The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-03-15
4 MICHIGAN GIANT,
Powerful In Muscle but Weak In Mind.
Remarkable Feats Of Strength.

Powerful In Muscle but Weak In Mind.
Remarkable Feats Of Strength.
Charley Freeman, along back in the
thirties, says q Michigan paper, appeared
for the first time among gang OF labor
ers on the Flat Rock and Gibraltar canal,
and he moved among men like 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
tapered down to o hand three inches
thick, and when doubled into o fist, as
big and hard as a rail.spitter's maui.
He gave out his age as seventeen, and he
was growing. He hired for the wages
and work of an ordinary man, but when
he seized shovel it went through the
clay like breaking-up plow, and the
handle soon came of if, the blade held.
An ordinary az was but q feather in Ills
hand. It sank to the eye in the wood,
and the helve splintered. He dealt out
strength by the wholesale, and he could
not weigh out his force in the measure
Of ordinary men.
When h. stood among the gang OF Ia
borers the contrast made them look like
children. The strolling Indians would
stare in amazement few moments, and
then with deep "ughl" get cut OF
sight Of hinRas fast as their dignity
would let them. He was put to do the
work OF three pair Of oxen. That was
removing the trunks Of trees cut in ten
or twelve foot lengths, out Of the way OF
the diggers, not hitched to them Like
oxen to snake them away, but with bus
right hand under the end, raising ii
from the ground, then balancing it across
his left forearm, he shot the sawlogs fal
to one side with all the ease that skill
full workman piles his split cordwood.
And thus day after day the giant moved
until the canal was built. -.
He appeared again in the boats that
Piled along the Huron river, Michigan.
he vas engine and tackle to handle
heavy freight. What others could not
shove or roll, he could pick up and carry
or toss. When the heavily freighteo
boat struck on the ripples he just step
ped out of the stern and boosted bel
over. Nobody would havefelt surprised
if he had taken the whole boat and cargo
right under his arms, as a woman carries
dough tray, and marched across by
land, when they came to long bends il
the river. Nobody ever said he did
this, because they never wanted to e1
aggerate his feats any more than we dc
now. '...'' 90 . -
But navigation did not pay, and that
stopped, too. Some of the "fancy y
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 remarka'
bic. The sharpers meant to keep him
so and speculate on his prodigious pow
or. They coaxed him off eastward. Al
Buffalo they sent him into dock saloon
with a si1teen-hundred-pound anchor
under his left arm, just as chopper car
ries his Ak, to pawn it for drinks, ani
the keeper was glad to treat him TO,
carrying it out again. Thus he and hil
friends travelled on his muscle to thu
sea coast and across to England. The.
intended to get soft thing on som.
English champion. They had too mucl
of a good thing. A friendly sparring
as an experiment., with professiona
boxer showed that match with any liv
ing pugilist was impossible. The giant
face could not be effectually reached
Blows on the body might as well hav
been planted on a sandbag. When hi
unskilled maui came down it came will
the force of pile driver, and no matte
what it met the obstacle went to th
earth. BY the ruse Of representing hin
as large and strong, but green, the
made o match of science and skill
against power with q noted pugilist
The parties came on the ground, but q
first sight Of him, his opponent turne
away saying: "I cameto fight with larg
man, not with o mountain. Seconds
referees, and MI hands declared tn
match fairly "off."l Finding nothin
could be made ont OF him, his sharp OF
tendants deserted him. From Michiga
to Liverpool the route had been. one 9
continued dissipation, and he contracte
the seeds of disease. Deserted in
strange land, he was uncared for; a
object of awe and curiosity, useless t
ANYBODY else, and helpless to care to
himself, he soon died OF consumption
and was buried in q pauper's grave
Thus perished perhaps the most mag
nifcent specimen Of physical manhoo
that the United States ever produced
He never learned letter, he never fel
a refining influence, he never had
real friend.