Early Greek Immigrant Steve Lamonetin: Tales of Wrestling
STEVE LAMONETIN: TALES OF WRESTLING
By Steve Frangos
Published in The National Herald, October 28, 2017
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I am excited to announce that The National Herald has given Hellenic Genealogy Geek the right to reprint articles that may be of interest to our group.
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Steve Lamonetin was one of
a generation of early Greek
wrestlers who toured the United
States. Beginning in the very
early 1880s, professional Greek
wrestlers were to be found, in
ever growing numbers, all across
the nation.
Lamonetin, known in one
newspaper account after another
as the “Terrible Greek,” wrestled
in a host of venues and circumstances.
Lamonetin met challengers
in opera houses, on
vaudeville theater stages, in local
parks or fair grounds, along carnival
side show midways and
elsewhere. During this early era
wrestlers were rarely paid for
their attendance. Rather the winner
of the wrestling bout received
a percentage of the
money gathered by the event,
known as the purse, as well as
side bets.
For our purposes here Lamonetin
can well serve as your average
Greek wrestler from this
generation, winning and losing
bouts within a specific region of
the country. Published news accounts
place Lamonetin moving
among Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana,
and Pennsylvania to wrestle
a host of opponents. In 1911
and again in 1915, Lamonetin
also worked as a carnival
wrestler both of which toured
the southern states. Yet, all in all,
the real back-story here is the life
Lamonetin and all the others
wrestlers of this generation lived.
The mandatory traveling from
town to town, the daily regime
of training, proper eating, resting
and then the actual matches.
While this early generation of
Greek wrestlers were certainly
not opposed to winning and holding
wrestling championship titles
it is clear that they were for the
most part focused on their earnings
and/or potential earnings.
Aside from the purse or percentage
of the receipts for any given
wrestling bout side bets were not
only placed but often the only circumstances
under which particular
wrestlers would participate.
In various newspaper accounts
one often reads of “sponsors” or
“supporters” of specific wrestlers.
These were individuals and small
collectives who, aside from the
individual wrestlers, would place
their own bets on the individual
matches. Side bets could be anywhere,
with anyone, for $10 to
$500 or more. This, at a time,
when one dollar to three dollars
a day were common wages for
the average worker.
Massive as Lamonetin appears in his newspaper photographs
– even at 6' 1” and at a
trim 204 lbs. – he was far from a
thoughtless brute. Lamoniten is
frequently described, in the public
press, as a “scientific wrestler”
who simply out-maneuvered his
opponents (Fairmont West Virginian
April 21, 1911; April 26,
1911). Although Lamonetin was
identified as a Spartan in various
news accounts little else about
his ethnicity or private life see
discussion (Fairmont WV, Sept.
22, 1909).
Reading through news accounts
Lamonetin always
claimed to be most comfortable
as a catch-as-catch-can wrestler,
also known at the time as American-style.
Although Lamoniten
would meet other wrestlers observing
the Greco-Roman style
regulations he always spent extra
time training in that specific
form. Unexpectedly, Lamoniten
also prided himself as a long-distance
runner. Reporters, and local
citizens would frequently visit
professional wrestlers during
their training sessions. Newspaper
accounts of their individual
training efforts were clearly
meant to build anticipation for
upcoming bouts.
At this time wrestling bouts
were most often three fall events.
The wrestler who subdued his
opponent at least twice won the
overall match. Again, generally
speaking, such matches took approximately
one hour. There was
a referee and for varying reasons
matches could be postponed, delayed
or stopped. It was around
this time that wrestling matches
also began to feature timed
rounds as in boxing.
Between 1909 and 1915, Lamonetin met a host of established
and up-and-coming young
wrestlers.
Notably in 1909, Lamonetin
wrestled Nick Nolte champion title-holder
for the state of West
Virginia (Fairmont WV Sept 29,
1909). “Lamonetin and Nolte
worked very fast. Lamonetin won
the first fall and the second one
went to Nolte. In the third Steve
was getting stronger as the wallowing
on the floor progressed.
He pinned the shoulders of the
Wheeling man to the floor with
a hammer-lock hold. The work
was clean. The bout was for a
Massive strongmen
wrestlers like Lamoniten,
were often the first
modern Greeks rural
Americans ever saw
side bet of $500 (Fairmont WV
Oct 1, 1909).” News accounts before
and after this match are unclear
if this was a title match or
not. Lamonetin also wrestled and
in various matches overcame
Walter Bonecki, who was also,
for a time, the West Virginia state
title-holder. But again, I can find
no published account reporting
that Lamonetin was that state's
champion..
The Clarksburg public press
credits Lamoniten has holding
“the belt for the best wrestler in
the city for a number of years
(Sunday Telegram (Clarksburg
WV) May 30, 1915).” Between
1909 and 1915, Adam Erbe, the
German Oak, is often identified
as the WV title holder and was a
wrestler Lamoniten met many
times and whom the Greek beat
on various occasions (Fairmont
WV April 15,1911). But, once again, it is still to be determined
if Lamoniten ever held the West
Virginia state title.
Aside from Nolte and Erbe
Nolte, between 1909 and 1915
the Terrible Greek met a host of
opponents including but were
certainly not limited to Paul
Bowser, Charley Hickman, Paul
Keyser, Fred Kindberg, Ole Oleson,
John Stanton, Al Thomas
and many others.
Lamonetin always sought to
please his many fans. In the summer
of 1915, Lamonetin was living
in Clarksville West Virginia.
“Steven Lamonetin, the terrible
Greek wrestler of this city threw,
Ole Oleson, the Swedish champion
twice in less than twenty
minutes at Norwood Park Monday
night. The match was so
short that it disappointed many
of the spectators so Lamonetin
would give ten dollars to any in
the audience who could stand before
him for fifteen minutes. Fred
Kindburg, of Grafton, was in the
audience and accepted the offer
but Lamonetin disposed of him
in short order (Daily Telegram
(Clarksburg WV July 6, 1915).”
Lamoniten was also a carnival
wrestler. In 1911, Lamonetin is
reported to have been with the
Welder Amusement Company
(Portsmouth Daily Times (Ohio)
May 4th). Then, again, in 1915
Lamoniten signed with the Dye
Brothers Greater United Shows
as that season's wrestler/strongman.
Few realize today how important
the touring “athletic
shows” were to small town America
(Sunday Telegram Clarksville,
WV, March 28, 1915). Long before
any of the electronic media
we now use on a daily basis individuals
who had never left (and
in all likelihood would never
leave) their small towns looked forward to the strange sights,
sounds and individuals common
to the carnival/circus midways.
Among the acts seen along any
midway was the strongman who
bent steel bars, held full-grown
men in chairs above their heads
and snapped chains wrapped
around their massive chests.
These midway strongmen also
used to wrestle local men. Cash
was always involved. Sometimes
the strongmen offered a fixed
among of money if the local man
remained undefeated for a fixed
period of time. With virtually
every such match side betting
took place. According to the professional
wrestlers who appeared
as carnival wrestlers this was the
hardest kind of contest. To begin
with professionals, such as Lamoniten,
very often had to carry
the local man through the match
without getting hurt themselves.
Ending the match in seconds,
which would have been no problem
for a professional facing an
amateur, would not only be an
extremely disappointing contest—the
excitement necessary
for of side-betting could not take
hold if the contest ended quickly.
Massive strongmen wrestlers
such as Steven Lamoniten, were
often, quite literally, the first
modern Greeks rural Americans
ever saw. If we are to understand
the written history of Greeks in
the United States then we must
come to terms with how successive
generations of Americans
have viewed persons they identified
as Greek. And this being the
case the overall history of Greeks
in the United States since the
1870s must take into account
these dedicated Hellenic Athletes
of old.