The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-03-26

and muss have weighed 80 pounds. not
counting the Tur- Ed Wneeier kept a
fssacksnzita shop In those days ~ East
FsGfene@yfsle- I have seen Gardner Dor
row 4 pair OF mltta from FL and pal horse
shoes apart with hts hands as fast as he
could pick them ~. remember hts com
.ng home from dance oae morning. all
hands pretty weii saexee and carrying on,
and hauling tsp by the roots an apple tree
four inches thick and suggtng Il ali Tue way
home This did ros actually sse myself.
but three men who were with him. David
Good Solomon Coed and George Long. told
me about Il. and the tree WAS repiansed on
the shore and called Gsrdners tree for
forty years afterward. I'll IT was carried
away BY a big ice fres1et.
AT one time Gardner kept a kind OF
hose. or wayssde house below the mouth Of
To6saue. and two stout Irfsnmen, each
weighing over 80 pounds. who were <anx-
foas TO tackle him. raised a rannprs In the
kitchen. Tom picked them up. one in each
hand, knocked their heads together. car
RED them 10 the back door and threw them
over the bank Of the river. One OF the
Ifishmen was named William HapenEy;
the name of the other hare forgotten.
The late Edward Campbell Of Northsmp-
ton, was an eyewitness OF this littie fracas.
I wac in 81. John one spring when famous
wrestler from England came there and
tried IN get on Fnatca with any one who
would face him The raffsnsn put mp $50
on Tom, who was expected to arrive on a
raft next day. Tom knew nothing about
wrestling, bur easily downed the English
man, throwing him collar and elbow. side
hold and back hold. The Eagiishman OF
fered him Goo year IL he would go 70
England and wrestle on the stage. Another
famous wrestler came ali the way from
Miramichi 10 Toms house 10 try fail with
~ z@xx- A..A IL
sister fafterward Mrs. Faiier) told the
stranger she could throw him herself, and
did 50 three times in succession. The Mira
michi man didn't wait for Tom. I have
often seen Mrs. Fuller and knew that she
had wonderful strength She could Shout
der barrel Of -four. and Tom used TO gay
that on side hold she could throw him un-
less he put out his entire strength
One OF Gars3ner's notable feats was per-
formed on a wharf In st. John, where he
lifted and carried for several steps an an
chor weighing 1850 pounds. The late ia
cob Mckeen. of kingsclear, was witness
of this astonishing lift. A sailor named
John Hawkins afterward tried to lift the
anchor, but failed and died from the eff
fects OF his efforts Mr. McKeen used to
say that he had known Gardner. when
lifting with a handspike. to break a stout
spruce pole five or six inches In diameter.
Ahso. that he had several times seen HIM
carrying a barrel OF pork. weighing $50
pounds. under each arm, and once saw
him shoulder barre! OF pork while stand
ting In an ordinary brandy box. On one
occasion Tom was passing through the
Medrct.c fails on a raft when he saw the
crew Of the Eel river packet, composed Of
three men. vainiy endeayoring to pry the
packet of shoal Tom sntibbed his raft
In the eddy. waded out so that he could
get HE shoulder under the bow OF the
packet and lifted the vessel of the bar.
Gardner left the Maenaquac when about
30 years Of age. and never returned TO this
pr oyi.sce. He lived for some years In Up
per Canada. The last heard of him by his
relatives III New Brunswick was that he
had gone to the far West. beyond Salt
Lake City. The following anecdote of this
Herucles Is taken from an old New York
paper:
1T is commonly reported and believed
that Gardner met with sad adventure on
board a Mississippi river steamer. heavy
bell WAS on board as a portion of the
freight, and the captain. a great, power
ful fellow. was concerned as 10 how he
should remove II from its place In order 10
make mora room on deck. While the cap
tain and passengers were a; dinner. Tom.
n the presence Of the crew and to their
utter emaxement. lifted the bell and car
rled II to the opposite side OF the boat.