Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1847-05-04
A Hercules of the days of the Revolution.


TIE Editor of the Memphis Eagle has
been examining Ale of the "Columbian
Centinel," printed in Boston in160l being
then in its 35,h volume. In one of the
Nos. Of the Centinel, is the following &C.
count of a wonderfully strong man
"Mr. William Dowst, who lately died
at Salem, was a man of uncommon size
and strength. He was man about seven
feet high, and weighed upwards of 300
pounds. The following instance will
prove his very great degree of strength.
He was on board priyateer, which hap
pened to get among the breakers off Cape
Breton, when it became necessary imme-
diately to cast anchor; but there being
none upon deck, as many hands tried to
lift it as could get at it where it lay in the
hold Dowst pushed them aside, carried
it forward, and held it upon the timber
heads while cable was bent to it, when
he threw it over, and saved the vessel and
the lives Of the crew, as they were on the
point of dashin9 on the rocks; the anchor
weighed zoe pounds.
"At another time, eight or ten hands
were sent to Becker's shipyard from the
we'll known privateer ship Grand Turk, to
bring up foreyard for the ship; Dowst
was among them, but naturally dilatory,
he did not at first take hold !; the others
shouldered it, but began to stagger under
it, and complained that there we're not
enough to carry it. Dowst laughed at
them, and told them he would carry it
alone; on which they threw it down, and
he took it up and carried it to the ship,
without assistance.
CAT another time, when he attended the
fish stakes at Windmill Point, he was d.
rected by his employer to go for donkey
which was in an adjoining field; when
Dowst got him to the partition fence, be-
ing in rather lazy mood, to save himself
| the trouble Of letting down the bars, he
took up the beast in his arms and lifted
him over the fence. and then got upon his
back, and rode him to the place where be
was to be employed. He once raised from
the ground the anchor of the prize ship
Rochampton, which weighed 100, and
which four men had Immediately before
endeavored in vain to lift upon bet.
"Being at Bilboa, during the war, in a
privateer, an English vessel came in,
which had in It's crew a protested bully,
who was challenging every one to combat.
and hearing of Dowst, sent a particular
challenge to him they met, and the Eng
lishman, who was superior to our Samp-
son in the art of boxing, knocked MIN
down three times, and at the last time
twisted his fingers into his hair to gouge
him, when Dowst gave him blow on his
arm, which broke it and with another blow
he broke in three of the bully's ribs, who,
it is said, died of his wounds.
"Dowst. with his amazing strengthens
remarkably good natured, and tender in
his feelings, and rather of an indolent
habit; but when he was aroused to anger
or exertiou, his efforts were irresistible.
He enjoyed during his life large share
of health. For three months previous to
his death, he had been afflicted with the
dropsy, but appeared to have considerably
recovered, and the last day of his life he
walked the greater part of the day, ac-
cording to his usual habit but the mex!
morning his wife found him dead in the
bed"