The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1873-11-07

General James S BrIsbin gives the
following sketch OF the exploits of a
noted fronriersman. the incidents
were rela'ed To tie General bv Mr..
Beld,n, the famous hunter, trspper
and guide of the Plains
l wss OLe of the first men in 1858
to arrive st Pixies Pesk. | came w
from The Missouri with q friend of
nay fathers, and we stopped at Den
yer, or rather, | should cav, where
Denver row is, for the city was then
composed OF lew grog-sbOps and
shantIes. In one OF the mIning
camps | became acquainted with q
queer fellow they called Brui-er Sam.
lie was q powerful msn, and~sume-
times drank good deal, bot was
awsys gOOd-tempered snd kind
hearted. TIE miners were q rough
set IL these days, and delighted in
the most brutal Of sports. Prize
fghliug wss one Of their pastimes,
and ~ this Bruiser Sam excelled, no
man III oil the camps being able To
stand up long before bin. His fea,s
Of strength were prodigious. Often
would he take barrel of LIQUOR by
the chimes and, knocking cut the
bung, lit il up and drink from the
hole as easily a. if it were q small
keg. Then he would stand on a box
twelve inches high and lit one hun
dIed and eighty pounds with his
teeth. He could pick up a three
bushel bag Of flour with his mouth
snd carfy II rod. One day saloon
keeper offended Sam, and to have
revenge he went out into the street,
aud, shouldering large work horse,
carried it into the saloon, leaving the
elrsged bar keeper to get it out and
/ down the steps ss best he could. Al
another time be carried q rock INTO
the store and dropped 1t thrC ugh the
Il j0r.
HERCULES.
Sans skin was IS white snd smooth
"a . girls but all over his srms,
shoulders anC broad cheat were
DuncEes Of knotty muscles as large
g. q mans lit. He was a well-buIlr
and fine looking msn, his waist being
remarkably smsll, his hips broad. the
legs we'll set and feet small. Once
his :lce was handsome, but whisky
had cleared the ey6s, and The nose
was pirnpled snG red stli Sam was
gooI looking man, and when
dressed up in new buck-k sHit
ith yeliCw fIing,, AMI bis long
brown hair combsd cut in curis about
bis meek, he was a picture OF al aIh
letic .fontiersnan.
H0aeveT, Sam was fast degeneIs-
ting into losier; he had left Of
work and goDr 10 living by his
strength, just as thousands OI mep
i've hy their wits IL The great cities.
Any oi.e would pay Tor Sans liquor
TO see him lift q barrel by tie ends
and drink from the bUng hole sn'i
! occasion ally, by way OF variety, he
would shoulder q horse or mule f1I
glass or ium.
Dissipation told rapidly on ''Tbe
Man OF S.eel,' as he v as called, anu
VIXEN ] saw him in the spTlDe, he had
the CcIiTium tremens, snd it took five
men 10 hold him. HIS frame uas
wasted away, the knots OF sinews
were gone, his chest drawn In, and
the SKIN OF his body so't.
BOUT WITH A PRIZE FIGHTER.
L. was about this time that an Old
Enyiisaman named Jones arrived at
the mines, and hearing of Sam, *
pressed q desire to see him. Old
Jones was i we.l-known priz- fighter.
but OF late years had given up the |
ring himself and iurred trainer
Sans fame excited the envy OF Old |
Jouts. and he NJ sooner saw him tnar |
ue offered 10 fight San Tie miners |
we're as.onisbed, aad .ried to dissusde |
Jones IRON his purpose, hut nothing
would do but be must have q bout /
with Sam. So the day Was set.
sam was sick on tie morning OF the
fight, aad looked lady enough, bal
bet. ran two to Cne on Tine Man
OF S:eel'' sgsInst the Enghsbman.
Time Hss called, and the English
man bounded into the ling, while
Sam cane up slowly, and looked Ian
guiI snd ftehie but 8. the very fiis,
pass lie hiJ John Bull between the
eyes, and no amount Of sponging and
bathing could induce him TO stand
upon his legs again that day. IL was
feared Sam had broken the Eoglish
man's skull, but be get about in
day or tive, and soon siierra-d both
be and Sam disappeared from the
salccns. The bar Aeeptrs were "a
rcnished. S m did no. come around |
apy more for his grog, and no one
could imsgine where he was gone, or
what he was at. Foul play was be-
ginning to he suspected, when il