Year: 1873

fighting was one of their pastimes, and
at this Bruiser Sam excelled-no man
in all the camps being able to stand up
long before him. His feats of strength
were prodigious. Often would he take
a barrel of liquor by the chimes, and,
knocking out the bung, lift it up and
drink from the hole, as easily as if it
were small keg. Then he would stand
on box twelve inches high and lift one
hundred and eighty pounds with his
teeth. He could pick up three-bushel
bag of flour with his mouth, and carry
it a rod. One day saloon-keeper of
went out into the street, and, shoulder
ing a large work-horse, carried it into
the saloon, leaving the enraged bar
keeper to get it out and down the steps
as best he could. At another time he
carried rock into the store and dropped
it through the floor.


Sans skin was as white and smooth
as q girls but all over his arms,
shoulders and broad chest were punches
of knotty muscles as large as ones fist.
Hewas well-built and fine looking man,
hips broad, the legs well set, and feet
small. Once his face was handsome,
but whisky had bleared the eyes, and
the nose was pimpled and red still,
Sam was good-looking man, and, when
dressed up in new buckskin suit with
yellow fringe, and his long brown hair
combed out in curls about his neck, he
was a picture of an athletic frontiers
man.


However, Sam was fast degenerating
into loafer he had left off work and
gone to living by his strength, Just as
thousands of men live by their wits in
the great cities. Any one would pay
Sans liquor to see him lift barrel by
the ends and drink from the bung-hole
and occasionally, by way of variety, he
glass of rum.


Dissipation told rapidly on "The
Man of Steel,'' as he was called, and
when saw him in the spring he had
delirium tremens, and it took five men
to hold him. His frame was wasted
away, the knots of sinews were gone, his
chest drawn in, and the skin of his body
soft.


It was about this time an old English
man named Jones arrived at the mines,
and hearing of Sam, expressed o desire
to see him. Old Jones was well
known prize fighter, but of late years
had given up the ring himself and
turned trainer. Sans fame excited the
envy of old Jones, and he no sooner saw
him than he offered to fight Sam. The
miners were astonished and tried to
dissuade Jones from his purpose, but
nothing would do but he must have a
bout with Sam. So the day was set.
Sam was sick on the morning of the
fight and looked badly enough, but bets
ran two to one on "The Man of Steel"
against the Englishman. Time was
called, and the Englishman bounded
into the ring, while Sam came up slowly,
and looked languid and feeble; but at
the very first pass he hit John Bull be-
tween the eyes, and no amount of
sponging and bathing could induce him
to stand upon his legs again that day.
It was feared that Sam had broken the
Englishman's skull, but he got about in
day or two, and soon afterward both
he and Sam disappeared from the sa-
looms. The barkeepers were astonished.
Sam did not come around any more for
his grog, and no one could imagine
where he had gone, or what he was at.
Foul play was beginning to be suspect
ed, when it leaked out that Sam was in
training, and that the Englishman was his
trainer. After old Jones got that awful
lick from Sans brawny fist, he gave
him no peace until he agreed to go into
training and accompany the Englishman
to England, there to fight the giants of
the prize ring. Jones had not much
money, but at his instigation a man
named Durham came over with plenty
of cash, and as soon as Dunham arrived
old Jones quit, and the new English
man became Sans regular trainer.


I saw Sam once while he was in train
ing, and he looked well, the knots were
on his arm again, and the great chest
round and firm. He had been at his
dumb-bells, sand-bags, and gum-balls
about six weeks when, one morning he
| got mad about something, knocked both
/ Dunham and old Jones down, and made
his escape from the keepers into the
street. Stopping at the saloons and
taking several drinks, he did not forget
it was his hourfor training. and amused
himself by knocking down every stout
fellow he met. Finally, after the Sheriff
and half the town had been whipped,
Sam was captured and put in Jail; but
here new difficulty presented itself,
for the jail was not strong one, and
Sam swore he would Instantly tear il
down if they did not let him go. Or
promising that he would go straight tc
his lodgings, the door was opened and
Sam kept his word, for he went directly
home and went to bed. This outbreak
was so unlike Sans natural disposition
| bllhb every Ouc WIS ttb u lObS W dCCOuu
for it; and, soon afterward, another
ebullition of passion occurring, the
Man of Steel's trainers abandoned hin
in disgust, and took themselves of
East, each carrying with him, as part
ing gift from Sam, a pair of black eyes
and swollen nose.


Sam, now left to himself, fell to drink
ing again, went about the saloons as o.


old, lifting barrels, pitching stones, ani
shou1dering horses for liquor. It was


soon observed that he was growing


weak he lifted the barrels with Difficult


ty, and preferred to drink from glas


instead of bunghole. He grew thin


in flesh, his muscles disappeared, ant


he became the shadow of his forme


self.


At this time number of shoulder
, hitters and desperadoes arrived at tn
mines, and gave Sam some trouble bu


he finally conquered them all, and n
} the last fellow got licked he exclaimed
| "Well, if you can lick me, you can


lick grizzly bearr' Sam swore h
could lick grizzly bear, and that sin
: gle-handed, alone, he would fight one
: There was a grizzly in the camp tina
| bo1 hao,, oo,,c,t 1,,y tho y,oinorc xUbop