Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-01-27

his coachman drive to the opera.
----a.-e-s--
The story of Michigan Giant.
YpsilAnti Sentinel
Charley Freeman, along back in the
thirties, appeared for the first time
among gang of laborers on the Flat
Rock and Gibraltar Canal, and he moved
among ordinary men like a son OF Anak
He looked eight feet high, at least, and
three feet across the shoulders. His
arms sprang from his chest as large as
any middle-sized mans body, and taper
cd down to hand three inches thick,
and when doubled into fist as big and
hard Ns a rail-splitter's maui. He gave
his age as seventeen, and he was grow
ing. He hired for the wages and work
of an ordinary hand; but when he seized
a shovelit went through the clay like a
bresking-up pillow, and the handle soon
came OF if the blade held. An ordinary
ak was but feather in his hand. 1t
sank to the eye in the wood, and the
helve splintered BE dealt out strength
by the Wholesale, and he could not weight
out his force in the measure of ordinary
men.
When he stood among gang Of labor.
ers the contrast made them look like
children. The strolling Indians would
stare in amazement few moments, and
then with deep ugh" get out Of sight
of him as fast as their dignity would let
them. BE was put to do the work of
three pairs of oxen. That was removing
the trunks of trees cut in ten or twelve
foot lengths out of the way OF the dig
gers; not hitched to them like oxen to
snake them away, but with the right hand
under the end, raising it from the ground,
then balancing it across his left forearm,
he shot the saw-logs far to one side with
all the ease that skillful workman piles
his split cerd wood. And thus, day after
day, the giant moved, until the canalwas
not built any more.
BE appeared again on the boats that
piled along the Huron river, Michigan.
he was engine and tackle to handle
heavy freight. What others could not
shove or roll be would pick up and
carry OF toss. When the heavily freighted
boat stuck on the ripples he just stepped
out OF the stern and boosted her over.
Nobody would have felt surprised if he
had taken the whole boat and cargo right
under his arms, as woman carries a
dough-tray, and marched across by land,
when they came to long bends in the
river Nobody ever said he did this, be-
cause they never wanted to exaggerste
his feats, any more than we do now.
But navigation did not pay, and that
stopped too. Some of the fancy"
heard of the uncelebrated giant, and
took the notion that there was money in
him. He was as simple as child. Any
one could lead him. 1t never got through
his skull that he was remarkable. The
shsrpers meant to keep him so, and spec.
ulate on his prodigious power. They
coaxed him of eastward At Buffalo
they sent him into dock saloon with q
sixteen hundred pound anchor under his
left arm, just as chopper carries his ak,
to pawn il for drinks he got the drinks
and the keeper was glad to treat him FOR
carrying it out again. Thus he and his
friends travelled on his muscle to Che sea.
coast, and across to England. They in.
tended to get soft thing on some Ew-
lish champion. They had too much ofre
! good thing. A friendly sparripg, as an
experiment with a professional boxer,
showed that . match with any living pu.
gilist was impossible. The giants face
could not be effectually reached Blows
| on the body might as we'll have been
planted on sand-bag. When his un-
skilled maui came down, it came with the
force of pile-driver, and no matter what
it met, the obstacle went to the earth
By the ruse OF representing him as large
and strong, but green, they made match
of science aud skill against power, with
noted pugilist. The parties came on
the ground, but at the first sight Of him
| his opponent turned away, saying
came to fight with 6 large man, not with
a mountain" Seconds, referee and all
hands declared the match fairly y of.
Finding nothing could be made out Of
him his sharp attendants deserted him.
| From Michigan to Liverpool the route
had been one Of continued dissipation,
and he contracted the seeds Of disease,
Deserted in strange land, he was uu-
cared for; an object Of awe and curiosity,
useless to anybody else and unable TO
care for himself, he soon died Of con-
sumption and was buried in pauper
lgraye.
Thus persisted perhaps the most mag
niGcent specimen Of physical manhood
that the United States ever produced.
| He never learned letter, he never fell
refining influence; he never had a real
friend. His rapid growth, great size and
immense strength prevented all possible
parental molding or influence. 1t was
fortunate for others that he was not
vicious. 1t was unfortunate for himself
that his birth was in place, and at a
time, where and when necessity, we may
aav foroad hin, ~ run IN xuaafa