The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-12-25
BRITISH SAMSONS.
Mon Who Showed Physical Strength Be-
yond Ordinary MortaIs.

yond Ordinary Mortals.
One of the most remarkable of these
was Thomas Topham, who. about tbs
year l740, kept the Red Lion publ
house at the corner of City road. AL
though of average size and appearance.
he soon attracted attention by his pro-
digious strength. Some of his feats are
almost incredible. By striking an iron
poker an inch thick on his bare arm he
could bend it to q right angle, and
pewter measures were crushed between
his fingers. Standing on q platform he
raised a weight of eight hundred
pounds. He could break two inch rope
as shop man breaks Irvine. Whilst at
Derby his performance was patronized
by Mr.. Chambers, the vicar of All
Saints, man of great weight in his
parish weighing, in fact, twenty seven
stone.
We know not whether the performer
adopted the modern fashion of asking
gentlemen from the audience to step up
and assist him, but presume this to nave
been the case, and that among the rush
of small boys on receiving the invita-
ton the reverend gentleman was OBJ
served to gain the platform. Here he
was induced to lie down, and Topham,
placing one hand under his body. gently
raised him from the floor. The delight
ed audience then beheld Topham pros
trate on his back, with three men, each
weighing fourteen stone, sitting upon
him to keep him down. which they
failed to achieve.
In addition to his strength of body
he possessed a powerful pair of lungs
and voice of great compass, of which
he was intensely proud, 50 much SO that
he sang solo to the organ in st. Wer-
bury's Church, completely drowning
that instrument and emptying the sa-
cred edifice of its terrified congregation.
Many of his feats were of humor-
Gus character. A hostler having had
the temerity to insult him, he tied an
iron kitchen spit round his neck, leav-
ing the ends protruding under his chin.
Passing Waterman who was asleep
in his box he took up both box and
sleeper on his back. carried them some
distance. and threw them over wall
into church-yard. The thoughts of
super 5titious old man on being thus
rudely awakened from his dreams to
find himself mixed up with his box and
gravestones may be easily imagined
On another occasion a butcher, strug-
Cling along under the weight of nearly
half an OK, which he carried on his
back. happened to pass an open window
at which Topham was seated in calm
meditation, with his mug of beer
before him, and was surprised
TO find himself suddenly relieved of
the weight, and as, on looking up, he
failed to see any indications of his beef
floating in the air, he fed in great ter
ror, fully persuaded that his meat had
gone to supply the table of the evil
one. But Topham's strength of mind
was in inverse ratio to that of his body.
Maddened by his wife's Inconsistency,
he put an end to his existence, previ-
ously. lest she might too soon forget
him, bestowing upon her tremendous
thrashing.
A man who was for many years en-
ployed in carrying and delivering to
subscribers the weighty opinions of
the Hereford journal. undertook, for a
wager, a more difficult task. Nine
hundred and seventy pounds of wheat
was packed into three bags specially
constructed, and carried by him three
times round the Hereford town hall.
One of the bags was placed on each
shoulder; the other placed across and
securely fastened to them.
Dan ell Gu ,rton, shoemaker, dis
covering that he possessed enormous
strength in his jaw, gave up his honest
calling and took to exhib ting himself
in public houses. One OF his tricks
was to place his hands under his arm
pits, and. taking the glass between his
elbows. carry it to his mouth, and in
this way drink as much liquor as his
admirers would pay for. He raised a
large mahogany table with his teeth
and hattened pewter pots by beating
them between his elbows. He had a
strong appetite for drink, which caused
him to die in want. London Iit-Rits.