Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-14
THIS HOB0KEN GIRL HAS
VERY MIGHTY MUSCLES
LIFTS A BALkY HORSE THAT
BLoCkADED CARS
Tosses Two Hundred Pound Bales of
Hay Into Stable Lotion Getting
a Medal for Milking She Throws a
Fat Politician Over Her Shoulder
Special to The Herald.

Special to The Herald.
NEW YORK April 13.-When Mary
Ann Torpey was a toddling infant she
one day seized her chunky 4-year-old
brother, Michael, by the ears and coolly
tossed him out of the front door. Mary
was such a mite of a thing that every
one wondered how she could do it,
Later on when she SHE'D couple of
five-pound irons at playmate whose
face she didn't like it was agreed that
Mary would some day be a young lady
of marvellous strength.
The dream has come true. Mary Ann
Torpey, still living in the house in
which she was born at Sixth and Grand
streets, Hoboken, today holds the prize
among New Jersey women, not alone
for muscular strength, but for fat.
Miss Torpey's prowess with lifting
weights has disconnected the Jersey
strong men. Nothing short of 300
pounds causes her the slightest con-
cern. She is 90, blond and pretty,
stands exactly six feet high and weighs
225 pounds all the year round.
Lifted a Horse Off the Track
Some time ago runaway horse
dashed past the Torpey house and at
the corner below got all tangled up
with a couple of trolley cars. A Ho-
boken policeman, almost as fat as
off the track so traffic could be re-
sumed but the animal stood it's ground
and kicked.
Then Miss Torpey hove upon the
scene. Mounting the platform of one
of the cars. she reached over and
clutched at the horses name. One gen.
tie tug and the fractious Bucephalus
was lifted clear off the track. Then
Miss Torpey held the horse while it
was lassoed.
Miss Torpey's brother is a contractor
and owns few horses. One of them,
which has been named "Beat I'M" is
so wild that not n man in Hoboken can
hold him. Miss Torpey drives the ami
NAL every day and pulls on the lines
until the horse gasps for breath.
Whenever any of her brothers stable
men are tired Miss Torpey pitches in
and lifts bales of hay. 1t is no trouble
for her to throw a 200-pound bale from
the ground up into the stable loft.
She says so herself.
Won a Cow Milking Medal
contest at a Hoboken party that Miss
Torpey attended. She beat every one
in sight and at a public hall several
nights later received medal Water
Commissioner John J. Winberry who
made the presentation speech, is ro-
tund ana weighs something ike Two
hundred. After she had pinned the
prize on, Miss Torpey facetiously lift
ed the fat commissioner off his feet
and dropped him over her shoulder.
This feat tickled the Hoboken crowd
so much that they decided to give
Miss Torpey dinner. 1t will be held
this week and all the strong men and
women of New Jersey who think they
can do anything in the way of lifting
have been invited. Miss Torpey will be
handed a laurel wreath.
IT don't like to brag any," said Miss
Torpey, but 1 really think that can
go some at the lifting business. i've
BEEN asked why don't l go with Il
circus Mercy no! 1 don't want to
pose as a freak. suppose if 1 tried
very hard could get to be famous, but
/ don't like to go on the stage. OF
course there are some big women be-
hind the footlights, like Marie Dress
ler, but I never had notions that way.
"As to exactly how much could
lift I'm not certain. but I think
could pick UP couple of bales of
hay at once If they had handles on
'em."