Wrestler a Friend to Underprivileged Kids

On Oct. 1, 1932, Dutch Mantell’s Labor Day rescue of two stranded hikers from the bottom of Palo Duro Canyon was still the talk of Amarillo.

But that was not unusual. The colorful wrestler with a soft spot for underprivileged children was often a topic of conversation in the Panhandle town.

Born in Luxembourg in 1881, his proud parents christened their newborn Alfred Albert Joe de Re La Gardiur. Before his untimely passing ten years later, little Alfred’s dad filled his head with exciting tales of the wondrous land on the other side of the Atlantic.