The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-22
From the Chicago Tribf

rum tire NultdBD
A guest was walking through a hall at
the Grand Union hotel. He passed a door
which stood slightly ajar and casually
looked in. He stopped and paled. Within
the room a man was hanging himself. A
rope was suspended from the bedpost and
the moose was tightly drawn about his
neck Bounding into the room the first
man shouted:
Great heavens, man. what are you do
ing?"
''Practicin'," was the matter of fact re-
ply.
My God. this is horrible exclaimed the
guest, as he rushed into the hall for
help. Not finding anyone he darted back
into the room and fumbled nervously for
his pocket knife -
Think wen have a hard winter?'' came
from the suicide.
The weather next winter won't bother
you unless l cut you down" exclaimed the
rescuer as he opened his knife and grasp
ed the rope.
The man in the nose quickly clapped
his feet on the floor, pulled his six feet of
bone and muscle together, and stood smil-
ing on his thoroughly perplexed visitor
80 you thought I'd called it off and
taken the necktie route?' he said, as he
removed the moose. mo, my friend, I'm
not ready to mix it up with the coroner
/ just yet l hang myself three times a day
regularly. Been at it now for nearly six
months. You see, it's my business. Now,
sit down and I'll tell you all about it.
My name is Jacob Wolfiin, and l hail from
Evansville, Ind, where my mother and
relatives still live. When a boy l dis
/ covered that possessed a remarkably
strong neck, and l used to test 1T and
/ strengthen it in many ways. About five
I years ago l saw a man hanged. The fall
/ of seven feet did not break his neck, and
! he slowly strangled to death. | knew the
/ criminal and l knew that my neck was
/ more powerful than his, and II set me to
/ thinking. L procured strap and prac-
/ ticed more or less systematically for
years pulling the strap tighter and tighter
about my neck, until finally / found that
] l could not pull it tight enough TO close
I my windpipe and stop my respiration.
"An accident greatly increased my con-
hdence in my neck, and induced me to ap-
ply the hangman's moose as a steady diet.
/ A year ago fell thirty-three feet from
/ the st. Louis bridge, striking my head
squarely on a piece of heavy timber. They
! picked me UP for dead, assuming, as
! matter of course, that my head was bro
! ken The surgeons, who found that my
skull was fractured and collar bone bro
| ken, but my neck unframed, declared
that had a neck of steel. was out of
| the hospital in four days and immediate
/ ~ procured TINS thfee-tourth men rope
| the regulation hangman's size-and have
/ daily practiced in secret with it.
when l first began l could endure my
| weight on the moose for only thirty sec
| onds. when my windpipe would iclose up
| and bring me down TO terra tirma in
| hurry. L have gradually increased the
limit, and can now swing for two minutes
| and keep up respiration. BY holding my
breath l can easily go longer against time:
in my practice l have slowly developed
| what may be considered the most re-
! markable thing about me. BY strong
| exercise of my will power l can suddenly
| condense all or nearly all the strength
of pF1ffr lfafl INF no
| neck, which at once become enlarged and
| firm as bands of steel. Before proceeding
| to do business with the moose l quickly
expand my neck from its normal dimen-
sions, about 17l5 inches, to IS inches. L
have in this way so hardened and enlarg-
ed those muscles that my voice has be-
come a trihe thick and husky, as you
notice"
Ibid you ever try bout with the sheriff
and his extraordinarily, OF course?
them. Yes. I'll wager Cook county's
that stand IN b 6he ga0W
the other day have the drop jerked from
under me, fan the seven feet, be cut
down at the expiration of three or four
minutes, and be no worse for the expert
ence.
!. which you interrupted, thinking you
were saving my life. If you like you can
act as spectator and timer, only don't get
excited again and imagine I'm shutting
off or continuing to dance too long. Keep
your seat and get out your watch"
The visitor, by this time convinced that
this man was not only sane but highly
interesting phenomenon, readily COM
piled. Wolflin fastened the end of his
i'necktie'' to the bedpost, calmly adjust
ed the moose about his neck, placing the
knot under the left ear, just as the hang
man does.
leaving the floor and his neck bearing
with apparent east his 1856 pounds.
TWO minutes later the athletes feet
struck the floor and he walked about
laughing and apparently no worse for his
bout with the hemp The mark of the
moose soon disappeared from his neck.
which quickly became normaifin size and
you look like strong man." re-
marked Wolf1in, as he replaced the moose
about his neck. Now place your left
hand on the knot and pull with all your
might with your right. Don't be afraid ;
you can't close my windpipe."
The bulge in the neck was again in evi-
dence as the other man strained and tug
ged at the rope until Violin showed that
his larynx and windpipe were still capable
of doing business. He said two strong
men had pulled together on the rope with
out hurting him a particle.
Here's my side line" said Violin. as
he raised his long right arm above his
head and brought his clenched fist down
with all his power on the pit of the stom-
ach. THAT particular section of the
anatomy is known in the geography of the
fighters as below the belt and so sensf-
tive and tender is it that it has always
been a foul and a forfeit of the fight to
strike man there. III let Fitzsimmons
,
he can't floor injure me. After ac-
quiring the ability to inject all my strength
. into the muscles of the neck l discovered
by practice that / could transfer it to
the muscles protecting the stomach. In
this way ! have developed and hardened
| them until 1 .constderAthem almost as in
vulnerable to blows as castiron boiler"
| From bis constant practice of thrown &
| all his strength into a given muscle VOL
fin says he has almost unconsciously cui-
tivated the application of the same prin-
ciple to the organs of sense. For instance,
! he has found that by closing his eyes,
| turning a stopcock on his senses of smell
and taste, by vigorous use of will power.
he can accentuate his hearing capacity.
, | Sounds to which he was before entirely
| oblivious reach him with dstinctness.
Violin is 30 years old, unmarried. stands
, ! 6 feet IL inch in his stockings, and has
| much the build of Corbett He is a man
, of the world, gentlemanly, modest and
| intelligent and has been chiefly employed
as a travelling and railroad man.
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