r gymnast. Sandow gives an
excellent exposition of the so-called "checkerboard" arrangement of the
muscular fibers of the lower thoracic and abdominal regions, and in a
brilliant light demonstrates his extraordinary power over his muscles,
contracting muscles ordinarily involuntary in time with music, a feat
really more remarkable than his exhibition of strength. Figures 182
and 184 show the beautiful muscular development of this remarkable man.

Joseph Pospischilli, a convict recently imprisoned in the Austrian
fortress of Olen, surprised the whole Empire by his wonderful feats of
strength. One of his tricks was to add a fifth leg to a common table
(placing the useless addition in the exact center) and then balance it
with his teeth while two full-grown gipsies danced on it, the music
being furnished by a violinist seated in the middle of the
well-balanced platform. One day when the prison in which this Hercules
was confined was undergoing repairs, he picked up a large carpenter's
bench with his teeth and held it balanced aloft for nearly a minute.
Since being released from the Olen prison, Pospischilli and his cousin,
another local "strong man" named Martenstine, have formed a combination
and are now starring Southern Europe, performing all kinds of startling
feats of strength. Among other things they have had a 30-foot bridge
made of strong timbers, which is used in one of their great muscle
acts. This bridge has two living piers--Pospischilli acting as one and
Martenstine the other. Besides supporting this monstrous structure
(weight, 1866 pounds) upon their shoulders, these freaks of superhuman
strength allow a team of horses and a wagon loaded with a ton of
cobble-stones to be driven across it.

It is said that Selig Whitman, known as "Ajax," a New York policeman,
has lifted 2000 pounds with his hands and has maintained 450 pounds
with his teeth. This man is five feet 8 1/2 inches tall and weighs 162
pounds. His chest measurement is 40 inches, the biceps 17 inches, that
of his neck 16 1/2 inches, the forearm 11, the wrist 9 1/2, the thigh
23, and the calf 17.

One of the strongest of the "strong women" is Madame Elise, a
Frenchwoman, who performs with her husband. Her greatest feat is the
lifting of eight men weighing altogether about 1700 pounds. At her
performances she supports across her shoulders a 700-pound dumb-bell,
on each side of which a person is suspended.

Miss Darnett, the "singing strong lady,