The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-04-14
A MODERN SAMPSON.
His Name is Angelo Cardela, and He Strikes
Five Hundred Pounds.

His Name is Angelo Cardela, and He Strikes
Five Hundred Pounds.
The strongest man in the world at the
present time. so far as we are able TO learn,
now lives in Reno, Washoe county. Nevada.
reporter recently witnessed the astonish-
ing feats of this remarkable man, and was
fully satisfied by what he saw that he is
really all that is claimed for him. His name
is Angelo Cardela, an Italian, aged 80
years stature, five feet 10 inches; weight, 100
pounds; occupation, laborer; habits, temper
ate, though he has no scruples sgainst the
moderate use of malt liquors and
the light wines of his
country. In personal appearance he
is not remarkable, merely a good-natured
looking son of Italia, with a broad, heavy
face, a noble development of chest and
shoulders, Ond large, fieshy hands. His
strength was born with him. having had no
athletic training. When stripped to the
buff" however, a marked popularity in bis
spinal column is at once apparent. His
backbone is, we might say. double
joined. with the vertebral articulstions
unusually large and prominent. Though
he is not a man of unusual size, his spinal
column is double the ordinary width, and
his other bones and joints seem made on a
similar large and generous scale. After some
solicitation he finally consented to favor the
reporter with an exhibition OF strength
which proved to be such an astonishing
exhibition of lifting power as scarcely to be
believed. The reporter, whose weight is
$50 pounds, stood with one foot on the floor
and arms outstretching, his hands being
Lightly .grasped by two friends. one on
each side, to preserve the balance of
his body This slight assistance, however,
had no tendency 10 raise his body, being
merely to keep him from topping over
Csrdela then stopped down, and placed the
third finger OF his right hand under the hol-
low of the reporters foot, upon which he
WAS balancing, and, with no perceptible
Effort. raised the reporter TO height of four
feet, and deposited him, standing, on atable
near at baud. This feat he repeated, and
then grssped the reporters ankles with both
hands, raised him above his head, and
gently lowered him to the table in sitting
posture. Cardela had a pipe in his mouth
while lifting, and continued smoking
as much as to say per Baccho, tits moth
ing; a way we have in our counuyw Ga q
former occasion he raised Mr.. Lawson. a
gentleman come ed with the editorial staff
of the Reno GeZette in a similar way, with
one finger, carried him across room and left
him standing on table. He has also lifted
by the same plan, using only his third finger,
(which seems to be his most rellsble one(
several Reno heavy weights, one weighing
over 200 pounds he can strike blow with
his fist with a power of 500 pounds, measured
on register. 1t is said that two
Irishmen. near Verdi, started iR to whip him
one night but concluded to give up the con-
tract, as he grasped enc in each hand and beat
them together until the life was nearly ham,
mered out of them Many other tales are
told of his extraordinary strength, and there
can be no doubt that, in his particular
specially, he is unrivaled, and, indeed. a
lusus nature, when the peculisrities of his
physical makeup" and his almost limitless
power are considered. He states that his
father could strike blow equal in power to
1000 pounds, so that his strength seems a
direct inheritance. Cardela has not much
education and an imperfect knowledge of
English. He dislikes to show his strength,
and tails to realize his OVID value. If he
were TO give public exhibitions of his won
derful powers, he would doubtless be
recognized and acknowledged to be the most
powerful man in the world in certain lines
of strength.