The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1883-05-23
A MODERN SAMPSON.
The strsBG Man Of Washington County
N. Y.-What He Could De.

In Troy paper recently appeared an
article giving short history OF the life
and doings OF Abner McIlrath, OF Euclid,
Ohio, and in that article he was repre-.
sented rs the strongest man in America
while living, with the exception OF that
famous strong man Of northern New
York, Joseph Call. The greatest feat
OF strength claimed for Mcllrath was the
lifting Of an iron shaft which weighed
LOO pounds, and it is also stated that he
lifted it by grasping it with his hands,
which, it is claimed, would be equal to
lifting twice that weight in harness. IL
would be useless to deny the fact thai
Abner McIlrath was mighty man. But
! propose TO give short sketch Of the
life Of a man who wis but little known
outside of the village of Granville Cor
ners in Washington County, where he
was born and spent the most Of long
iiie. II is known of him, and can DO
proved that he has performed feats OF
strength unsurpassed by any man that
has lived in ancient or modern times,
excepting, of course, the Biblical Samp.
son.
His name Is or was Stearn Carpenter;
his occupation was that Of farmer.
Being naturally Of very quiet, peace
able disposition and member OF the
society Of Friends, he never did anything
for display 10 attract attention, but the
fcais Of strength that he performed Here
done more to satisfy himself and to see
how much he conld lift than for anything
else All Of his lifting was done by main
strength, without harness OF any kind.
One Of his greatest feats was lifting q
box filed with iron which weighed ] 800
pounds, which is equal to lifting 3, 500
pounds in harness. He lifted it with
ease with his hands by grasping rope
or chain which was bound around the
box to secure il. He did not know the
weight of the box Of iron ut the time,
and was afterward heard to say that had
he known it weighed 80 near ton he
would have put on the other hundred
pounds and lifted the whole. At another
| time he lifted cannon that weighed
: / 100 pounds and shouldered it. At
Comstock's Landing, on the Champlain
Canal, near Whitehall, one day while
waiting for load OF merchandise, he
lifted barrel Of white lead with ease.
The writer Of this article was an eye
witness to this feat, besides a number Of
others.
His ncighbors when killing hogs,
il Stearn happened to be around would
ask him TO guess the weight Of hog
just killed. II it happened TO be big
one Of 400 or 800 pounds, he would stoop
down and twist his fingers into the
hfisilcs, and in that manner lift the
carcass clear from the ground and guess
on its weight. He performed one OF the
greatest ieats Of strength on record after
he had reached the age Of Seventy-iiye
Years. He lifted two 2i-ioot iron rails
by grasping one in each hand, and
walked of with them The rails were
resting on wooden horses, so he did moi
stoop down to lift them. One day il
hnying-time he was going from the field
with his men to the house for dinner
They were walking along the road to
gether, when one Of his men, for mis-
chief, came mp behind him and by 4
skilful trip threw Carpenter down. ii,
gathered himself mp and said nothing
about il. He walked TO the house, anC
after dinner, on returning to the field
with his men, they came along to tn,
place where the man gave him the fall
He suddenly turned upon the man
and grasping him by the shoulder an'
the seat of the trousers, lifted him an,
hurled him over seven rail fence, b,
the side of which they happened 10 h
walking. The man came down in tn,
meadow rod or more from the fence
considerably shaken up but not badly
hurt. Mr. Carpenter was not gigantic
man in size. He was about six feet tall
and appeared much less than that owing
to his massive build. There was II,
supcriluous fest, upon him, but tn,
muscles oi his AIMS, shoulder and nccl
seemed to he piled upon him, SO glea
was their size. This gave him Il stoop
ing appearance. In a crowd, u caslla
observer would not he liable to pick hin
out for one of the strongest men tina
ever lived, His strength would equal i
not surpass that Of the great Roman
gladiator Milo. Mr. Carpenter is living
at the present time at Granville Corners
Washington County, y. Y, his ole
home, or was living there the last
heard Of him. HI must he over eight,
years OF age.