Americus Beats Charley Olson

On November 7, 1908, Charles Olson met “Americus” Gus Schonlein for the World Light Heavyweight Wrestling Championship.  The match proved to be as exciting as observers suspected it would be but it ended in controversy.

Olson stood 6’01” but weighed only 170 pounds.  Born Max Flaskamp in Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia in 1879, he took the name Charles or Charley Olson upon coming to America.  For years, he would work with Martin “Farmer” Burns and his stable of wrestlers.

Schonlein stood 5’10” and weighed 210 pounds.  Five years younger than Olson, “Americus” was born in Baltimore in 1884.  Schonlein, a well-respected wrestler, was asked to be part of Georg Hackenschmidt’s training camp for his second match with Frank Gotch in 1911.

“Americus” and Olson met in the main event of the card in Schonlein’s hometown of Baltimore.  The men entered the ring at 9:55 pm.  They wasted little time in getting to work.

“Americus” secured the first hold, a half-Nelson.  However, Olson wiggled free and took the top position.

Olson remained very busy on top going for hammer locks, half-Nelsons and leg holds.  However, Olson shook off all of them with ease.  Schonlein appeared to have a strength advantage.

At the eleven minute mark, Olson secured a hammerlock and turned “Americus” on to one shoulder.  However, Schonlein rolled out of it and ended in a sitting position.  As he turned toward Olson, he hooked one of Olson’s shoulder with a half-Nelson.  He continued turning and put Olson on to his back.  Pressing down with his hips, he was able to pin both of Olson’s shoulders at 12 minutes, 15 seconds.

Whether he was frustrated at being pinned after having the top position for so long or for some other reason, Olson fumed after the pin.  During the break between falls, Olson was visibly agitated.  When the match restarted, Olson acted out on this frustration.

After referee Tim Hurst restarted the match, Olson palm struck Schonlein in the nose.  As Hurst started to break the men for the obvious foul, Olson push Schonlein off the mat.  Baltimore Police jumped into the ring and threatened to stop the match.

After a discussion between the referee and the police, they allowed the match to go on with a warning to Olson.  However, Olson was determined to turn it from a wrestling match to a bare knuckle prizefight.

As soon as Hurst restarted the match, Olson ran across the ring, grabbed “Americus” by the throat and head butted him above the eye.  As Schonlein tried to break free, Olson kneed “Americus” in the groin.

Hurst didn’t get a chance to break them again.  A dozen Baltimore policemen rushed the ring and pulled Olson off Schonlein.  Fearing the crowd may riot over such rough treatment of their hometown hero, the officers drug Olson to the back.  Hurst awarded the second fall and match on the obvious foul.

Olson was fortunate in not being arrested for almost causing a riot.  This incident seems out of character for Olson, so it’s hard to know what set him off.  Olson continued to wrestle into the 1920s, when wrestling matches were prearranged exhibitions.  Olson was a legitimate wrestler though as he trained the dangerous Ad Santel for the wrestling ring.  Santel was one of the most dangerous submission wrestlers of the prearranged era.

Schonlein would have a solid, if unspectacular, career.  He wrestled at least until 1918.  Unlike Olson, Schonlein quit the ring after it moved into the arranged exhibition era.  Schonlein only wrestled periodically after 1915 leading me to believe most of his matches were legitimate.

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Sources: The Richmond Palladium and Sun-Telegram (Richmond, Indiana), November 7, 1908 edition, p. 2 and www.wrestlingdata.com

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