Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1890-07-19
Tile Uuequalcd Feats Performed by
an Eighteenth Century Samson.

an Eighteenth Century Samson.
The first thea trA mana rofa Ber-
Hin. johann Karl Won TX kcnbere,
,ESwas.th soscalIed sman ofstrengttl3
fwllosfioWetls himself early two
ajiuntlrad Yeats 8 sn.::fi Is ;;.s (: IN e.
r.flientas, a lilete f@liisslliI ate
!likt Known ept MS ills his ca 3:
hea FIRE m an !lesy!:l s !.
fond sis:tlie first Berlin the rs
awase ten tYe y}yyri tei 10
HAL Eli M itle "a q
3sl go CHI eeiffll Gentts
published SO q: s.
IEEiecantiNiine ssrsil 4 ty. IS:
10 cco ltis prove s. :; 4';sg
81 an athlete iIIie eig llfoelftthlI
icenturyswe, q o NOTING ant ne sc
Angus .ofi Sax ny. lyI ID e
Pnland, commonly lleds q
sstroin who con- satf.
friiesfi s trollsj
~ Iliss sword, and .lsasifl ~ y
gllisfraH himself in alIEkia1S of
respectable performances of his
EstrengtI,. hut another Hercules,wlio
lswouId. have wrapped the strong
f.August arOnnl his little. finger if
lssncll thing would lave been per-
Emitted. This man was the athlete
EJ0llann Karl Won Eckenlierg, wkO
Fin the twcnties and thirties of the
llast century showed liSprodnctions
Fnf strength in pnhlic. He was the
Enlosf stately of all gymnasts. and
Ewas born in the town Of large
Erode. and. out of respect to his ma
l.tiye tnwr, he called himself for IL
time on his bill posters Samson
fHrrules. Hartmann
+ fl ho,tIrrs on the fabulous what
his contemporaries related Of his
Observation-Disclosures ofstrength.
IsHe broke an anchor rope us If it
were ordinary thread; iron nails
and hollis lsc turned playfnlly be-
tween his fingers into screws; a
cannon pipe j." carriad around as
Afr were Il l,:.liy. His teeth were
:as strong as iron. He bit into
Ipiece of oak wood: thin 81 strong
Icart-horSr WAS lafilrSSrd tn il. III
spite ct the horse being urged or.
lit was unable "a phil thr stick ont
of the ingglrr'S mouth or to pull
1.-The athlete from !lc place whore he
stood. a bench made of wood,
sixteen feet long, h" grasl:ed with
Iiis teeth by one end and carried
fit around. while 81 tlnnprtrr.hlow-
sinG his instruments sat IN the other
end.
His arms was more powerful
than his teeth lie spread ont his
Fllands, on each one was placed u
bottle of wine, then a rope was ar.
Itacllrd 10 each wrist and to each
rope there were three men from
;itlle audience who pulled with I'LL
their might. so as to make it i'm
possible for the Hercules TO convey
tile wine to his month. All their
lls:ss.;,l WAS without avail,as the arms
of the gymnaSt hent themselves
irresiStal,ly, and llrnnght the jag
70 his mourn witl.ouy splitting Il
drop Of wine.
Tic generally saved his grandpsL
performance of $ rcngtll nn'il the
close of the exhibition. He us
cended scallold of beams. under
which WAS Il plltform of thick
planks fastened on strong chains.
a trnmpetcr mounted on horse,
clad us a herald, rode upon the
platform and played his tune. The
Hercules then took = place on the
point oftllc scaifulding.h held a glass
of vine in one hand ard with the
other, Ivy means of the chains,
lifted the heavy platform. he
horse and trnmpetcr high MP from
the noor,and for Il little while held
the whole weight. the trlmpetcr
shrilly blowing Il tune, while the
athlete drank the glass Of wine. ut
the Same time giving toast ia HE
ma gistratc and the citizens of the
city in which he Happened to be
staying.
When Herr Won Eckenherg hc-
came older his power gradually
left him, therefore he gave up he
berculean business and became
chief theatre manager of Berlin,
where he for some time possessed
two show booths, which, however,
did not bring him as large an in
come as did his exhibition Of great
strength. But when he had the
large income lie did not know how
to save. lie had a competifor.Pe
ter HiTIerdlng. who had a Show
booth with privileges, and at The
same time was practical joker
and clown under the name of Pan.
talon de BisognoSi. Provoking
ouarrels with this man cmbittered
the life of he "man of strength"
so that he took 10 drinking, which
Was his RUN at last. His numerous
creditors seized both bis booths
with all belongings; completely
impovcrlshing the celebrated Her
icnles. who died in the year 1851.
London Spectator.