Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-01-07
A Modern samson.

It was evening, and the crowd of
"Fakirs" that usually infest Holiday
street, near Baltimore, were out in full
force, when Prof Conker, q distinguished
itinerant from the South, appeared upon
| the scene, and mounting curbstone let
out his persuasive eloquence. The pro-
| fessor was lean, cadaverous-lOoking in
| dividual, with gorgeous necktie, a
greasy suit of clothes, shocking bad
hat, and an excessively dirty shirt. The
hat was cooked back jauntily, exposing
a very bald head, adorned here and there
by small tufts of thin. blonde hair, which
served to point out the more fertile spots
in his Uranium. He smiled good-natured.
ly and talked in perfect streak, while
Jester, the indomitable tOoth-paste man
Bowers, the proprietor Of the great
American lung tester, and Calkins, the
veteran peddlcr of the Sandwich Island
paste backing. one coat OF which is
warranted TO keep pair of cowhides
like mirrors for six weeks, all looked
savage, and inwardly execrated the ex-
treme volubility Of Prof. Corker When
good, healthy crowd had gathered
around the professor he announced that
he was the only living man in America
who exhibited one of Bendigo's ma
tional strength testers" and set forth its
virtues, saying: ANY man kin tell his
powers to hair by lifting the lever, an
| only charge the livin' sum of ten cents.
l hev known men to lift 1900 pounds
easier on my machine than they could
lift 900 on another. To any feller that
lifts 1900 pounds will give 81, an to
man what jerks her up to $500 I'll give
IS. Now, who'll take q chance" Sew
eral pretty healthy looking men here
came up and took pull at the machine.
One lifted 1850 and the other 1,700
pounds. "Purty good hist" remarked
Prof. Corker, as he squ.rted mouthful
of tobacco juice against the curbstone,
" but not nigh SO powerful ez / hev
seen" At this moment very strong
boy came UP and raised 800 pounds with
ease. Prof. Corker said it was "a right
smart lift fur boy, but / knowed fel
Ter in New Orleans who hadn't eat nuth-
in fur whole day, an he's jerked her
up to 1900 like flirt." The
remarkable powers of the New
Orleans man induced several ambitious
auditors to try their strength, and for
several minutes Prof. Corker took in ten
cent stamps with amazing rapidity. AT
ter number of men had tried their
strength hashy-looking young man
with red hair and very freckled face
pushed his way through the crowd and
remarked to Prof. Corker: Eyer say if
a Teller jerks her up to $500 he glts
fiver9" "Yes, sir" said Prof. Corker
{" Well, now, sposen do it an you haint
got the change, how then?" The profess
sor eyed the physical developments of the
newcomer, and not finding them startling
,.y:tl, lat, a.; nsrt&
blk, an I'll put up the five dollars until
was making the above announcement
the strange young man closely examined
the machine, and finally said: "All
a bystander's hands, the crowd was
his hands, winkcd knowingly at the
crowd, and grasped the handle. His back
bent trifle, but it Strengthened again
Immediately as he raised up on the han
die, ard as he raised the finger on the in
dicator firted around with unaccount-
able rapidity until it reached 5000
pounds, which was the extreme capacity
of the machine. The crowd was aston
ished; Prof. Corker made rush for the
machine, the young man grabbed the
five dollars from the stakeholder, and,
as he elbowed his way through the crowd,
said: Look here, old Corks, amt
had nothin' to eat fur week; Pm
brother of that air New Orleans Teller
what lifts ton, an the only difference
atween us is that used ter run Lit
tie Giant Lifting Machine myself" The
professor swore that something was
wrong, and on procuring light he dis
covered that the interruptions young
Samson who had just departed with the
five dollars had, while examining the
machine, loosened q screw which held
the spring SO that five-year old boy
might, ii so disposed, have pulled the
whole interior of the machine out by the
roots. Baltimore american.