The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-09-10
A MODERN SAMSON.
Remarkable Feats with Cannon and Other
Heavy Weights.

hemhrkaDle Feats with Cannon and Other
Heavy Weights.
Troy Times.
lpurpose giving q short sketch of
the life OF q man who was little known
outside OF Granville Corners, in Wash
ington County, where he was born and
spent the most OF a long life. 1t is
known OF him, and can be proved,
that he has performed feats ofstrength
unsurpassed by any man who has
lived in ancient and modern times, ex-
ceptiug, of course, the Biblical Sam
son. His name is, Or was, Stearn Car
penter. His occupation was that of
a farmer. Being naturally OF a very
quiet, peaceable disposition, and
member of the Society of Friends. he
never did anything for display to at
tract attention, but the feats OF
strength he performed were done more
to satisfy himself and to see how much
he could lift than ior anything else.
All his lifting was done by main
strength, without harness OF any kind.
CliS VI CstLCSC iCflto hGto liUlllS
Il box filled with iron, which weighed
1900 pounds, which is equal to lifting
$500 pounds in q harness. He lifted
it with ease with his hands by grasp
ing q 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 afterwards
heard to say that had he known it
weighed so near a ton he would have
put on the other 100 pounds and
lifted the whole. AT another time he
lifted u cannon that weighed 1,1OO
pounds, and shouldered it. At Com
stocks Landing, on the Champlain
Canal, near Whitehall, he lifted q
barrel OF white lead with ease.
His neighbors, while killing hogs,
ii stearn happened to be around,
would ask hlm to guess the weight
OF u hog just killed. 1t it happened
to be big one, weighing 400 or
500 pounds, he would stoop down
and twist his fingers into the bristles
and in that way would lift the carcass
clean from the ground and guess on
its weight.
He performed one OF the greatest
feats OF strength on record after he had
reached the age OF seventy-five years.
He lifted two 24-foot iron rails by
grasping one in each hand and WALK
resting on wooden horses, SO he did
not stoop to lit them. One day in
haying he was going from the field
with his men to the house for dinner.
They We're walking along the road to-
gether, when one OF the men, for mis-
chief, came up behind him, and, by q
skillful trip, threw Carpenter down.
He gathered himself up and said moth
ing about it. He walked to the
house, and after dinner, when return
ing to the field with his men,
they came along to the place where
the man gave him the fall.
He suddenly turned upon the
man, and, grasping him by the shoul-
ders and the seat ofthe trousers, lifted
him and hurled him high in the air
above him and over seven-foot rail
fence, by the side OF which they hap
pened to be walking.
The man came down in the meadow
a rod or more from the fence, consid-
erably shaken up, but not badly hurt.
Mr.. Carpenter WIS not gigantic man
in size. He was about SIX feet tall,
and appeared much less than that,
owing to his massive build There
was no superhuous flesh on him, but
the muscles OF his arms, shoulders and
neck seemed to be piled upon him SO
great was their size. This gave him q
stooping appearance. In a crowd q
casual observer would not be likely to
pick him out for one Of the strongest
men that ever lived. Mr.. Carpenter is
living at the present time at Granville
Corners, Washington County, N. Y,
his old home, or was living the last l
heard of him. He must be over eighty
years OF age.