Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 September 1889 — TALES OF STRONG MEN. [ARTICLE]

TALES OF STRONG MEN.

How Salvlnl Early Showed His Physical Prowess—A Venetian Samson. The announcement of the approaching visit to this country of Sig. Salvini, the celebrated Italian factor, recalls to the writer, says the New York Tribune, the many pleasant chats he has had with this greatest of Othellos oiT the occasions of his former professional trips to this side of the Atlantic, One of the most striking impressions retained is that of the enormous power, physical as well as intellectual, of the man. From his boyhood he was noted for his extreme muscular vigor, which an anecdote of himself onefe related will serve to illustrate. When he was a student at college there was, as is often the case in other countries beside Italy, a constant warfare waged between the students and the townspeople. At one time the lads had arrayed against them, on account of some real or fancied insult, all the butchers and butcher lads of the place. The latter were not allowed by the authorities to carry knives or stilettos, so they sharpened their whetting-steels at the point until they made the most formidable weapons. Armed with These they one evening attacked an army of students, among whom was the youthful Salvini, who did yeoman’s work for his comrades, and bowled over with his fists one butcher lad after another. At length he foun^ 1 himself face to face with the leader and the others paused a moment to watch the result of what was in reality a due! between the *~ the respective, parties. Salvini, after a few passes, aimed a tremendous blow with his clenched fist at his adversary’s head; the latter at the same moment struck upward with the murderous steel; the weapon, needle-pointed, passed clean 'through Salvini’s wrist, and stuck irre-Hiovably-in the bone and muscle. But tjhis .did not seem to stop the downward sweep of the youngster’s arm. The inighty fist descended, carrying with it the steel, and struck the butcher so terrible a blow that he was knocked senseless and had to be carried to the hospital. Ihe trace of the wound can be seen in Salvini’s wrist to-day. Like most strong men, Salvini is fond of recounting the feats of strength performed by others and especially he used to dilate on the extraordinary nerve and strength of a Venetian mason and builder whom he had known. Some time ago, so interesting were the tales he told of this man. Sig. Salvini was asked to jot down what he could remember of the stories he had told and this is in substance what he wrote:

“The name of the man about whom you ask was Luchini. He died a few years ago in Venice at an advanced age, but up to the last preserved much of his extraordinary strength. He was by trade a mason and though not rich was always in comfortable circumstances. His strength was allied to wonderful presence of mind and coolness under trying circumstances. Once, for instance, he was carrying out to a villa he was building some miles from Venice a large sum of money with which to pay off his workmen. He carried the money, which was in silver coin, in a bag over his shoulder, though it would have taken two ordinary men to lift it. .... “At night he found himself some distance from his destination and so was obliged to ‘put up’ at a small inn. He wen t to bed early, placing the bag of silver in the bottom drawer of a small chest of drawers in the bedroom. About midnight he was awakened by a rough shake of the shoulder, and, opening his eyes, saw by the light of a small oil-lamp two of his own workmen, ea::h of whom had in his hand a stiletto, the uncomfortably sharp points of which were pressed against either side of his throat. ••Luchlnri grasped the situation instantly and saw that he was in a position where his enormous strength availed him but little, so he coolly said: ‘What do you want?’ ‘The money,’ was-the answer. ‘Where is it?’ ‘Take It,’ said Luchini, ‘it is in that drawer,’ and he pointed to the chest of drawers. One of the ruffians remained to guard the recumbent Luchini while the other went to the drawer indicated and tried to open it. It would not budge. ‘Give me the key,’ he growled. ‘lt is not locked.’ announced Luchini. ‘Open it. then,’ said the robber, and still with the stiletto at his throat Luchini rose, and with one hand pulled open the drawer the other could not even budge with all his strength. “At the men’s bidding he then pulled out the bag of money and threw it on the floor. One of the thieves then began to fill his pockets with loo«e coin so as to lighten somewhat the weight of the bag. At the sight of the glittering coin the other’-* avarice outstripped his prudence. Withdrawing his poinard from Luchini* s throat he bent down and buried his hands' in the pile of money and began to follow his comrade’s example. “The UvJ’ed-for opportunity had* come for Luchini. He calmli' stooped forward, grasped one of the robbers by the hair in either hand, and then spreading out his arms and bringing them together again with incredible force, he crushed in the two men’s skulls as if they had been egg-shells. They were dead without a groan. Hearing a noise at the window Luchini then looked out and saw that a third scoundrel was keeping watch outside. Taking up one of the dead men in one hand he opened the casement and calling out, ‘There’s sometning for you!’ he pitched the dead robber at the living one with such force that the man below was not only scared almost to death, but was seriously hurt and limped off as fast as a fractured limb would allow him. Luchini went back to bed and calmly slept till morning.”