Arizona republican., 1906-01-19
GIANTS OF THESE DAYS.
Muscular Powers of the Hercules of
 Modern Fame.


 A story which was told a short time ago in the Spanish newspaper Fl Cor rec furnishes a striking illustration of the strength of human muscles. Fer mini Arndi, a Spanish giant, famous for his stature and strength, was hunt ing in the Pyrenees when he encoun- tered on his way home a gigantic bear, Wl1ich came toward him erect, with forepaws outstretched.
 Arndfs rifle was not loaded and he feared to break it by using the butt .end upon his adversary. He put the rifle down upon the ground, and, going straight up to the bear, dexteriously grappled it in his powerful arms Hun ter and animal rolled over in a terrible struggle until Arndi succeeded in drawing his knife and dispatching the bear, which weighed 300 pounds. Then he placed it across his shoulders and returned with it to his native town
 Such feat as this, however wonder ful as It seems, would not have been thought much of by Thomas Topham, the Long Island innkeeper, whose mus cular performances were one of the marvels of the early part of the last century. Topham was a man of but ordinary physique to all appearances, but he could perform feats of strength which Hercules himself might have enVied. He made light of walking off with three hogsheads of water, for in stance, which could not have weighed less than three-q quarters of a ton; and when he came to a turnpike gate he would playfully heave his horse over it instead of troubling the gatekeeper to open it for him.
 He snapped rope which had borne ton weight without breaking; lifted with his teeth an oak table two yards long, with a fifty -six-pound weight at the other end of it, and broke broom sticks by striking them against his l bare arms. He would take a massive pewter dish, seven pounds in weight. and roll it up as if it were a sheet of paper; crush a pewter quart cup in his fingers as easily as most men would break an egg shell, and wave a couple of hundred weights over his head with his little finger. Once he twisted a Kitchen spit around the neck of an inn pertinent hostler, and he could smash the toughest cocoanut by striking 1t against his ear
 Such performances of professional strong men are sufficiently startling but there have been great kings who could rival some of them. Thus. All Sustus the Strong of Saxony in his pIdyLul moods would seize a couple of courlers, one in each hand, and holding them up at arms length; he would twist stout iron bars round their neclxs Tor collars and straighten horseshoes With a wrench of his muscular fingers. while on one occasion, when the horse oi one of his attendants refused to Dudge, he put his herculean shoulders under 1t and walked away with horse and rider together.
 George Castriat, prince of Albania WleIded such powerful sword thai he could sever a bulls head at a single strOke; while once, for a wager, he walked off with ten of his courticrs standing on platform. Charlemapna who was reputed to be the strongest man ot his time. was able to snap the strongest horseshoe between the fingers oL one hand; and Don Sebastian mercy py the pressure of his knees could make his charger groan Z.itI, pain.