Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-03-10
Ginnts in the West.

Two apparently well authenticated stories of
persons of gigantic stature have lately come to
our notice. The first is of Colonel Ruth Goshen
of Algonquin, Illinois, of whom the Scientific
American says:
Gle is the fifteenth and last child 1.-THE baby)
of family Of ffteen-ten sons and five daugh-
tcrs-sired by patriarch now ninety years old,
living in the valley of Damascus, and by Occu-
patton a coffee planter. This venerable sire
weighs, at the present time 500 ayoirdupC is, and
his wife, aged sixty-seven, weighs $50 pounds.
The entire family are living, and not one of
them weighs less than five hundred pounds.
The oldest son weighs $50 pounds, and the
youngest, our huge client, outstripping them all,
weighs six hundred and fifty pounds. Not one
of the family is less than seven feet in height,
and the colonel is a STRIPPING of only seven feet
eight inches in his stockings. He is not an I'M
duly fat man, is merely what would be called
moderately portly, and is thirty-three years old
"He was colonel in the Austrian army in
1889, and colonel commanding in the Mexican
army ut the battle of Puebla, May 5, 1862, in
which the Mexicans were victorious. His father
at one time resided in Leeds, England, but re-
turned TO Turkey in 1915.
"The colonel states that there never has been
any sickness in the family TO speak OF, and that
all are-sO far as he knows-well and hearty
1t was at Leipsic, Germany, that the colonel
met his fate in the person of a fair DlGdchen,
weighing one HuuuGeu ana ninety POUNDS, ana
five feet nine inches in height and the union
has been blessed with two sons, who give prom
Use of rivaling their father in stature.
''Ihe colonel is finely proportional man,
and walks with firm and elastic step. He is
as straight as an arrow, and has coal black eyes,
hair and mOustache."
The other is told by the Kansas City Bulletin
as follows:
The southern portion of jackson county and
the neighborhood of Lone Jack is enjoying the
sensation of a nine days wonder. They have
discovered family of extraordinary size. From
party OF slght-SeerS from this county, we learn
| as follows concerning them: They arrived at
| jackson county about two months ago, and
| took up their abode in the woods. The party
found them living in shanty devoid Of windows
and without floor. The light was admitted
through hole in the roof, which also served as
chimney. The party were received by man
eight feet and six inches in height, who intro
duced them to his wife and daughter, the latter
mere child, not more than twelve years old,
and whose proportions were even now more re-
markab!e than those of her father Her name
is Rose Plummer, and though not yet in her
teens she is larger than the most of men, stand
ing seven feet high, and proportionately large
otherwise. The man appeared to be glad to well
come the visitors, and invited them to dine. The
visitors were surprised to see no table, but that
was soon supplied by two trestes and few
planks laid upon them. They were also with
out dishes or crockery of any kind; the food,
consisting Of plain corn cake, was served up on
shingles. The party appreciated more than they
enjoyed the fare. Plummer says he came to
Missouri last December from Indiana, and is in
cllned to think he has made a mistake in his
vocation, and proposes to abandon farming and
take his girl and start out in a show in the
spring. He says his fortune is made off Rose
don't quit growing" He remarked, in reply to
a question as to whether he was not annoyed by
the visits of the curious
well, no; l don't care as much as the gal
does. don't care nothing for shown of her
to the neighbors, who have been kind to us
since we came here, and besides it will get her
used to being looked at, so she will not mind
the show business next summer"
The mother of the girl is not more than the
ordinary size, and seems to wonder at the curl
osity manifested by sight-seers.