Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-01-10
NO. 8.
miscellaneous.
Muscular Men.
SOME FAMOUS FEArs OF STRENGTH.


Among the Greeks the successful athe.
lete was crowned with laurels and loaded
down with wealth and honors. When
| Egnetus, in the ninety-second Olympiad,
triumphant in games. entered Agrigen-
tum. his native home. he was attended by
an escort of three hundred chariots. each
drawn by two white hos and followed
by the populace. cheering and waiving
banners. Mile six times won the palm at
both the Olympian and the Pythian games.
| He is said to have run mile with four
wear old OK on his shoulder. and aiterward
killed the animal with one blow Of his
| fist. N d ate the entire carcass in one day.
So great was his Muscular power that he
would bind cord round his head and
break il by the swelling of the veins. An
ordinary meal for Milo was twenty pounds
of meat, as much bread. and fifteen pints
of wine.
| Polydamus of Thcssalia. was Of colossal
height and prodigious strength. and it is
said, alone and without weapons, killed
an enormous enraged lion. One day it is
recorded he seized bull by his hind feet,
and the animal only escaping by leaving
the hoof in the grasp of the athlete.
| The Roman Emperor Maxmus 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
wiie's bracelet served him "a a ring, and
his every day repast was sixty pounds of
meat and an amphoro Of wine.
While prisoner in Germany, Richard.
| |. accepted an invitation to a boxing match
with the son of the lailer. He received
the first blow which made him stagger.
but recovering. with blow of his fist. he
killed his antagonist on the spot Top
ham. also an Englishman, born I7l0, 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 bar OF iron
with its two ends held in his hands, place
the middle bar behind his neck, and bend
the extremites bv main force until they
met together and back the iron straight
again. One night, seeing watchman
asleep in his box. he carried both man
and shell to great distance and put them
on the wall of church-vard. Owing to
domestic troubles he committed suicide in
the prime of life.
The famous Scanderbeg. king of AL
bania who was born in l4l4, was a man
of great stature. and his feats of sword
exercise have never been eCualled. On
one occasion he struck his antagonist such
blow with the scimitar, that its force
cleaved 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 certain
Ballaban. who had been convicted of cru
city towards the Albanians. were brought
to him bound together. Transported with
rage he cut them in two with one stroke of
his weapon.
Maurice. count of Saxony. the hero of
Fontenoy. inherited the physical vigor OF
his father. and was especially noted for
the surprising muscular power. or grip.
of his hands On one occasion. needing
a cock-screw. he twisted long iron nail
round into the reauired shape with his fin
gers and opened half dozen bottles Of
wine with it. Another time. when stop
ping at blacksmith shop to have his
horse shod. he picked up a number of
new horseshoes, and with his hands snap
ped them in two as readily as If they had
been made of glass. much to the disgust
of the smith.
If history is to be believed, Phatvllus Of
Crotona could Jump distance of fifty-six
feet. The exercise was practiced at the
|
course Of the Pentahlon. Strut. an Eng
lish authority on games and amusements.
speaks Of a Yorkshire jumper named Ire
land, whose powers were marvellous. He
was six feet high, and at the age of eigh-
teen leaped, without the aid Of spring
board. over nine horses ranged side by
side. He cleared q cord extended four
teen feet from the grorRd with one bound.
crushed with his foot bladder suspended
at height Of sixteen feet and on another
occasion lightly cleared large wagon
covered with an awning.
/ Colonel lronsidc who lived in India
early in this century. relates that he met
in his travels an old whtc-haired man,
who, with one leap. sprang over the back
Of an enormous elephant flanked by six
camels Of the larges. breed. A curious
French work published in Paris in 1887.
entitled ''Tbe Tracts Towards the History
Of Wonders performed at Fairs" men,
tions an EnglIshman. who. at the fair Of
ST. Germain in 1724, leaped over forty
people without touching one of them. In
our own day VIC are familiar with many
remarkable expositions of strength and
endurance. DIR. Winship with the aid Of
straps lifted weight of 8, 500 pounds, and
with the little finger of his right hand
could raise his body considerable DIS
| fance from the trround - Hurfford pos{