The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-07-25
SHE IS A HERCULES.
WONDERFUL FEATS OF A LNTLE
FIvE-YEAR-OLD GIRL.

AA.AA
the Spirit Of . Giant Soldier IL In Her
Up in the hills and health giving at
mosphere OF Sullivan county lives q vet
eran Of the civil war named John 81.
Laird. He had rather more than a full
share Of southern hospitality shown to
Union soldiers at Libby and Anderson
vile prisons, and when at the end of
the wal ne left the army he was broken
in health and to all appearances prema-
turely aged.
van county. When he took the farm, it
was with the expectation Of speedily dy-
ing there. He had lost sight, however,
Of the fact that nobody ever dies in Sui
livan county except by accident, and at
the end Of II years, when he found he
couldn't die, he did the next best thing
and got married.
If he hadn't, this story would never
have been written, for there would then
have been no brown eyed, rosy checked,
dimple faced beautiful little Jessie
Maud Laird to throw the whole Of Sui
livan county into a state Of admiration
and wonder, as she is today doing.
1t was the fame Of 5-year-o2d Jessie
Maud that dragged a reporter over the
interminable hills to Hurd g Settlement.
When he met the veteran, he took him
quite naturally for the grandfather of
the infant prodigy. That he is the
child's father, although rapidly nearing
60, seems to lend an added interest to
the remarkable gift of physical strength
possessed by the girl. A man apparent
ly wrecked in health by years of con-
tinement in rebel prisons, who tries in
vain for IL years to die, who then mar
ries a woman 20 years younger than
himself and in the course Of the next IS
years becomes the father of six children,
the last Of which even in tender infancy
gives promise of becoming q female San
dow or Samson, would seem to merit
some form Of recognition from a graft
fed and grateful government. 5
This little girl, who was 5 years
old last December, weighs exactly 40
pounds. Her mother declares that she
has never had a sick day in her life.
She began to go to school when she was
Az years old. The schoolhouse is a
mile from the farmhouse, and Maud
walked both ways every day.
1t was with great surprise that Farm
er Laird learned the mission Of the re-
porter. He has no idea of foisting the
little girl upon the public as an infant
prodigy, and it was with some Difficult
ty, increased by the bashfulness of lit
tie Miss Hercules herself. that an exhi-
bition Of her strength could be had. A
bride Of unlimited candy finally induced
her to come out from behind the shelter
OF her mothers chair-the mother, by
the way, being q comedy tut uncom-
monty fragile looking woman-and ex-
hibit her muscle.
The old veteran, who couldn't con-
ceal the pride he felt in his interesting
flock Of youngsters, led the way toward
the barn, followed by the six children.
Maud, although she was barefooted,
walked more like the pupil of a dane
ing master than a country girl Of 8.
In the yard, near the entrance to the
barn, was a coil or spool Of barbed wire
weighing % POUNDS.
Lift it, CAL" said the farmer to his
oldest boy. The ~11-year-old lad laid
hold of the crosspins which stuck out
at the end Of the spool, and with q big
tug, which visibly frightened the cords
in the calves Of his bare legs, raised it a
few inches from the ground.
"Now, Maud" said the farmer, and
the little girl planted herself squarely
behind the big spool, which reached up
to about midway between her knees and
her thighs. Without any %perceptible eff
fort she raised the spool and held it up
for several seconds.
If there had been any reddening Of
the face or putting out of the veins the
spectacle would not have been an edify-
ing one But there was nothing Of the
sort.
Mr.. Laird then placed stones which
weighed 30 pounds on top of the spool
and asked Maud to lift again. The re-
suit was precisely the same, and all evil
dences Of violent exertion were missing.
The combined weight of the spool and
stones was two pounds more than dou-
BILE the weight Of the little girl herself.
The average man weighs perhaps $50
pounds, but the man who can raise from
the ground and hold in the air 800
pounds Of dead weight is a great way
above the average.
II don't know how much Maud can
lift" said her father, "but I won't let
her try more than that"
AT this moment, however, the amaz-
ing little Hercules threw her plump
arms around the legs of her eldest broth
er and lifted him into the air, thus de-
m~onstrating her ability at all events to
go as high in the lifting scale as SO
pounds.
Farmer Laird has q theory that the
spirit Of his father, who was q Scotch
man and a sergeant in the English army
and who was famed for his prodigious
strength, has entered into the grand
daughter. If that is 80, no British SOL
dier ever assumed a lovelier or more at
tractive disguise. New York World.
Together In Insanity.
The transfer Of Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas
Coles Of Fishing Greek township to the