Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-05-01
A HALF TON OF FLESH.
Dea tn by Inches OF the Largest Woman
in the World.


in the syorld.
From the ST. Louis Times, April II. t i
On Monday evening Mrs Amelia
Brooks, aged 81 years, died at her resi-
dence in the alley bounded by Twenty
and Franklin avenue Mrs Brooks,
whose frame was but little more than
medium sized, had accumulated flesh
until she weighed between 900 and
1000 pounds. Until very recently she
had been employed as nurse in the
family of barber on Olive street, but
an irresistible tendency to plethora cur
tailed her sphere OF usefulness, and
she was accordingly retired by theibar-
Der, and another nurse of less pro-
nounced individuality engaged in her
place 900
Rather than see Mrs Brooks thrown
upon the cold charities of the world,
the barber gave her some money and
interested himself in procuring light
sewing for her With the proceeds of
her work, and the kindly aid of some
Sisters of Mercy, though the limited
construction of the portals and her
superabundance of adipose matter con-
fined her to her room and devotional
exercises exclusively. For the last few
weeks she has been confined to her
couch, a massive piece Of architectu-
raj upholstery, and on Monday morn
ing, though to all appearances in per-
feet health, manifested signs of APP
preaching dissolution. At / O'Clock the
whole of the left side succumbed to the
Power that reduces I" dust to dust, and
ashes to ashes At two o'clock she
became cognizant Of the necessity of an
exertion, but death had gained too firm
hold to be shaken off. At three
o'clock she reused herself, but the
| Black Shadow had extended over the
| back, and was gradually approaching
/ her vital parts. At four o'clock the
trouble was terri ole, and at six the
returns were nearly all in, with only
! two legs and an arm to hear from.
From this time until eight o'clock in
/ the evening the issue was certain, and
at nine the soul abandoned its earthly
| tenement forever
There was some little difficulty expe-
rienced in placing the body in its ''nar-
row final resting place" AS no coffin
could be found large enough, box
was built SIX feet long, twenty-elght
inches broad and twenty-six in depth.
Even this was not sufficiently wide ard
| it was necessary to compress the form
nine inches, but as that was the widest
box that could be got into the room
without tearing cut the front of the
house it was thought more charitable
to reduce the clay than to injure the
premises. Her dimensions were five
feet ten inches in height, twenty-eight
inches across the shoulders, and thirty
seven inches across the hips. Her arms
were thirty inches in circumfereneeand
her thighs sixteen inches in diameter.
When she had been arrayed in burial
vestments it was found impossible for
seven men to lift her. Finally the box
was tilted to one side and she was roll
ed in, while the priests .chanted the
service of the dead. She was then
placed in large wagon. which pro-
ceeded carefully to Calvary cemetery
The wagon was backed up to the grave
and eight men and six rollers combined
their exertions to lower her into her
narrow bed The earth was thrown
upon her and neat tombstone erected