Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-04-04
MEN OF MUSCLE.

MEN OF MUSCLE.
The Bravvny Wonders of the World, and
Some of their Astonishing Feats.
ANCIENT ATHLETES.
One of the most remarkable athletes
Of history was Melancomas, who lived
under the Emperor Titus, and whose
talents were of so high an order that
several noted poets of his time were
found ready to sing his growing praises.
His life was the pugilistic, and his
specially was the defensive.
He would hold out for hours, his
arms extended in the face of his
enemy, who sought in vain to reach
him, and who bruised himself i'm futile
efforts to break through those two mus
cular bars, as resistant as steel. It is
said he could remain two days in this
fatiguing position. By this manecuvre
he deprived his anniversaries of every
chance, and forced them, exhausted
with the long struggle, to leave him
with the victory resting upon his
sturdy shoulders.
He would then leave the arena, with
out having given or received single
blow. ~
He regarded with pity those of his
brethren who, after heavy and brutal
pounding of each others faces, were
obliged to be helped to their homes by
others, and considered tnis great waste
of strength a proof of actual weak
ness.
Not 80 pleasant but rather more SEN
sational was Milo of Croton. One of
his cheerful little feats consisted in
running mile with a four year OK
upon his shoulders, and then killing
the honored animal with blow of bis
fist, and eating the carcass in one day.
This same gentleman, having won six
prizes at the Olympic games, was fur
Their rewarded by having statue pre-
pared to his memory, which statue he
himself carried to the market place
and set it up in its proper position.
For fear, however, that we should be
inclined to doubt his veracious word,
the eager chronicler of those days
hastens to assure us that Milo was not
always victorious, for he was, we are
told, finally hammered numerically
by one Titormus, mountaineer.
A MODERN ATHLETE.
Thomas Topham, modern athlete,
was one of the most celebrated of the
latter day athletes. He was born in
London in 171O, and at an early age
gave evidences of being a phenomenon
of physical strength. Most of his great
er Achievements are substantiated by the
best of proof, SO that there can be but
little doubt as to their reliability.
He is described as q plain-appearing
man, about five feet ten inches in
height, with nothing special in his
looks, " if We except his armpits and
hams, which, hollow in the cases of Or
binary men, were with him full of
muscles and tendons." He was entire
ly ignorant of the art of making his
powers appear more remarkable than
they really we're, but depended upon
the legitimate extent of his wonderful
strength alone.
He proved, to the satisfaction of all
who tested him, that he was as strong
as twelve men.
He took bar of iron, the two ends
of which he neld in his hands, placed
the middle of the bar behind the nape
of his neck, and brought the extrem-
tiles forward. He then undid what he
had done; that is, he made the bar of
iron straight again-an operation much
more difficult than the first. He took
an iron spit from the mantle-piece and
twisted it around his neck like a hand
kerchief. He had penchant for
doubling up all the metallic kitchen
furniture that he came across, and
most of his neighbors stood in pecu-
liar fear of him on this account only.
The housewives hid from his notice all
their pewter plates and cups, lest he
might take fancy to crack them in
his palm like an egg-shell. The Eng
ish papers of the middle of the
eighteenth century are full of anec.
dotes of Topham's doings, recording,
among other pranks, how one night,
finding a Waterman asleep in his box,
he picked up both the man and his
shelter, and jumped them over the
wall of an adjacent churchyard.
But, alas for poor Topham! with all
MS bodily powers, he came at last to
sad end. He was cursed with She
devil of wife, that drove him at times
to destruction. Instead of taking her
between his terrible thumb and fingers
and squeezing her into submission, he
bore with her ratings until his life be-
came insupportable, and finally COM
mitted suicide.
ii HOW TO SERVE A GHOST.
Joseph I, Emperor of Germany, was
a merry gentleman, and as brave at
heart as he was sturdy in b1ceps. He
was bosom friend of the elector of
Saxony, royal scamp whose bump of
reverence hardly iequalled his love for
the flesh. Joseph was good Catholic,
and his friends of the Church were in
considerable fear lest the rakish elector
should lead him from the true faith.
They tried almost every device to
break the companionship between
them, but all to no purpose.
Finally Jealous Jesuit father dis
guised himself in Satanic attire, and
silently entered the Emperor's chamber
late one dark night, clanking heavy
links Of chains, and, placing himself
near the bed, where the dim light