Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-03-07
MEN OF MUSCLE.
rEATs THAT STRONG MEN HAVE
PERFORMED.
Athletes Who I'uiIed hsainst Horses
TRICKS by which Strength
iAis' Is Observation-Disclosures r. .ii,.i
Magnetic Girls. lf,ntel

Many stories have been told of tho
strength of certain characters among the
ancicnts. Of this number one WINS of
homan tribune who wont by the name
oi the Second Achilles, who is said to
nave killed ut different times three hun.
drcd of the enemy, and who, when
trcacherously set upon by twenty-five of
ms countrymcn, although tllen past his
siStieth year, killed fourteen Of them be-
'orc he was slain. Milo, OF Crotona, is
smd to have lifted an OK Weighing one
Thousand pounds, and wilton he stood u,,.
right niimberof men could not force.
him out of his place Piny tells oil one
Athauatifs who walked across tho starc
loaded with breast plate weighing 800
pounds and b,,skins of the same weight.
but OF all the men OF prodigio,s strength
Oh whom We have any account in history
Is MAXIMUM, tho Emperor of Rome, is to
he rcckoncd the foremost. He was by
olrth Thacian and simple hcrdsnan.
Tic was nearly nine feet in height, and
SAD To be the best proportion,d man in
The Empire. lie used the bracelet Of his
wife asa ring for his thumb. In The
theatre Ill the presence OF NIL the citi-
Hens, he overthrow twelve of tho strong
est mon IN wrestling, and outstrippcd
two nj the swiftust horses in running
nli iii one day. He could draw loaded
'hari"t which two strong horses could
not move. lie could break horses
jaw with blow OF his list anil his ribs
with . kick This giant gradually rose
through NIL the yradationS of Office until
he came to he Emperor. He rcigncd
Tor some years, Mtcd by everybody, but
40 feared on account Of his brutality and
hrs physical strength That no one ,lnrcd
to put him to death. lie conspircd
against Alexander Scvrrus and caused
him TO br murdered in his tent. Ilu also
put to death II Roman Senator with four
thousand other persons for an alleged
conspiracy. Finally the soldiers mutinicd
aud killed him A. ID. 23S.
Fumus, = native Of Sclcuca, who wns
executed by the Emperor Airclian for
cspousing the cause of Zcnobia, was cclc-
braicd for his strength 1t is said that
he could suffer iron to he forged upon M
| anvil which wns placed upon his breast.
This he did by lying on his back, resting
his feet and shoulders against somc SUP
port, thus forming I'M arch with his
body.
In 1873 there lived in Lancashire, Eng.
land, man by the name of John Middle
ton, who was remarkable for the lnrnc
hcss OF his stature aud for his remarkable
strength. His hnnd was seventeen inches
long and his height nine feet thrcr inches.
story is told OF nm English miner in
the eighteenth century, whose finger
being caught In rhnin Mt the bottom OF
n mine, by keeping il fornibly bcnt he
supported by TINT means the whole
weight of his body GAO po,inds) until ho
was drawn up To the surface, u height of
six hundred feet. About the year 1908
Il nntivc OF Kent, England, by the name
OF Joyce exhibited such fcats Of strength
IN London that he received tho name of
tho second Samson. His own personal
strength w'is very great, but he also dis
covered various positions OF the body in
which rlcn even Of common strength
could perform very surprising fcais lie
drew against horses and raised tremcn-
dous weights, and exhibited himself sue
cessfully for eight or ten years, but his
methods were eventually discovered, and
many individuals of ordinary strength
exhibited II number Of his principal per-
Iormnnccs.
A German named Van Eckcbcrg
Travelled through Europe in the early pr;
OF the eighteenth century under the nj
pcllation Of "Sanson," which then ~
now, was Il fnvoric name for strong men
This man was of middle sizc and Of
ordinary strength, but by certain methods
and devices he was anlc u perform the
most extraordinary fcats. For in.
stance, sitting upon an inclined
board, with his feet little higher
than his hips, the latter being placed
against M upright board, well secured, Il
strong girdlc with I'M iron ring in front
was placed around his loins; to this ring
n rope was fastened; the rope passed be.
tween his legs through n hole in the up.
right board, against which his feet were
braccd, and several men or two horses
pulling on the ropp were unable TO draw
him out of his place. Again, he fast
cncd rope to high post having passed
1t through mn iron eye fixed in the side
of the post lower down, and secured il
to his girllc; he thcn planted his feet
against the post near the iron eye, with
his legs contracted, and suddenly stretch
ing out his legs broke the rope and fell
backward ON II feather bed. lie would
lie on the ground while stone OF huge
dimensions was laid upon his breast and
broken with n blow fror, II great ham
mcr. lie would lie down upon the
ground, and, man being placed on his
knees, would draw his heels toward his
body, and raising his knees lift the man
gradually, till. having brought his knees
pcrpendicnlnry under him, he raised his
own body up, and placing his arms
around the mans legs, rose with him and
set him down on low table. Finally he
was elevated on framework and rope
fastc:el TO scale which hang below was
attached 10 his girdle, heavy cannon
resting on the scale which lay upon roll
crs upon the floor. When all was read y
the rollers were knocked away and the
cannon remained supported by the