Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-12-10
A MODERN SAMSON.
BREAKING STEEL CABLES AS lF THEY wERs COTTON THREADS.

Though He Spells His Name Differ.nt1x
 His Feats of Strength Are Almost q,
 Wonderful as Those of the Man of olden l Times.
 When James Wilson, the expansionist. was
 described in these columns few weeks ago
 it was believed by the medical fraterqsity and
 by all who saw Mir. Wilson in his wonderful
 performances that noother man on the face of
 the earth possessed such strength. But The
 Evening Suns freak hunter has been prowl-
 Ing about town for fortnight, seeking a
 parallel Tor Wilson, and yesterday found nm. The new mans name is Charles H.
 Sampson. He is 30 years of age, of medium
 build and height, not a man who would be
 picked out as a giant in strength, but a
 quiet, ordinary looking person.
 MT. Wilson broke great trunk straps one at a time Mir. Sampson breaks three of the same straps at once Mr. Wilson broke nine steel wire cables ofleight strands each, with the power of his chest. Mr. Sampson broke in the presence of the reporter 125 thicknesses of the same steel wire cable, or, in all, 1,OO0 strands.
 He went still further and broke a steel trace chain, such as are in use on truck harness. fastening it about his chest and bursting its links like so much glass The same chain, link by link, he deliberately pulls in two with hls hands. Gas pipe an inch in diameter he bends into elbows by striking the length of the pipe across his left arm. He has sue cessfully pulled in tug of war against twelve strong men.
 The reporter obtained an interview with ME sampson in a private room in an uptown residence. The name of the man is at once Doked upon as an assumed one, for the very reason that it fits his profession so we'll. Nevertheless his true name is Sampson.
 Charles G. Sampson was born on the 10th az April, 1859, in Baden, Germany, and is. therefore, almost 80 years of age. He came h> America only short time since, after having travelled all over Europe exhibiting his strength.
 SWAPPING THE STEEL CHAINS
 Selecting piece of steel chain about three feet long, MT. Sampson forced open one of the links and formed ring of the chain, just large enough to fit over the biceps muscle of the arm. A second chain was formed in the same manner and carefully fitted. When the arm was allowed to hang loosely at the side, these chains were found to fit snugly about the biceps. Then Mr. Sampson's fingers began to twitch and close spasmodically, the muscles and tendons of his arm slowly swelled and increased in size, his forearm was carefully carried upward and as the elbow crooked the strain upon the chains be- came tremendous. The arm was further bent, when there was sharp snap, piece of each chain flew to the ceiling and the chains dropped to the floor, broken squarely in two. There was no flake" about it. It was genuine feat in strength, which no other man, so far as is known, has ever ac- complshed The chain is made from steel, fi ptNpyN %teS- -l. Al. in double links an inch and a half long, The tensile strength is estimated at about 1, 900 pounds. Mir. Sampson says it does not in- convenience him in the least to break them, aud he apparently does it with as much ease as if bending his arm with nothing on it at all.
 Taking up a roll of the small steel wire cable previously referred to, MT. Sampson made belt of it, containing 125 lengths of 1 the cable, which he wrapped around his l chest. II don't propose to break this cable l by expansion" he said, flor have but very | little chest expansion. You will notice, how 1 ever, that the muscles in my back and sides | are wonderfully developed. By swelling l them up accomplish the same result Mir. l Wilson docs with his wonderful lungsn A | quick twist of his body, sudden swelling 1 of all the muscles of his chest, back and | shoulders, strain on the cable and it parted l with metallic snap, in less than three | seconds from the time he began
 A CONTEST WITH FOURTEEN MEN.
 "In St. Petersburg" said Mir. Sampson, | Il had large ring made from inch iron. The ring was feet in diameter. I stood in the middle of it and fourteen strong men had | hold of the ring. They tried to push me or move me out of certain limit marked on the floor, but could not I can and will | withstand the combined strength of any eight men you have in this city, not barring Sullivan, Mitchell, or any one else"
 In 1878 Mir. Sampson started on tour of the continent and was seen by many royal patrons of manly sport. He has received fifty decorations and medals for his prowess, or which forty-eight are from royal donors. Some of them are magnificent specimens of fine handiwork on gold.
 On Aug. 10, 1878, Mir. Sampson engaged to day steer with his fist. The feat was Der. formed with a single blow in the presence oi Emperor Wilhelm and Emperor Francis Joseph. He wears @ handsome decoration | sommemorating that event.
 This feat Of skill and strength was re- oeated at Ems, Germany; St. Petersburg and Paris, Mir. Sampson striking but single blow upon each of the occasions except the ast. In this case the steer was running and lis aim was not true, but the first blow znocked the animal down and second rushed its skull During his professional experience this Hercules has suffered broken rms no less than seventeen times. He does lot attribute his great strength to any freah f nature, but says it is the result of careful raining and exercise. He has already been cen in public in this city, and is the wonder I all who See him.-New York Evening Sun