Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-01-30
SEIISsNG MEN.
Some Remarkable Feats of Personal Prov
ess by Celebrated Characters.

The present Emperor of Russia is
said to be one of the strongest men in
his empire of herculanean individuals.
While 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 confession
| of guilt. and chided him in the pres
ence of the czarowitz. The latter said
not word, but handed the crestfallen
functionary sign of how great was his
anger in the form of a silver rouble
twisted into roll. In his younger
days this was favorite visiting card of
the czarowitz. He could strike 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 Islington, London.
Tapham was a drayman, and some
times, when exhilarated by the vast
portion of liquor given him by admir-
ers, he would take his horses place be-
| tween the shafts. He had playful
habit of twisting heavy kitchen pokers
into coil about the neck of trembling
| countrymen. One night, after having
astonished a tavernful with his drink
| ing powers, he came upon watchman
peacefully slumboring in his box and
threw the box and man over the wall
If burial ground.
In 1871, NJ. Gregorie, claiming to be
II years old. astonished the physicians
and the public of town near London
by carrying seven hundred pounds
with ease, lifting an OK, and perform
ing other wonderful feats. A celebrat-
ed London physician who examined
| Gregorie. describes him as an eXagger-
ated study by Hayden. His shoulders
were prodigious, and his bicepS almost
incredible Gregorie's strength. rather
than source of pride to him was the
cause of anxiety. Although the mild
est 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 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 six feet five inches, and
rather disproportionately slender. He
could toss an ordinary man ten feet in
the air. and catch him in his descent.
He would take one of the large white
Muscat donkeys by the ears. and, with
| a sudden movement of his right foot
Law the surprised ass on his back. He
could carry Swear old bullock half
way around his masters plantation.
Once he actually bore twelve men on
his back. shoulders, and chest, a dis
tance of 800 feet.
Middle-aged people who remember
the dawn of interest in muscular eXer-
cises, recall DIR. Winship, the origina-
tor of the idea which was subsequently
embodied in lifting machines. he as
tonishment that the doctors perform
ances created was equal to that of the
Berliners. a few years ago, at Jorg-
nerv's leafs The most wonderful of
these was known rs the trapeze feat.
The Frenchman hung suspended by his
legs from a swinging bar, and. by sheer
muscular strength, lifted heavy horse
and its rider off the stage, suspending
them several minutes, and then letting
him 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 iudg-
es, more surprising than this. Thomp-
son laid his face downward on
firmly fixed ladder and re-
sisted the efforts of a powerful
team of horses to pull him from that
position. A newspaper writer. in re-
viewing this wonderful performance.
remarks that the little mention with
which it escaped could happen only i'll
a nation where strong men were COM
mon.
The same feat. in 1915. gave William
JOY the name of the English Samson.
The medical men of Vienna thought
the strength of Joseph Pospischilli
worthy of discussion at several special
meetings. This man held table sus
pended by his teeth while three gypsie'
danced upon it. He and one of his
brothers bore upon their shoulders
sort of wooden bridge while a horse.
drawing a cartful of stones, was driven
over it. Pospischilli's strength was
thought to reside in his neck. and his
pohCs "tiC Sdlu " UC t"ICC dS al 20
the usual size.
Fishing parties and explorers in the
wilds of Northern Wisconsin were.
few years ago. familiar with Peter Pan
luette, the Sampson of the region. He
was famous woodsman, possessed OF
mighty endurance, and muscles that
were like iron. Senator Clark says:
Il have had him bare his arm TO me
and crack hickory-nuts upon his mus
Gle. 1t was like cracking them on 4
stone. He could take handful of
dried hard hickory-nuts and crush them
topieces by merely tightening his fist
On one occasion, while serving as a
guide for party of exp orers. yoke
1f oxen drawing boat down the Fox
gave out through fatigue. Panquette
took their place and hauled the boat
along, needing the strain less than the
beasts.