Arnold Robertson

From The Great Outdoor Fight

Arnold Robertson (1869-1916) was emblematic of the winds blowing through the acres in the years after Buck Faast and before the Great War. Robertson was a veteran of the Mexican Revolution who came to the fight not for gentlemanly honor but to recruit tough men for his escapades in the Sierra Madre Occidental. He promised anyone who joined him before the fight that they could become his lieutenants. He also gave a warning-- anyone could join the army during the fight by defeating one of its number in single combat. Around 40 men answered the call.

At 43, he was quite old for a competitor but remarkably tough after years of warfighting. He fought a few sensational engagements against fight favorites (Not least of all Les Catherina) but always in a one-on-one challenge under the protection of his smallish army. For the most part, he let his army do the fighting. When someone came to challenge for single combat, Robertson would invariably choose the weakest among his ranks to stand. This ruthless tactic helped his army stay strong while others were being worn down. Strengthened as it was by the influx of the best fighters, Robertson's army finished the fight more or less intact. The last hour of the fight was farcical. Robertson fought each of his men one after the other, and one after the other they laid down for him. There was no doubt his army threw the fight, but Robertson was not concerned with the disapproval of the establishment. His tactics brought him a victory to decorate himself with, and, more importantly, a large cadre of powerful fighters to establish his power across the border.

There would be justice, however. In 1916, Pancho Villa declared Robertson an enemy shortly before his attack on Columbus, New Mexico. Hounded by the US Army and Villa's supporters alike, Robertson's army defected. Robertson wisely surrendered to the Americans rather than face Pancho Villa. That November the POWs were treated to a Thanksgiving feast. Robertson died of food poisoning after eating turkey "that had been on the wagon for way longer than recommended," according to US Army records.