When Gotch and McLeod Wrestled at a Picnic

St. John Daily Sun – December 22, 1905

On Friday night, at Sohmer Park, Montreal, will be seen two of the cleverest mat artists in the world at catch-as-catch-can style of wrestling.  They are Frank Gotch, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Dan McLeod.

This pair met once before at a small town near Des Moines, Iowa, where Gotch was attending a picnic.  McLeod was passing through and had to wait over a few hours to catch a train.  Gotch was there pointed out to Dan as the best wrestler in the whole country.  Dan said he was an amateur himself, and he would gladly have a go with their champion.  He put up $400 as a side bet and the friends of Gotch soon covered it.  The men went at it right away, Dan being in a hurry to catch his train.  They simply wrestled on the ground dressed in their long trousers.  Dan said his name was McMillan.  He found Gotch one of the hardest propositions he was ever up against, and it took him over an hour to get a fall out of him.