The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1883-02-14
A Modern Samson.


In The Troy Times recently appeared
an article giving short history of the
life and doings of Abner McIlrath, of
Euclid, Ohio, and in that article he was
represented as the strongest man in
America while living, with the excep-
ton of that famous strong man of north
ern New York, Joseph Call The great
est feat of strength claimed for McIlrath
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. 1t would be useless
to deny the fact that Abner McIlrath
was a mighty man.
But propose to give short sketch of
the life of a man who was but little
known outside of the village of Gran
vile Corners, in Washington County, N.
Y, where he was born and spent the
most of long life 1t is known of him
and can be proved, that he has performed
teats of strength unsurpassed by any man
that has lived in ancient or M ,.ern
times, excepting, of course, the Biblical
Samson. His name is or was Stearn
Carpenter; his occupation was that of
farmer. Being naturally of very quiet,
peaceable disposition and member of
the Society of Friends, he never did any
thing for display or to attract attention,
but the feats of strength that he per-
formed were done more to satisfy him
self and to see how much he could lift
than for anything else. All of his lift
ing was done by main strength without
harness of any kind
One of his greatest feats was lifting
box filed with iron which weighed l 900
pounds, which is equal to lifting $500
pounds in harness. He lifted it with
ease with his hands by grasping a rope
or chain which was bound around the
box to secure it. He did not know the
weight of the box of iron at the time, and
was afterward heard to say that had he
known it weighed so near ton he would
have put on the other hundred pounds
and lifted the whole. At another time
he lifted cannon that weighed 400
pounds and shouldered it. At Comstock's
Landing, on the Champlain Canal, near
Whitehall, one day while waiting for a
load of merchandise, he lifted barrel of
white lead with ease. The writer of this
article was an eyewitness to this feat,
besides a number of others His neigh
bors when killing hogs if Stearn hap
pened to be around, would ask him to
guess the weight of hog Just killed If
1T happened to be big one weighing
400 or 500 pounds he would stoop down
and twist his fingers into the bristies, and
m hot Il
from the ground and guess on its weight
He performed one of the q eatest feats OF
strength on record after he had reached
the age of seventy-fve years. He lifted
two twenty-four foot iron rails by grasp
ing one in each hand, and walked off
with them. The rails were resting on
wooden horses, so he did not stoop down
to lift them.
One day in haying time he was going
from the field with his men to the house
tor dinner. They were walking along
the road together, when one of his men,
for mischief, came up behind him and by
a skilful trip threw Carpenter down. He
gathered himself up and said nothing
about it. He walked to the house, and
after dinner, when returning to the field
WIN MS men, they came along to the
place where the man gave him the fall.
lie suddenly turned upon the man, and
grasping him by the shoulder and the
seat Of his trousers, lifted him and hurled
him high in the air above him and over
a seven-rail fence, by the side Of which
they happened to be walking. The man
came down in the meadow a rod or more
from the fence, considerably shaken up
but not badly hurt.
Mr.. Carpenter was not a gigantic man
In size. He was about six feet tall, and
appeared much less than that owing to
his massive build There was no super
huous flesh upon him, but the muscles of
his arms shoulders, and neck seemed to