The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-16
A GIANTS STRENGTH HIS.
WONDERFUL FEATS PERFORMED
BIZ a CANADIAN FARMER.
Totss OF = To- or Hsy-Fieet of Foet AIss
Dsri.g Hsndspri.ss Liked 80
Crack Meas Heads when in HIs CuPs.

totes On = los OF Hey-Elect OF FOot Ain0
-His Dsrisg Hsndsprisss Likea 60
Crack Nsn's HEAD. wines in HIs C-ps.
LONDON, Ont, Dec. lathe p%erformanc es Of
sandow, Samson, and all tho other Eo-called
strong men posing on the stage to-day were a.
nothing To the feats which made Joseph Berry,
hill. a farmer living within ten miles OF this
city, famous throughout this part Of the counr
try. Berryhill Is an old man now. but II stlh
able to do things that make him n marvel In the
eyes OF those VINO see him.
lie is a tribe over six feet in height. weighs
more than 900 pounds. and is so picturesque .
igurO that he might have stepped from the page
Of some tale Of the Norsemen. so perfect Is his
blond beauty. He has always devoted himself
to farming, and Is comfortably well on. own
ing several hundred acres OF land, together with
horses, cattle, and everything else In proportion.
As q young man, Berryhill was probably as great
an athlete as ever lived. for, despite his Rreas
weight. he was 30 fleet Of foot that few pro-
fessionnl s~printers could cope with him,
while his prowess at jumping earned for hiu
a wide reputation. lie weighed perhaps
2"S pounds when 20 years Of age, and It WAS
nothing for him after a hard days work in the
fields to leap twenty feet in a single running
jump or 10 run n hundred yards in 104 seconds.
His bodily strength was remarkable, and was
perhaps his most distinguishing characteristic.
The neiEhbors all know of his feats of strength.
but the first glimpse the outside world had OF his
capabilities was when the Great Western Rail-
road, now leased by the Grand Trunk, was
building through western Ontario. %Berryhill.
among others, contracted to furnish tho railroad
with timber for ties and otho. building pur-
poses, and while hauling lumber to this city he
came under the observation OF the gang con-
structing that section Of the road. Many Of the
men remarked his size and said thathe would b
q good man TO avoid picking q quarrel with.
One day. while unloading the timber from his
sleigh. Berryhlll began laughing at six or eight
men who were striving vainly to place n pair Of
wheels and axle Of an ordinary freight car
truck on the track.
why. | could lift that on myself" he said.
" Bet you S?5 you can't" said the construo-
ton boss, instantly.
The money was staked, and Berryhill, picking
up the pair Of ponderous wheels with the axle,
walked ten or twelve steps with them and placed
them upon the rails with Us much ease a.
though they were of papier mache. Laughing
loudly, the giant jumped into his sleigh and
drove away. leaving those who had seen the feat
looking after him In open-mouthed astonish-
ment.
That was Q pretty hard winter ON some OF the
( armers, as hay had been a rather short crop,
and Joe. having q number Of horses to feed.
drove over into Missouri and began dickering
WIN y 1hTmeT IOr tOTne Oh MS tlmOtnY. Inc
NIssourian was hard listed and drove close bar
gains, and Bcrryhill finally gave up trying to
purchase the quantity he desired at anything
like = fair price. Turning to him. Bcrryhill said.
finally:
III give you SIS for what I can carry Off your
farm myself"
The bargain was made and Berryhill departed.
He came back in a few days with n sort OF rack
built on four short posts, and began piling hay
upon 1t until he Nissourian's eyes were bullying.
lie tied 1t to the rack with ropes, and then,
climbing beneath the load. carried off more than
q ton OF the farmers good timothy, that was
worth SIS a ton that winter in any market.
Leaving II on the side Of the highway. he trans
ferred IL to a sleigh and carried It home with
many a chuckle.
As young man he was in great demand at all
raising bees. 4 raising bee is quite n function
tq en's p a bar pn or rns ot tSer'ir large w ontbu i dhrn1 and
after all the timbers for the framework are in
p,,"ee; Invitations are sent out e al the farmers
and at n given signal the framework of the
building TIl d E hoI TH |, d., Int tap p%ositIaG, and rd pin, i are
ut these gatherings, and it is astonishing how
expert men become at the game. After the bee.
crs meet them at the house Of the farmer giving
the bee. aud after a substantial supper, to which
roast turkey. another a pie or two, and still an:
other a batch Of cookies, dancing is indulged
IN untll = or - u CLOCK the next morning.
One Of Berryhill's star performances on such
occasions was to turn a series Of handsprings on
the plate or top beam Of the framework afterIt
forming such evolutions forty or fifty feet from
the, ground on a surface not more than ten
inches wide was always an attraction to visitors.
and nobody ever dunlicated tho feat. In tho
woods the mans, prowess with tho axe was
hiG and as heavy again as the ordinary tool, and
50 great was his strength that at every blow It
nary thing for him TO handle logs Of wood that
a team Of horses would ordinarily, be required TO
horses got Into a light place or q pitch hole, and
were unable to extricalc the load. the giant
to MORRiis his G n"t es' a sh0 tho ,rn 10 tn %o hiGq be S over. call
When not ~ his cups Berryhil! was as mild as
4 woman and was far from being quarrelsome
nothing better than Ia crack mems heads to-
gether or 10 loss them about like n%inepins. He
family, which was ali, but e~1terminNted sixteen
miles from this place by V~igilants in the winter
with them in the tsverns which lined the old
proof line road In the days before tho London.
traffic from London 70 points north and north
west. No ordinary dozen men, unless they re-
or bottle could hold their own witt him, and
B~erryhiil usually cane out Of all such fTsys
a ms sI0 Es tsre yiSs9r about m Nth him hs s 60 il f SG. vi St
tim was u mere wisp OF straw, and II is related
Of one encounter he had in Rysn's place at FL.
friends and followers, that he twisted the heel
from GilEallin's Loot with his finger and thumb.
~tiilgallin had fed in terror up the stairs leading
to the sleeping rooms. and Berryhill, reaching
for him az he ran, caught him by the heel Of tho
boot. With one wrench he tore the stout sole
leather heel from the boot.
Berryhill is still living in London township,
and comes to the city occasionally, Ills chest
measurement Is over fifty inches, and there 10
little doubt that, although an old man, he can
to-day duplicate most OF the feats Of the strong
men +" who are on the road. Taken In hand by an
expert as u young man Berryhill would have
been the greatest Of them all.