Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
“For the good of the department”. With those 6 words, the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners removed St. Louis Chief of Detectives William Desmond from the position he held for 17 years. They replaced him with Desmond’s ex-assistant James Smith, who was dismissed by the previous board. How did one of the greatest, if not the greatest, detectives in
The powerful William Muldoon was considered invincible as Greco-Roman World Wrestling Champion. Only one man seriously challenged Muldoon during his dominant reign. The 165-pound Clarence Whistler consistently gave Muldoon his toughest challenges. Muldoon and Whistler met on Thursday, November 1, 1883 in San Francisco, California in one of their several matches. William Muldoon was almost a head taller and weighed
Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum (1940) starring Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan is my favorite Charlie Chan film. Charlie Chan is searching for a murderer in a wax museum. The wax museum is a front for a plastic surgeon, who changes the appearance of wanted criminals for a price. The surgeon Dr. Cream, played by C. Henry Gordon, also
Fred Beell developed a reputation in the early 20th Century as a powerful and dangerous wrestler. His reputation was not built by his 1903 campaign. Beell suffered as many high-profile defeats as victories. Beell started well in April 1903, when he defeated St. Paul AAU Wrestling Champion James McAuley. McAuley won the first fall in 22 minutes. Beell won the
Joe Acton was one of England’s best wrestlers during the 19th Century. 151-pound Acton went through England’s middleweight ranks before plowing through the heavyweights. After beating the best England had to offer including Tom Cannon, Acton decided to test his abilities in the United States. Joe Acton settled in Philadelphia at Arthur Chamber’s Champions Rest during the summer months of
During the 19th century, both prizefighters and duelists took advantage of the sandbar islands in the Mississippi River, around St. Louis, Missouri, to hold prizefights or duels. Authorities have frowned on duels to the death in any location. However, both Illinois and Missouri also outlawed prizefighting. Bloody Island in the middle of the Mississippi River just north of Downtown St.
Frank Gotch holds the title of America’s greatest legitimate professional wrestler. Gotch competed in mostly legitimate contests with a few pre-arranged or “worked” matches thrown in the mix. By 1904 or 1905, no one could really beat Gotch unless he allowed it. In the early years of his career, Gotch was not so dominant. He dropped matches to his mentor,
On January 10, 1940, Rowland V. Lee released his low-budget feature film The Son of Monte Cristo (1940) through United Artists. Rowland V. Lee started directing films in 1920 and would make 59 films before retiring in 1945. In this film, Louis Hayward plays The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmund Dantes, Jr. The Count inherits his father’s money and the
On Monday, May 30, 1892, the great Peter Jackson boxed a gloved bout with former protégé Frank Slavin. Both men lived and fought in Australia, although fan interest led Jackson to tour the world to take advantage of the financial opportunities in the United States and England. As in Australia, Jackson often found white boxers unwilling to fight him. Few
St. Louis, at the beginning of the 20th Century, had a prominent professional boxing scene. Abe Attell, although born in San Francisco, was based in St. Louis. On February 1, 1904, Attell defended his World Featherweight Boxing Championship against frequent rival Harry Forbes. Forbes was also a regular on the St. Louis boxing scene. Forbes defeated Danny Dougherty for the