Carkeek sDeath Recalls Period Of Frank Gotch By TOM S. ANDREWS. The reported death of Jack iu -keek, famous wrestling champion, n. Havana. Cuba, recalls to mind I he-days when some of the greatest ma' men of all times were vieing with one another for top honors. rat-keek was at the height of hi.-i career during the early 90's. He was a rornishman and in condition weighed just above the 200 mark, standing a little over six feet, lie was a magnificently built athlete and very powerful. Jack was un adept at Graeco-itoman, but also very dev. er at catcn-as-catch-can. A gains--, him in those days were such stars as livan Lewis, the original ".Strang-ler"; Tom Jenkins, buncan McMillan. Tom Connors, Joe Caton. Ernest Roeber and Tom Cannon. It was a real battle any time any of them got toget Iter. About that time Tom Connors, who sealed just under 16u pounds, defeated Kvan Lewis in a match at Pittsburg, and later Connors was matched with Carkeek in Milwaukee for $2.f.00 a side. It look Jack over two hours to gain the first fall from the smaller man, and eventually win the contest. It was Connors' wonderful cleverness that enabled him to stave off defeat so long. Carkeek was also a crack rough and tumble scrapper. One. one occasion he got into an altercation with a bunch of roughs in Milwaukee and in less than fen minutes had floored the entire gang of four and beat them up badly. It was Carkeek and Farmer Burns who, prepared Frank Gotch for Ins first matcit with George Hjicken-srhmidt in Chicago, when Gotch won the world's heavyweight title. Carkeek coached Gotch in all the tricks of the game and he coached him the night of the match at Dexter Park pavilion, aljn? with John Hooney. also a crack wrestler, otherwise tiierr mlght have been a different ending that night. During the Jack Dempsey-.iess Willard match at Toledo. O.. four years ago. Jack Carkeek appeared on the scene with a man from South America, "if the deal goes through that we have in sight." sold Jack. ''Iwi!l be wortli over a million do! In rs inside of a year." The deal must have pon- gaflooey. for Jack did not gel the million, although he drifted to the far South, rctnrninpr Inter lo Havana, where lie died. He was about fi4 years of age.
