Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-12-10
Muscular Men.
so.IE F.NoUs FEATs OF STRENGTH
fuarffnrl Pnsfl

Hartford Post
Among the Greeks the successful ath-
lete was crowned with laurels and loaded
down with wealth and honors. When Egg
netus, in the ninety-second Olymplad,
triumphant in games, entered Agrigen-
tum, his native home, he was attended by
an escort of three hundred chariots, each
drawn by two white horses and followed
by the populace, cheering and waving
banners. Milo six times won the palm at
both the Olympian and the Pythlan
games. He is said TO have run mile
with four year old OK upon his shoul-
der, and afterward killed the animal with
one blow of his fist, and ate the entire
carcass in one day. So great was his
muscular power that he would bind
cord round his head and break it by the
swelling pressure Of the veins. An ordi-
nary meal for Milo was twenty pounds of
meat, as mach bread, and fifteen pints of
wine.
Polvdamus of Thessalia, was OF colos
sal height and prodigious strength. and 1t
Is said, alone and without weapons, killed
an enormous enraged lion. One day, 1t
is recorded, he seized bull by his hind
feet, and the animal only escaped by
leaving the hoof in the grasp Of tho nth-
ste.
The Roman Emperor Maximus was up
ward of eight feet in height, and like
Milo of Crotona, could squeeze to powder
the hardest stone with his fingers, and
break the leg of horse by kick. His
wife's bracelet served him as ring, and
his every day repast was sixty pounds of
meat and amphora of wine.
While prisoner in Germany, Richard
T. accepted all invitation to n boaxing
match with the son Of the jailor. He re-
ceived the first blow which made him
staggcr, but recovering, with blow of
his fist he killed his antagonist on the
spot. Tophan, also an Englishman, born
in l7l0, was possessed Of astonishing
strength His armpits, hollow in the
case Of ordinary men, were with HIM full
Of muscles and tendons. He would take
a bar of iron, with its two ends held in
his hands. place the middle Of the bar
behind his neck, and bend the extremi-
ties by main force until they met together
and bend back the iron straight again.
One night, seeing watclman asleep IN
his box, he carried both man and shell to
great distance and put them Oh the wall
Of churchyard. Owing to domestic
troubles he committed suicide III the
prime of life.
The famous Scanderberg. king of Al
bania, who was born in lil4, was II man
Of great stature, and his feats Of sword
exercise have never been equallei. On
one occasion he struck his antagonist such
a blow with the scimitar, that Its force
cieaved him to the waist. He is SAID to
have cloven in two men who were clad IN
armor from head TO foot. On one occa-
sion the brother and nephew OF n certain
Ballaban, who had boen convicted Of
crueltics toward the Albanians, were
80 :, Lin bound together Trans
p..i.G with rage, he cut them ia two Will
one stroke Of Lis weapon.
Maurice count Of Saxony, the hero o
Fontenov, inherited the physical vigor
of his father, and was especially noted
for the surprising muscular power, ol
grip, of his hands. On one occasion
needing corkscrew, he twisted lont
iron nail round into the required shap'
with his fingers and opened half n dozeI
bottles of wine with it. Another time
when stopping At a blacksmith shop t,
have his horse shod, he picked up mum
ber of new horseshoes, and with In
hands snapped them in two az readily a
if they had been made Of glass, much t
the disgust Of the smith.
II history is TO be believed Phatyllu
Of Crotona could jump distance Of fifty
six feet The exercise was practised 9
the Olympic games and formed part 0
the course Of tho Pentahlon. Strut, a
English authority on games and amuse
ments, speaks Of Yorkshire lumpe
named Ireland, whose powers were mai
vellous He was six feet high, ana at th
age OF Is leaped, without the aid Of
springboard, over nine horses ranged sid
by side. He cleared cord extended foui
teen feet from the ground with one bound
crushed with his foot bladder suspendc
at height Of sixteen feet and ON al
other occasion lightly cleared n larg
wagon covered with an awning.
Colonel Ironside, who lived in indi
early in this century. relates that he In'
in his travels an old white haired maj
who, with one leap, sprang over the bac
of an enormous elephant fianked by 81
cameIs of the largest breed A curlor
French work. published in Paris, in 173
entitled "The Tracts Towards the Hist
ry of Wonders Performed at Fairs, mel
tons an Englishman, who. at the fair
ST Germain i'll 1924, leaped over fort
people without touching one Of them.
eur own day We are familiar with man
remarkable expositlons Of strength al
endurance DR.. Winshlp, with the Al
Of straps, lifted weight Of $500 pound
and with the little finger Of the ri9l
hnnd could raise his body considerab
distance from the ground.
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