East St. Louis, Illinois:  Thursday, February 7, 1924
(Avenue Theater) ... Abe Kaplan b. Bobby Ross (2-0) (21:20, 7:56) ... (referee:  George Baptiste)
Notes:  Boris Dimitroff of Wood River and Harry "Speedy" Schaefer both challenged the winner.
Notes:  Kaplan, spelled "Caplan" in the newspaper, was from Salt Lake City and was a claimant to
the Jewish Heavyweight wrestling championship.  He weighed 178 pounds and was known as the
"Jewish Lion." Ross was a Williamson County coal miner.

East St. Louis, Illinois:  Thursday, February 14, 1924
(Avenue Theater) ... Harry "Speedy" Schaefer b. Jack O'Neil (2/3) ... Walter Mack vs. Pearce
Richardson ... (referee:  Lou Baptiste) ... (few hundred fans)
Notes:  The East St. Louis Daily Journal stated that "East St. Louis gets its second crack at
professional wrestling tonight." Schaefer hasn't wrestled in East St. Louis since 1921.  O'Neill was
making his local debut.  Mack and Richardson were the "two skinniest men in the world." The
latter duo, plush the 'Girls of Fashion Revue, "caused a continuous uproar of laughter."

East St. Louis, Illinois:  Thursday, February 21, 1924
(Avenue Theater) ... Boris Dimitroff b. Harry "Speedy" Schaefer (Dimitroff had to throw Schaefer
twice in 30:00) (Dimitroff, who outweighed his opponent by 30 pounds, scored the only fall in 26:
00, but Schaefer was unable to continue) ... (referee:  George Baptiste)

East St. Louis, Illinois:  Thursday, February 28, 1924
(Avenue Theater) ... Boris Dimitroff b. Bill Martin (2-0) (body scissors) ... (largest crowd ever at
the theater)
Notes:  Martin was from Fort Dodge, where he was a farmer.  Dimitroff weighed 195 pounds.  
Martin was 207.  Martin was said to be a student of legendary Frank Gotch.  Both Joe Sanderson
and Billy Schober issued challenges during the show.

Belleville, Illinois:  Sunday, March 2, 1924
(White Rose Park) ... "Daring" Dan Taylor vs. Texas Curley ... Kid Ramsey vs. Val Seiler ... Four
other matches (including one comedy bout)
Notes:  Taylor was a boxer from Belleville and Curley was a "cowboy grappler." The wrestlers "will
use tape on their hands," according to the newspaper report.

East St. Louis, Illinois:  Thursday, March 6, 1924
(Avenue Theater) ... Harry "Speedy" Schaefer b. Jack O'Neill (2/3) ... (referee:  George Baptiste)

East St. Louis, Illinois:  Thursday, March 13, 1924
(Avenue Theater) ... Billy Schober b. Billy Nelson (2-0) ... (referee:  George Baptiste)
Notes:  According to the East St. Louis Daily Journal, about ten years earlier, "Robert Friederichs"
went to an Indianapolis gymnasium where Billy Schober worked.  Schober continuously used a
headlock on the future Ed Lewis, and the latter began using the headlock himself, developing it
into his famous maneuver.  Thus, Schober claimed he taught the move to Lewis.  Fred Beell
reportedly "discovered" it.  Billy Nelson was from Fort Wayne.  Schober claims the middleweight
title, stating that Johnny Meyers cannot make 158 pounds anymore.

Collinsville, Illinois:  Wednesday, March 19, 1924
(Miners' Theater) ... Boris Dimitroff b. Bill Mundell (45:00) ... (large crowd)
Notes:  Mundell was from Sioux City, Iowa and reportedly wrestled Ed Lewis in Washington, D.C.
"last fall," and went 45 minutes.

East St. Louis, Illinois:  Thursday, March 20, 1924
(Avenue Theater) ... Joe Sanderson and Harry "Speedy" Schaefer drew (50:00) (no falls) ...
(referee:  Lew Baptiste)

East St. Louis, Illinois:  Thursday, March 27, 1924
(Avenue Theater) ... Joe Sanderson and Harry "Speedy" Schaefer drew (60:00) (1-1) ... (referee:  
George Baptiste)

East St. Louis, Illinois:  Thursday, April 3, 1924
(Avenue Theater) ... Billy Schober b. Bill Muldoon (2-0) ... (referee:  George Baptiste)
Notes:  Muldoon was the "Chicago Kid," and trained locally at the National Athletic Club in St.
Louis.  He was baptised "Eddie Muldoon."

Belleville, Illinois:  Sunday, April 6, 1924
(White Rose Park) ... "Daring" Dan Taylor b. "Big" Frank Kovarick (second round) (boxing) ...
"Daring" Dan Taylor b. Harvey Dissell (boxing) ... Hank Clark vs. Roy Ramsey ... Walter
Krummerich vs. Carl Schmidt ... Whitie Bissell vs. Fred Scheske ... Wesley Davis vs. Clyde Warf ...
Jack Poole vs. Roy Taggart .... five African American boxers in a battle royal ... egg fight
Notes:  This was an athletic carnival.  Taylor was from Belleville, Kovarick was from Birkner
Station, and Dissell from Belleville.

East St. Louis, Illinois:  Thursday, April 10, 1924
(Avenue Theater) ... "Silent" Olsen b. "Texas" Curley (2-0)
Notes:  Olsen was a wrestling coach at Centre College.  Curley was from Belleville.  Olson was a
deaf-mute.  Both wrestlers were light heavyweights.  Olsen was from Memphis.

East St. Louis, Illinois:  Thursday, April 17, 1924
(Avenue Theater) ... Billy Schober failed to throw Harry "Speedy" Schaefer twice in 60:00
(Schober won one fall in 54:53, and was unable to score the second fall) ... (referee:  George
Baptiste) ... (large crowd)

East St. Louis, Illinois:  Thursday, April 24, 1924
(Avenue Theater) ... Joe Sanderson b. Young Zbyszko (2-0) (22:30, 12:07) ... (referee:  George
Baptiste)
Note:  Zbyszko was from Chicago and was a middleweight.

East St. Louis, Illinois:  Thursday, May 1, 1924
(Avenue Theater) ... Harry "Speedy" Schaefer b. Harry Haisler (2-0) ... (referee:  George Baptiste)
Note:  Haisler was from Columbus, Ohio.

East St. Louis, Illinois:  Saturday, May 10, 1924
(Avenue Theater) ... Marin Plestina agreed to beat Bill Martin and Bob Smith both in 60:00
... Harry "Speedy" Schaefer vs. Billy Schober ... Jack Williams failed to throw Ed Houser twice in 30:
00 (Williams took one fall) ... (matchmaker:  Billy Hebert) ... (referees:  George Baptiste, Kid
Williams)
Notes:  Williams was originally scheduled to wrestle Frank Criece from Mount Carmel, Illinois.  
Criece held the Army light heavyweight wrestling title in 1918 and 1919.  Plestina claimed to not
have lost a fall in the last 9 years.  He claimed all the members of Jack Curley's trust refused to
wrestle him.



East St. Louis, Illinois:  Thursday, May 29, 1924
(Avenue Theater) … Lew Carter b. The Missouri Tiger (2-0) … “Speedy” Schaeffer b. “Sox” Hose
(25:14) … Billy Schober b. George Prokos (15:45) … (matchmaker:  Bill Hebert) … (referee:  
George Baptiste) … (small crowd)
Notes:  Jim Londos was introduced from the stage and received “loud cheers.”

Near Troy, Illinois:  Friday, May 30, 1924
(Voelker’s Park) … Harry “Speedy” Schaeffer vs. Joe Sanderson … George Haisler vs. Ed Hauser
… The Masked Marvel vs. George Reibold … (referee:  George Baptiste)
Notes:  Hauser was from Alton, Haisler from Columbus, Ohio, and Reibold from Troy.

Collinsville, Illinois:  Wednesday, June 11, 1924
(Labor Temple) … Harry “Speedy” Schaeffer b. Frank Houerlick … Albert Bossing b. Joe Roth (2-
0) … Frank Kadlie b. Frank Holskey (2-0)  … (matchmaker:  Jack Kelly)
Notes:  Kelly was said to be a well-known wrestler.  Houerlick was from Terre Haute.  Bossing was
from the Rock Springs Athletic Club in St. Louis and Roth was from St. Charles, Missouri.  This
was the first wrestling show of the newly organized St. Clair Athletic Association.  The facility was
at 418 Collinsville Avenue.  Kelly also refereed the matches.










East St. Louis, Illinois:  Thursday, December 11, 1924
(Avenue Theatre) … Harry “Speedy” Schaeffer b. Joe Prokus (2/3) … (referee:  Billy HeBert)
Note:  Season Opener

East St. Louis, Illinois:  Thursday, December 18, 1924
(Avenue Theatre) … Albert “Dutch” Bosung b. Soldier Mack (2/3) … (promoter:  Frank Nelson
(theatre manager)) … (referee:  Frank Nelson)

East St. Louis, Illinois:  Thursday, December 25, 1924
(Avenue Theatre) … Harry “Speedy” Schaeffer b. Billie Mason (2/3) … Frank “Roughhouse”
Nelson b. Jack Williams (forfeit) (14:30) … (promoter:  Frank “Bat” Nelson) … (referee:  Frank
“Bat” Nelson)

? :  Friday, December 26, 1924
(Garrick Theatre) … Harry “Speedy” Schaeffer b. Frank Nelson (special handicap match)
(handicap match – Nelson had to beat Schaeffer twice in 60-minutes) (Nelson won the first and
only fall in 33:15) (Nelson had a $50 forfeit on the line) … (referee:  Ellis Gregory) (Columbia,
Missouri wrestling promoter)

Research by Tim Hornbaker
October 2, 2010
East St. Louis Wrestling Results - 1924