Bodybuilders -- Biography; Exercise -- Popular works; Physical education and training -- Popular works; Sandow, Eugen, 1867-1925
When I repeated this feat, it was thought that the challenge had
been won, for this was the end of the performance for which it was
understood it was offered. Mr. Fleming, accordingly, asked for the
£100, but Samson refused, saying that the whole performance would have
to be repeated and continued until one of the two competitors gave in.
Nothing less would satisfy him as to which of the two was the stronger.
On this point the audience disagreed, and called on him to hand over
the money. Appeal was made to Captain Molesworth, who addressing the
audience, promised to see fair play. He could not agree, he said, with
Mr. Samson that it was fair that the performance should be continued
until one of them dropped from sheer exhaustion, but he suggested that
Cyclops should introduce two fresh feats, and that if I could repeat
them the money should be mine without further question.
Although the audience still maintained that the challenge had been won,
I expressed, through my interpreter, perfect willingness to perform not
two only, but twenty more feats, should Cyclops wish to try them.
The first of the two extra feats was then taken: Cyclops lying on his
back, raised a weight of 240 lbs. with two men sitting on it, and when
the men jumped off he himself stood up, raising the weight with him.
This performance I also repeated.
Now came the final effort. At the side of the stage stood a great
stone, weighing, I should think, about 500 lbs. On this stone were
secured the two 56lb. weights. Two chairs were brought, and Cyclops,
standing on them, in order to get a position above the stone and its
weights, raised the whole load with his middle finger some four inches
above the ground.
When this performance had been repeated by me, Samson acknowledged
that that part of the challenge relating to Cyclops had been won, and
offered to hand over the £100.
My interpreter then explained that I had not come to London to win
merely the £100; I had come for the greater sum, the £1,000, in fact,
which had been offered to any person who should defeat Samson himself.
Samson, who was clearly surprised at the issue, replied that he was
not prepared to meet me that night, and though the public disapproved
of the postponement, it was eventually decided with Captain Molesworth
that the test should be made on the following Saturday evening.
The eventful evening which was to decide the issue between us fell on
the 2nd of November, 1889. Never, it was said, had the Royal Aquarium
been so densely crowded. The people began to arrive as early as two
o’clock in the afternoon. When I reached the building, in company with
Captain Molesworth, Mr. Attila, and Mr. Fleming, twenty minutes before
the hour announced for the challenge to be taken up, it was literally
impossible to get through the crowd.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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