Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-07-21
The Story Of Hercules.
BY rHR aFAr CONTRIBUTOR"

"A
time. The Germans call him Herr Cules
and claim him for Dutchman. Alemena
his mother, being daughter OF Earth
Juno MRS. JUPITER was naturally hostile
to her offspring She declared war against
Hercules from his birth. she sent Two
serpents to destroy him IS he lay in his
cradle, but delerium tremeas not being
known in those days, Hercules stood in
NO fear OF " snakes" 90 instead of dosing
himself with whisky and velirian to drive
them away he just strangled them. That
was his style. Their stuffed hides may
be found in any wellregulated museum
to this day. He was, however, by the
arts Of Juno, rendered subject to Eurys-
theus, proprietor of combined circus
and naanagerie, and compelled to perform
all his commands. Euyystheus enjoined
upon him q succession Of desperate ad-
ventures, which were called the twelve
Labors of Hercules" The first was q
fight with the Nemean lion. In handling
wild animals derr Cules could beat Herr
Dresbsch. He strangled the lion with
his owe lands, none Of the other hands
about pae show being able TO do 1t. He
retur ned carrying the dead lion on his
shT dlders, but Eurystheus was so fright
e. ed at the sight of it, and at this proof
of the prodigious strength OF Hercules,
that he ordered him to send accounts OF
his exploits by telegraph in future.
His next labor was carving the hydra,
a monster that ravaged the country OF
Argos, and dwelt in swamp near the
well of Anymore. The hydra used to go
to the well for the water TO put with his
gin The lived on hydra-gin Mostly, and it
was here that Hercules met him clandes-
timely. The hydra had nine heads, of
which the middle one was immortal. Her
cules struck of its head with his club, but
in the place of the one knocked off two
new ones appeared, heads winning every
toss. At length he burned away the heads
with caustic, and buried the ninth or i'm
mortal one under huge rock, with Ma
sonic honors.
His next step in the labor movement
was the cleaning of the Augean stables.
Augeas King Of Elias, had herd OF 5000
oxen whose stalls had not been cleansed
for 80 years. The smell was so bad that
Deli, Miami and Storrs townships held
indignation meetings and threatened to
tear the stables down. Hercules brought
Deercreek through them and cleansed
them thoroughly in one day, though the
hydrant water tasted little queerish for
q week or more
His next labor was of more delicate
nature. Admeta, the daughter of Eurys
theus (who rode very good one-horse
act). longed to obtain the girdle of Hip
Dolyta, queen of the Amazons, to wear in
the circus. She thought it would lay
over any champion belt in the country.
Eurystheus ordered Hercules to 60 and
oct it, TIE AmaZons were nation OF
women, very warlike, and addicted to
breaches and ballot. 1t was their custom
to bring up only the female children, the
boys either being put to death or forced
to work on newspapers which killed them
off in little while anyhow. After vari-
Gus adventures he reached the country
of the Amazons, on the Amazon river
Hippolyta received him and his comrades
kindly, and they gave three cheers and
hip! hip! for Hippolyta. Hercules made
known his errand, and the queen consent
ed to give up the champion belt (subject
to the rules of the English prize ring),
but Juno, assuming the attire of Mrs. Dr.
Walker, went and persuaded the other
advocates of wOmen's rights that the
strangers were carrying off their queen.
They instantly armed, and came down to
the 5 o'clock mail boat, on which the men
had embarked, in great numbers. Her
c,,les and Hippolyta were taking a part
ing drink in the captains room. Seeing
the crowd Of Amazons on the landing,
and hearing the tumult, Hercules thought
Hippolyta had acted treacherous'y, SO he
slew her, and taking her girdle, sailed
homeward, the boat leaving precisely On
& me.
Then Eurystheus sent him to bring the
oxen of Geryon, a monster with three
bodies and very little soul. lie lived In
the far west, and when Hercules, in
searching him, arrived at the frontiers OF
Lybia and Europe, he rent mountain III
twain. and left half on eacn side, forming
the Straits of Gibraltar if l snould rent
a mountain. am afraid should find my
self in as great straits as Hercules did,
unless rents wire very low These two
mountains are called the Pillars OF Her
cnles" What became of the mattress and
the rest of his bedding, ! am unable to
state. The oxen were guarded by the
giant Eurytion and his two-headed dog ;
Int Hercules killed the giant, knocked
the dog on his respective heads, and
brought the oxen in safety to Fury stheus.
He took the first premium on them at the
next county fair. They were good thing
to have, for if Fury got broke In
going against the "bank," he could raise
a steak on one of them any time.
The most difficult labor OF all was get
ting the golden apples Of Hesperides, for
Hercules did not know where to npd
them. They were choice variety OF g
les" golden sweets" perhaps-whioh
Juno had received at her wedding from
the goddess of the earth, and which she
had intrusted to the keeping OF the
daughters Of Hesperis, ably assisted by a
watchful dragon. After various adven-
lures, Hercales arrived at Mount Atlas in
Africa-(geography and atlas had both
been introduced into Africa even at that
early day) Atlas was one of the Titons
who got tight ON one day and endeavored
to "clean out" the gods. But these
tio2t.uns got the worst of the fight, and
Atlas was condemned to bear on hi'
shoulders the weight of the heavens
Jupiter facetiously called it the "healtf
lift" and said il would do him good
Atlas was the father of Hesperides, and
lust the one to find the apples and brint
them to him.
Atlas consented to go, il Hercule
would bear up the heavens while ne wa