Americus neeg ntaus Charley Olson

Nyob rau lub kaum ib hlis 7, 1908, Charles Olson ntsib “Americus” Gus Schonlein rau lub ntiaj teb teeb Heavyweight Wrestling Championship. Ntais ntawv proved yuav exciting li observers tsam nws yuav tab sis nws twb nyob controversy.

Olson sawv 6’01” tab sis weighed xwb 170 phaus. Yug Max Flaskamp hauv Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia nyob rau hauv 1879, he took the name Charles or Charley Olson upon coming to America. Lub xyoo, he would work with Martin “Ua teb” Burns and his stable of wrestlers.

Schonlein stood 5’10” thiab weighed 210 phaus. 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. Txawm li cas los, Olson wiggled free and took the top position.

Olson remained very busy on top going for hammer locks, half-Nelsons and leg holds. Txawm li cas los, 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. Txawm li cas los, 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 feeb, 15 vib nas this.

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. Txawm li cas los, 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.

Koj yuav tawm ib saib los nug cov lus nug txog qhov no, los yog tej qho nyob rau hauv lus hauv qab no los rau kuv Facebook phab thiab Twitter profile.

Qhov chaw: The Richmond Palladium and Sun-Telegram (Richmond, Indiana), Kaum ib hlis 7, 1908 ib tsab, p. 2 thiab www.wrestlingdata.com

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