Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-28
STRONG MEN.


Prswess by Celebrated Characters.
The present Emperor Of Russia, say,
the san Francisco Examiner, is said to b,
one Of the strongest men in his empire o
hercuIie individuals. While the heir APP
parent, one day visited his father, the
late En- rOr, to complain that his mai
was tempered with. The Emperor sem
for the Chief Of Police, drew from him :
confession Of guilt, and chIded him in the
presence Of the CzarOwitz. The latter
said not a word, but handed the crestfaL
len functiouary a sign Of how great wa:
his anger in the form of silver roublC
twisted into a roll. In his younger day:
this was a fayOrite visiting card of the
CzarOwitz. He could strike a pokel
against his arm and bend it, bite pieces
out Of china cups, feats which were in
the repertoire Of Thomas Tapham, the
celebrity Of IslingtOn, London.
Tapham was dTayman, and sometimes
when eXhilaTated by the vast pOtiOns Of
liquor supplied him by admirers, he
would take his horses place between the
shafts. He had a playful habit of twist.
ing heavy kitchen pOkeTs into q
coil about the necks of trembling cOun.
trymen. One night, after having aston
ished a taYernful with his drinking pow
eTs, he came upon Waterman peaceful
ly slumbering in his box, and threw the
box and man over the wall of a burii..I,
grannd.
In 1871 NJ. GregOrie, claiming to be II
years old, astOnished the physicians and
the public or a town near London by car
rying 700 pounds with ease, lifting an OK
and performing other wonderful feats. A
celebrated London physician who exam
med GTegOrie describes him as an exag-
gerated study by Hayden. Ills shoulders
were prOdigiOus, and his biceps almost
Incredible. GregOTie's strength, rather
than source OF pride to him, was the
cause of anxiety. Although the mildast
OF men, he Lived in dread that he should
De provoked TO use his strength against a
fellOw-being. He was afraid 10 nurse his
own child lest ne should give it a fatal
squeeze.
Nearly all individuals of uncommon
strength make up in bulk what they are
deficient in height. Stanley, the African
explorer. describes a strong man who was
feet inches, and rather disprOpOrtiOn-
ately slender. He could toss an ordinary
man 10 feet in the air and catch him in
MS descent. He would take one of the
large white MusCat dOnkeys by the ears.
and, with a sudden movement Of his
right foot, lay the surprised ass on his
back. lie could carry a 3-year-Old bull
lN"k half way round his masters planta-
lion t,,,,- he actually bore twelve men
on his back, shoulders and chest a dis
tanceOf 800 feet.
Middle-aged people who renlo-a yer the
S',Ii ~ ~. IL u!ar exercises,
IDEA yh,~. ship, the originator of the
lie IN was subsequently, embodied in
ling machines. The establishment that
the doctors performances created was
equal 10 that of the Berliners a few years
ago at JOrgnery's feats. The most Won
derful OF these was known as the trapeZe
feat. The FTenchman hung suspended by
his legs from a swinging bar, and by sheer
muscular strength lifted a heavy horse
and its rider of the stSge, suspending
them several minutes and then letting
them down gradually and evenly as he
raised them.
Mervine ThOmpsOn's achievement at
Rochester, n. Y, last year, was, how
ever, in the opinion Of competent judges,
more surprising than this. Thompson laid
his face downward on a firmly fixed lad
der aud resisted the efforts of a team of
powerful horses to pull him from that pc
sitiOn. \ newspaper writer, in reviewing
this wonderful performance, remarks that
the little mention with which it escaped
could happen only in a nation where
strong men were common.
The same feat ! 1913 gave VIM. JOY the
name Of the English Samson.
The medical faculty Of Vienna thought
the strengthen Joseph POspischilli worthy
or discussion at several special meetings.
This man held a 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 a cart full Of stones
was driven over it. POspischilli's strength
was thought 10 reside in his neck, aud his
bones were sail TO be twice as large as
the usual size.
Fishing parties and explorers in the
wilds Of Northern Wisconsin were a few
years ago familiar with Peter Panquette,
the Samson Of the region. He was a IA
nous wOOdman, possessed Of mighty ell
Ourance. and muscles that were like iron.
senator Clark SAYS:
Il have had him bare his arm to me and
crack hickory nuts upon the muscles. 1t
was like cracking them on a stone. He
could take a handful of dried, hard
hickory nuts and crush them to pieces by
merely tightening his fist.
On one occasion, while serving as guide
for a party OF explorers. a woke of oxen
"
through fatigue. PanqUette took their
place and hauled the boat along, needing
the strain less than the beasts.
Sheppard, the wonder CT the Coventry
Volunteers, whose muscular development
answers to the description given Of Pan
quette, like the latter, wore his hair long.
With the half-5reed il was a custom
derived from his cOpper-cOlOred ancestors;
but with the rudy Englishman il was in
obedience to his belief that all his
strength lay in his flowing yellow locks.
Sheppard could lift a heavy man in each
hand and hold them at arms length. He
could toss enormous tables, barrels and
bags of -four about as though they were
filed with feathers. He cSuld take a
pewter pint pot and tear it into pieces
with his teeth, and he could MUNICH large
oyster shells rs person would MUNICH a
biscuit. Sheppard was the wonder of the
country around, but his prosperous popu-
larity developed enemies, and one Of
these, it is related, induced the strong
man to drink deeply and while sunk in
stupOr cut OF his luXuriant hair. Shep-
pard awOke, felt his bare poll, and in
tones of horror announced his strength
was gone. Whether because such was
the case. OF because he wished to excite
supersuti0us credulity, the strong man
from that moment was weak, timid and
hesitating until his hair was long again.