McMillan Dominates Foe
D. A. McMillan served as a competent journeyman wrestler during the last two decades of the 19th Century. McMillan wrestled American Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Martin “Farmer” Burns in a worked gambling scheme that a newspaper reporter exposed.
While McMillan never won the American title, McMillan beat lesser competition before the better wrestlers like Burns defeated him. On December 22, 1888, McMillan proved his ability as a wrestler in a match with J. H. Galletin.
Headline from December 1888 about D.A. McMillan’s Dominant Victory (Public Domain)
McMillan wrestled Galletin, a Covington, Nebraska wrestler, at the Academy of Music in Sioux City, Iowa. James H. Bennett served as referee. The men wrestled a best three-out-of-five-falls, three points down, catch-as-catch-can wrestling match for $250.00 side.
Galletin weighed 190 pounds to McMillan’s 185 pounds. The men wrestled for sixteen minutes before Galletin pinned McMillan for the first fall. The seconds disputed the referee’s decision, but Bennett refused to concede. Bennett awarded the first fall to Galletin.
McMillan won the second fall in nineteen minutes after dropping Galletin to the mat. Bennett awarded McMillan the fall as Galletin had four points down. The fall also trapped Galletin’s ankle underneath him. Galletin’s seconds had to carry Galletin to the corner as Galletin could not put weight on his ankle.
A doctor wrapped and treated Galletin’s ankle causing a forty-minute delay to the contest. When Galletin returned to the mat, McMillan did not try to attack the injured limb. McMillan pinned his compromised opponent in seven minutes of the third fall.
McMillan did not take advantage of Galletin’s injured ankle as McMillan did not need to. McMillan pinned Galletin for the fourth fall in fourteen minutes. Galletin only managed one disputed fall during the match.
Little is known about Duncan A. McMillan today. I have not found any pictures of McMillan, nor does anyone know when McMillan died. McMillan built a national reputation in his day but his lack of championship success mired McMillan in obscurity.
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Sources: Sioux City Journal (Sioux City, IA) December 23, 1888, p. 3
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