Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-12-17
Strong Men.


to be one of the strongest men in his
empire of Herculean individuals. When
the heir apparent he one day visited his
father, the late emperor, to complain
that his mail was tampered with. The
emperor sent for the chief of police,
drew from him a confession of guilt,
and chided him in the presence of the
CZarowitZ The latter said not a word,
but handed the crestfallen functiOnary
sign of how great was bis anger in
the form of silver rouble twisted into
roll. In his younger days this was
fayorite visiting card of the CZarowitz.
He could strike a poker against his arm
and bend it, bite pieces out of china
cups, feats which were in the repertoire
of Thomas Tapham, the celebrity of Is
lington. Tapham was drayman, and
sometimes, when exhilirated by the vast
portions of liquor supplied him by ad-
mirers, he would take his horses places
between the shafts. He had playful
habit of twisting heavy kitchen pokers
into a coil about the necks of trembling
countrymen. One night, after having
astOnished tavernful with his drink
ing powers he came upon watchman
peacefully slumbering in his box, and
threw box and man over the wall of
burlal-ground. In 1871, Mr.. GregOrie,
claiming to be Il years old, astonished
the physicians and the public in town
near London by carrying seven hundred
pounds with ease, lifting an OK, and
performing other wonderful feats. A
celebrated London physician who ex-
amined GregOrie describe him as an ex-
aggerated study by Hayden. His
shoulders were prOdigious and his BIZ
ceps almost incredible. Gregorie's
strength, rather than source of pride
to him, was the cause of anxiety. AL
though the mildest of men, he lived in
dread that he should be provoked to use
his strength against fellow being. He
was afraid to nurse his own child lest
he should give it fatal squeeze. Near
ly all individuals of uncommon strength
make up in bulk what they are deficient
in height. Stanley, the African ,x-
plorer, describes a strong man who was
five feet five inches, and rather dispro-
portionately slender. lie could toss an
ordinary man ten feet III the air and
catch him in his descent. He would
take one of the large white Muscat
donkeys by the ear and with a sudden
movement of his right foot, lay the sur
prlsed ass OH his back He could carry
three year old bullock half way
around his masters plantation. Once
he actually bore twelve men on his
back, shoulders and chest distance of
300 feet. Middle-aged people who re-
member the dawn of interest in mus
cular excises recall DIR. Winship. the
originator of the idea which was subse-
quently embodied in lifting machines.
The astonishment that the DOCTORS per-
formances created was equal TO that of
the Berliners few years ago at Jorg-
nery's feats. The most wonderful of
these was known as the trapeze feat.
The Frenchman hung suspended by his
legs from a swinging bar, and, by sheer
muscular strength. lifted heavy horse
and rider OF thesIage, suspending them
several minutes, and then letting them
down gradually and eyentiy as ne rals-
ed them. Mervine Thompson s achieve
ment at Rochester, n. y, last year was
however, in the opinion Of competent
Thompson laid his face downward on
firmly-fixed ladderand resisted the ef-
forts of a team of powerful horses TO
pull him from that position A news
paper writer, in reviewing this wonder
full performance, remarks that the little
mention with which it escaped could
happen only in a nation where strong
men were common. The same feat in
1915 gave William Joy the name of the
English Samson. The medical faculty
of Vienna thought the strength OF
Joseph Posplschilli worthy of discussion
at several special meetings. This man
held table suspended by his teeth
while three gypsies danced upon it. He
and one Of his brothers bore upon their
shoulders a sort of wooden bridge while
a horse drawing cart full Cf stones
was driven over it. PoSpischilli's
strength was thought TO reside in his
neck, and his bones were said 70 be
twice as large as the usual size.