Jack Carkeek

Jack Carkeek, (January 22, 1861 – March 12, 1924) was an American Cornish champion wrestler, from Rockland, Michigan. He died March 12, 1924, in Havana, Cuba.[1]

Jack Carkeek
Born(1861-01-22)January 22, 1861
Rockland, Michigan, United States
DiedMarch 12, 1924(1924-03-12) (aged 63)
Havana, Cuba
Professional wrestling career
Billed height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Billed weight180 lb (82 kg)
DebutJuly 5, 1877

He was the son of Tom Carkeek[2] and his mother was first cousin to the actor Sir Henry Irving.[2] Tom was born in Plain-an-Gwarry, Redruth[3] in Cornwall was said to weigh 17 stone,[4] was a champion of Cornish wrestling in the 1860s[5] and was the world Cornish wrestling champion in 1875.[6] It was said that he won 528 consecutive Cornish wrestling matches without defeat and won 88 prizes.[7][3]

Jack made his first appearance at Michigamme, Michigan, on July 5, 1877, at age 16. There, he won the fourth prize in a tournament of 64 entries. Jack Carkeek and John Pearce (the Cornish champion from Cornwall for five years) met for the World Championship of Cornish Wrestling in Redruth, Cornwall.

Wrestling career

Up until 1882, he wrestled just in Michigan, and then afterwards in Wisconsin, Iowa and Montana. At the beginning, he wrestled in tournaments, with a dozen or so other wrestlers, while later only wrestling in challenge matches for side money.[8] In September, 1887 The Cornishman newspaper considered the challenges a ″farce, except in a business sense, that no one takes the least notice of these illusory wordy bravadoes.″[9]

He also fought under the name Jack O'Brien.[10]

1884
  • March 4, defeated Nels Stone at Peterson, Iowa, for $100 each
  • September, defeated William Harrison, at Kinsley, Iowa
  • December 10, Carkeek defeated James Pascoe, the champion Cornish wrestler of the Pacific Coast, for a purse of $500, in Butte, Montana.

1885

1886
  • February 6, at Leadville, he defeated R Holcombe of Grass Valley, California in collar and elbow for $100 a side.
  • July 14, in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, Carkeek wrestled Sorakichi Matsuda, from Japan, for $500 a side (in both Greco-Roman wrestling and catch-as-catch-can wrestling) and won in 54 minutes.
  • July 29, defeated Sorakichi Matsuda, a second time for $250 a side in Milwaukee.
  • August 21, beat Ben Roddle in catch-as-catch-can for $250 at Sioux Falls, South Dakota
  • November 7, at Ishpenning, Michigan, beat J Stephens in Cornish wrestling for the gate receipts.
  • December 1, defeated Pat McHugh in catch-as-catch-can at Iron Mountain.
  • December 20, defeated Joe Trudell in Cornish wrestling.

1887
  • January 2, at Hurley, Wisconsin beat J P Donnor in catch-as-catch-can for $100 a side.
  • January 12, wrestled J P Donnor, agreeing to throw him five times in an hour, but lost having thrown him four times.
  • May 9, defeated Bert Schiller at catch-as-catch-can in Milwaukee.
  • 4 July, fought John Pearce of Wendron, Cornwall, at the Recreation Ground, Redruth, Cornwall for £100 a side. The result is disputed as to whether Carkeek won or the match was a draw. On 8 July, they quarrelled in Redruth with Carkeek biting Pearce's ear and Carkeek cut on the face by a broken glass.[12][13]
  • 1 August, wrestling match for 'the championship of the world' at Redruth Recreation Ground against Hancock. The result was two falls each and no result. Many of the crowd entered the ring accusing the wrestlers of ″faggoting″, i.e. match fixing.[14]
  • 20 August, defeated Thomas Bragg, the 'champion of England' at St James's Hall, Plymouth.[15] Carkeek injured his thumb and broke a rib. A match against Rundle on 3 September was postponed.[16]
  • 6 October, there was no result in the return match against Thomas Bragg at St Jame's Hall, Plymouth, following a dispute on the number of falls.[17]
  • 28 October, beat the champion of England Samuel Rundle of St Blazey, which was disputed by Rundle who refused to hand over his share of the prizemoney.[18]

Championships and accomplishments

Match fixing

In 1888 he was arrested in Chicago for two counts of swindling by means of a fake contests.[28][29][30]

Carkeek was a member of a swindling crew known as the Mabray gang.[31] In 1910, while using the name of Jack Fletcher, he was arrested in San Francisco for participation in the fixing of wrestling matches.[32][33][34] Carkeek spent two years in prison before the case was ultimately dismissed.[35]

In 1913 he pleaded guilty to attempted swindling[36] and was sentenced to 6 months.[37]

References
  1. "Cc". Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  2. Jack Carkeek, the Cornish wrestling wonder, Cornubian and Redruth Times, 5 August 1905, p3.
  3. Cornish wrestlers in America, Cornish Post and Mining News, 1 September 1898, p8.
  4. Wrestling in California, Newcastle Guardian and Tyne Mercury, 8 December 1866, p8.
  5. Jack Carkeek the wonder Cornubian and Redruth Times, 05 August 1905, p3.
  6. Evening Star (Washington DC), 7 May 1926, p41.
  7. Cornish wrestling in the United States Cornish & Devon Post, 5 October 1878, p8.
  8. "The Champion Wrestling Match. Carkeek's Record". The Cornishman. No. 468. June 30, 1887. p. 3.
  9. "Local News". The Cornishman. No. 481. September 22, 1887.
  10. Dubuque Times 14, Sioux City Journal, 16 May 1884, p3.
  11. "A Successful Cornish Wrestler". The Cornishman. No. 342. February 5, 1885. p. 7.
  12. "Great Wrestling Match at Redruth, between Jack Carkeek, of America, and John Pearce, of Wendron, for £100 a side". The Cornishman. No. 469. July 7, 1887. p. 4.
  13. "Quarrel Between Wrestlers At Redruth". Cornishman. No. 470. July 14, 1887. p. 7.
  14. "The Wrestling Championship of the World. Faggoting or not!". The Cornishman. No. 473. August 4, 1887.
  15. "Wrestling Match at Plymouth. Carkeek v. Bragg". The Cornishman. No. 477. August 25, 1887.
  16. "Wrestling at Plymouth". The Cornishman. No. 478. September 1, 1887. p. 6.
  17. "Plymouth Wrestling Between Carkeek and Bragg a Farcical Display". Cornishman. No. 483. October 6, 1887. p. 8.
  18. "Cornish Wrestlers in Devonshire". The Cornishman. No. 487. November 3, 1887. p. 4.
  19. Great Wrestling match at Ishpenning Michigan, Cornishman, 2 October 1890, p3.
  20. The Wrestling Championship of the world, Cornish & Devon Post, 09 July 1887, p3.
  21. Wrestling match at Plymouth Carkeek vs Bragg, Cornishman, 25 August 1887, p5.
  22. Wrestling, The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW), 20 August 1887, p411.
  23. Carkeek, Cornishman, 21 July 1887, p4.
  24. The championship of the world, The Cornish Telegraph, 4 July 1889, p5.
  25. Wrestling that disables, Boxing World and Mirror of Life, 5 June 1901, p14.
  26. Western Australia, Cornishman, 3 November 1904, p3.
  27. News from foreign mining camps, Cornishman, 16 November 1905, p3.
  28. Wrestler Carkeek in trouble, Daily Alta California, 5 November 1888, p8.
  29. Jack Carkeek the Great (?) Cornish Wrestler, Turns Confidence Man and Robs His Best Friend, The Republican-Journal, 12 October 1888, p3.
  30. Another charge against Carkeek, The Inter Ocean, 16 October 1888, p6.
  31. Smith, Jr, Raymond A. (July 1, 1983). "John C. Mabray: A Con Artist in the Corn Belt". Iowa Research Online. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 2, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  32. Stevens Point WI Journal, September 3, 1910
  33. Jack Carkeet arrested, Cornish Echo and Falmouth & Penryn Times, 23 September 1910, p8.
  34. Serious charge against famous Cornish wrestler, Cornishman, 22 September 1910, p8.
  35. Cox, Sarah Elizabeth (September 23, 2019). ""Wannop walked on his head in a most extraordinary manner"". Grappling With History. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  36. Wrestler Carkeek in trouble, The Sun (Sydney, NSW), 11 March 1913, p9.
  37. Carkeek in jail, Escanaba Daily Press, 2 February 1913, p1.
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