St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-10-09
WITH MUSCLES OF STEEL.
A Former Detroiter Who Claims
to Be the Strongest Man in the
World

A Former Detroiter Who Claims
to Be the Strongest Man in the
World.
Detroit Free Press.
Among other men who have con-
tributed to scatter the name of Detroit
among civilized people is c. A. Samp-
son, former resident of this city, and
who still lays claim to Detroit as his
home. Mr.. Sampson, as his name i'm
plies, has attained worldwide celebrity
as man of steel muscles. he claims
to be the strongest man in the world,
and, whatever there may be in his per-
formance to the contrary, he invariably
amaZeS the spectators.
His favOrite feats of strength are
bending iron bars, swapping chains. and
marvellous use of chest power. He
paid recent visit to London, England,
where he attracted widespread news
paper notice and comments, and tempted
Russian named Sandow to challenge
him for $500 per side to competitive
exhibition. Sandow was declared win
ner by judge who afterward turned
out to be his hacker in a contest in
which the Russian refused to exhibit
his strength on the apparatus provided
the award and"refuSed to pay the money
to Sandow except upon another trial,
but the Russian kept out of sight.
MIR. Sampson has returned to Amer
lea, and paid the Free Press a visit
recently. He recOuntS with much pleas
ure some of his experiences in the Eng
liSh metropolis.
"a person came to one of my exhibit
tiOns," said he, (which was held at the
Westminster aquarium, with some SOW
ereiguS and steel chain in his pocket.
His diSlnclinatiOn to believe in my
strength was even stronger than my
powers. He handed the chain to me
and offered a sovereign for every link
that broke: l examined the
chain, passed it to the audience.
and closed the finger of my left
hand over one of the links. A loud
snap was heard and one link was
broken. went gently on with my task
until had broken seven or eight links,
and the astonished man told me to hold
on because he had only four sOver-
eigns.'
Mr.. Sampson produced the London
Star of Sept. 10, 1889, relating this Incl
dent at length.
At another time he found his muscle
extremely useful, as related in the fol-
lowing from the London Sportsman,
Aug. IA, 1889:
Sampson, the strong man, found his
muscle extremely useful the other
night. He was having walk in COM
pany with friend when they met two
'sky-larking Holsters from the barracks
The soldiers thought they would have a
joke at the expense of the two and
pushed SIMPSONS companion into the
gutter. Then the man of might rose
up-not in his wrath, for he is an ex-
tremely good-tempered man-and took
hold of the two military gentlemen.
Their craniums ratified together like
unpacked eggs and the two warriors
soon felt certain that it is better to
know your man before you take him
on. Sampson and his friend walked on
Il peace.
At some time this week Mr.. Sampson
will give private exhibition for the ex-
elusive benefit of newspaper reporters
and physicians. and an announcement
will be made later. One of his 'jokes,' %
as exhibited at the Free Press Office last
evening, was to take ten-cent silver
pieces, quarters and half-dollars be-
tween the thumb and forefnger of either
hand and snap them in halves as if they
were lead. He has an open challenge
to anybody for from $500 to $4,000 in a
Competitive exhibition of strength upon
apparatus to be inspected beforehand