The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-02-16
AMAN OF MIGHTY MUSCLE.
A Cleveland Ginnt md Some Of His AthIcti
Feats.

Cleveland, Ohio, the Leader, of that
city, says: Mr.. McDrath in many re-
spects was an extraordinary man, ply
sically speaking. He was a giant in
his build as he was six feet six and a
half inches in height, and his average
weight was about 264 pounds. AS an
athe>ete he probably did not have a
superior in the country, certainly not
since the days of that great muscular
man of northern New York, Joe Call.
In addition to his athletic characters
istics he was a great fox hunter, and
many are the stories told of incidents
connected with his chase after reynard.
He was gifted with tremendous long
wind, and the story has been told that
he would frequently chase after fox
on foot and run it down! In spite Of
his great weight, large bones, and APP
| parently ungainly size, he was re-
markedly quick as well as marvelously
athletic man. lie once lifted with his
hands from the ground an iron shaft
weighing LOO pounds, which would
be equal to lifting double that weight
were he harnessed with straps to
weights and allowed to lift under the
best advantage. Two men would hold
a string two inches above his head and
he would step back two or three steps
and jump over it without touching it,
maj ing the leap about six feet nine
inches in height. lie has been known,
rather than to lead his horses to the
other side of his barn, to put his long
arms under horse and lift it ito the
floor of the barn, which happened to be
three or four feet above the ground.
Some forty years ago gang of rowdy
sailors, a dozen in number, went out to
CAB. McDrath's tavern" on purpose to
have "a muss with him."
Uncle Alb was a most peaceful sort
of man, and would submit to a great
deal of abuse before resorting to the
last argument, but on this occasion his
ire was exceedingly excited at the pre-
posterous idea that dozen ordinary
men could run over him in his own
domicile. The result was, he went
among them, and in spite of their all
piling upon him, he took them one by
one and threw each some distance out
of the door into the snow The sailors
thereupon retreated, the most disguised
of Jack Tars at being whipped by
solitary man. He told the writer that
during that "scuffle," as he called it, he
did not dare double his fist and strike
for fear of killing. He had very
good opportunity in 1889, when he was
twenty-seven years of age, of testing
his athletic ability, which proved very
conclusively that at that time he was
probably the strongest man perhaps in
the world. He met in Buffalo Charlie
Freeman, who was then sailor, and
was known as the American giant, he
being about seven feet in height. These
two giants had wrestle to find out
which was the "smartest man." The
Cuyahoga giant was too much for
Freeman, for he threw him with ease.
Three years afterward Freeman
went to England as the champion of
America and engaged in prize-fght
with the champion of England, known
as the "Tipton Slasher," and easily de-
feated him.
These facts will give good idea Ct
"Uncle Abs" great muscular strength
and activity. Like Joe Call, he literally
never met with his match and never
doubled his fist on man for fear of
killing him. Anyone who had ever
seen his tremendously long, heavy
boned arms, encased in muscles of iron
with his sledge hammer like fists,
realized perfectly that a blow from
him partook of the nature of a kick
from a horse, and it is not at all sur
!
his fist on human being On one oc-
casion, after having hauled load of
barrels to town, he was on his return,
when he stopped at Doan's tavern to
water his horses. A couple of con-
ceited young foods from the city had
just got into their buggy, and as they
/
drove by "Ab" they thought it would
be fun to give him cut with their
whip, which they did, and then drove
off as fast as they could away
toward the town. Sab" not relishing
that kind Of treatment, his Qualler-like
disposition yielded, and he gave chase
on foot after the young bucks. For a
while the frightened fellows managed to
keep just SO far ahead of him, but their