Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1891-03-19
A MAN OF STRENGTH.
The UneGuaIed Feats Performed by an
Eighteenth Century Samson.


Johann Karl Won Eckenberg, was the
so-called man of strength" who showed
himself nearly two hundred years ago.
first as juggler, then as athlete OF
his life little is known except as in his
career as theater manager. as he was
the founder of the first berlin theater.
He was extensively written Of, and an
article under the title Of An Athlete
of the Eighteenth Century" published
some years ago and recently unearthed,
gives an interesting account of his
prowess, as follows:
By an athlete Of the eighteenth cent
ury we do not mean the Prince Fred
erick August, Of Saxony, King of Po-
land, commonly called August the
Strong, who could knock of the head OF
an OK with one stroke of his sword. and
besides distinguished himself in all
kinds of respectable performances of
strength. but another Hercules. who
would have wrapped the strong August
around his little finger if such thing
would have been permitted. This man
was the athlete Johann Karl Won Ecken-
berg, who in the twenties and thirties
of the last century showed his produc-
tions of strength in public. lie was the
most stately of all gymnasts, and was
born in the town of Harzgerode. and, out
of respect to his native town, he called
himself for a time on his bill posters
Samson Hercules, Hartmann.
1t borders on the fabulous what his
contemporaries related of his remark
able exhibitions of strength He broke
an anchor rope as if it were ordinary
thread; iron nails and bolts he turned
playfully between his fingers into
screws; a cannon pipe he carried around
as if it were baby. His teeth were as
strong as iron. He bit into a piece of
oak wood; then a strong cart-horse was
harnessed TO it. In spite of the horse
being urged on, it was unable to pull
the stick out of the jugglers mouth or
to pull the athlete from the place where
he stood. bench made of wood, six
teen feet long he grasped with his
teeth by one end and carried it around,
while a trumpeter, blowing his instru-
ment, sat on the other end.
His arm was more powerful than his
teeth. He spread out his hands, on
each one was placed bottle of wine,
then a rope was attached to each wrist
and to each rope there were three men
from the audience who pulled with all
their might, so as to make it impossible
for the Hercules to convey the wine to
his mouth. All their zeal was without
avail, as the arms of the gymnast bent
themselves irresistibly, and brought tho
Jug to his mouth w hout splitting drop
of wine.
He generally save grandest per-
Torrance of strenth until the close of
the exhibition. He assembled scaffoid
of beams, under which was platform
of thick planks fastened on strong
chains. A trumpeter mounted on a
horse, clad as a herald, rode upon the
platform and played his tune. The
Hercules then took place on the point
of the scaffolding, held glass of wine
in one hand and with the other, by means
of the chains. lifted the heavy plat
form, the horse and the trumpeter high
up from the floor, and for a little while
held tho whole weight, the trumpeter
shrilly blowing tune, while the ath-
lete drank the glass of wine, at tho
same time giving a toast to the magis-
trate and the citizens Of the city in
-vhich he happened to be staying.
When Herr Won Eckenberg became
older his power gradually left him,
therefore he gave up the herculean bust
ness and became chief theater manager
of Berlin, where he for some time pos
sessed two show booths, which, how
ever, did not bring him as large an in
come as did his exhibition of strength.
But when he had the large income he
did not know how to save. He had a
competitor, Peter Hilferding, who had a
show booth with privileges, and at the
same time was a practical joker and
clown under the name of Plantation de
Bisognosi Provoking quarrels with
this man cmbittered the life of the
IMAM Of strength" so that he took to
drinking, which was his ruin at last
His numerous creditors seized both his
booths with all belongings, completely
impoverishing the celebrated Hercules,
who died in the year 1754.-London
Spectator.