco began by forcing the pace, andafter barely two minutes the Mlystery I\lan lifted Zbysco and cent him flying with an arm hold. Zbysco fell on both shoulders, but the "M.M." could not pin this. Zbysco got free, but only to again liy through the air, both shoulders touching the mat. Again the masked one failed to pin the Gaiician, and both men wrestled fiercely on their feefc. After ten minutes' wre&tling Zybsco brought the Man. with the Mask to the floor, but the latter did a line head spin, and got out of danger. The Man with the Mask attacked, and, securing a body ! hold, pushed Zbysco across the ring fence | straight on to both shoulders. The jury < refused to give falls, and the Mystery Man protested. After tho interval, , which came with no result, the Masked Man could not proceed because of the mask sticking to his head. Ho said he had thrown his man, and as he could not get a decision ho refused to go on. Several people thought it was Frank Gotch, the legs of the wrestler being like those of the American, but others thought that above the mask they could ccc the face of Aberg. A Russian, newspaper published a report of a similar performance, which was given at St. Petersburg, the 'Man with, the Mask turning up and having a blood-curdling "go" with Zybsco, who with Steinbach, was in the tournament. There the -quidnuncs agreed that George Hackenschmidt was the Man with the Mask. The Man with the Mask subsequently called at the offices of Sporting Life in London, in company with, his manager, Herr Adam Neimann. The latter said he was in London with the <fMI.M." for the purpose of wrestling and beating Tani. the Japanese champion wrestler, and he would deposit with the Sporting Life £100 or £200 as a side stake in a match with Tani. The "M.M." had some holds that Tani never even dreamed of, and with these he would beat the Jap. He was informed that the Sporting Life ■would not accept any money lor a match in the mountebank style of wrestling, and it would strongly advise Tani, who had a good reputation in England, to steer clear of any trickery. The Sporting Life hoped that the man would take off his mask and tackle Tani, and only becau&e of that hope had it allowed the men to meet in ite offices. Tani's manager, Mr. Harrison, said he could say nothing definite, except that Tani would very willingly wrestle the "M.MI" on the ordinaryterms—£2o if he stood for fifteen minutes and £100 if he beat Tani, but the wrestler must be vdthout a mask. Herr Neimann paid that his man would not take off his mask under any circumstances, and so. there being no prospect of unmasking the wonderful wrestler, the meeting was abortive. All the information acquired was that he is a while man, stands about 5 icct 8 inches or 5 feet 9 inches, and weights between 134 stone and 14- stone. He wrestles (his manager says) as a hobby, and'he comes of so good a family that he does not want anyono to know him!