The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-12-15
A RISING MAN.
Eight Feet High and Still on the
Rise.
A TALL TENNEssEEAN.

A TALL IENNESoEbANs
NEARLY EIaHT FEET HIGH AT LAST ACCOUNTS
AND STILL CLIMBING GIANT WITH IN
Ola RUBBER JoINTs-LITTLE WALKS OF
TWENTY POUR MILES.
The franklin, Tennessee, correspondent
Of the New York Sunday Sun writes: In
all sees Of the world departure from the
formal growth OF man has excited the Curl
,sity of every one. Princes delighted TO
nave the greatest extremes OF mankind In
their retiuues, and the country was eagerly
ransacked for both giants and dwarfs. Even
the sacred historian Moses, though but few
names are voucbs sfed to rs from those early
times, did not hesitate to send down TO later
ages the names OF giants OF those days
Dean Swift has immortslized his name by
the most extrsyagsnt tIavesty
OF ,s any won5srtuI .dventures of GuI,
liver among the Liliputisns and the
Brobdignagians. We all remember with
what pride Frederick the Great exhibited
his regiment of giants to his royal visitors,
and how difficult for him to procure them.
But In all my researches / have yet TO find
q parallel to the case brought to my notice
last summer 10 Perry county, Tennessee.
IL often happens thai nature either too soon
arrests her work or hurries 1t up too rapidly,
thus forming the dwarf or giant, and this is
easily ex planned. The dwarf simply stops
growing and the assimilative organs of the
giant work more rapidly than usual, but
still he IL giant at the customary age of an
adult. But this is not the case with James
Horner, the Tennessee giant. He exhibits
within himself
ADEPARTURE FROM NATURE
entirely abnormal and singular. will de-
scribe my visit to him: Last summer bust
ness called me to Linden, the county seat of
Perry, and while there met with Elder p.
A. Whitwell of the Baptist (Hard-shel)
Church. In conversation with him one day
as to tbs peculisrities of his county, he mem
toned among other things the existence OF
james Homer, who, be said, was giant,
but be was not always one" James Homer,
the deacon continued, was q citizen Of Perry
county, one of a family of eight children,
none Of whom bad exhibited any unusual
traits. At eighteen years be was a we'll
grown man. six feet high; and weighed
six inches taller and weighed two hundred
aud ten pounds. He ceased to notice any
growth after that, until he was tweDty-four
years old, and then only by the smallness of
his clothes, and be then measured In his
stockings six feet nine inches. Since then
he is now thirty-one years Of age-he hss
at. aimed the height of seven feet nine incbe,
and IL still growing, this being an increase
of about two inches annually. Some yea s
he grows more aud some less, but this Is his
average. Ids was so greaL u maIVel LDaB
determined to see the giant and Elder Whit
we'll kindly o)nsente1 TO accompany me. So
on the morning of July "a, 1875, we started
early from Linden to the mouth of the Cy-
press, where
HR LIVED WITH HIS FATHER,
being unmarried. The morning was bright,
and on these highlands was pleasantly cool.
We rode through the Barren" as 1t is
called, fer few miles. The country, though
300 or 400 feet above the general height of
Middle Tennessee, is level, and thickly COW
cred with oak, and an underground of
Black Jack, that made 1t a favorable haunt
during the war Of deserters from each army,
and many a dee1 of blood and rapiue was
enacted among It's Businesses. This is
termed the "Rhine'' of Tennessee, and is
only valuable tor its timber. We soon de.
scended into the gorge, aud here a limpid
stream Struggled through banks of gravel,
jumping from one side Of the gorge to the
other, the road bed often being In
of alders, fringe trees and smoke
trees bOrdered the branch, while the
steep sidos of the hills were covered with
shrub, honeysuckle aud poison ivy-a
species OF laurel. They were in full bloom,
and more gorgeous sight never presented
itself to nay eyes. The foliage of the Ivy is a
deep shining gTesn, and every bush Is pro.
fusely covered with the most beautiful
flowers of every hue, from the purest white
to the deepest crimson and purple. and all
intermediate tints. Magnificent springs
gushed from the gravelly beds on each side
of the road. Intensely cool, clear and bright,
verify nature was compromising the poverty
of the land with exuberant splendor. This
was the head of Cypress creek. 1t gurgled
along. Jumping down tiny waterfalls, rum
ming against huge powders, gathering VOL
ume from many springs, and the gorge
gradually widened Into valley, and then
patches on either side with log cabins be-
gan to border the road.
The GIANTS HOME.
Al last we approached cabin like all the
rest-two pens OF logs and an open passage
between; and this, was informed, was our
destination. On the opposite side of the
road row of log huts were used as cribs
and stables, and huge woodpile obstructed
the road. In answer to our halloo a number
of ours ran of, barking, and an old lady
came into the passage, and, after silencing
the dogs, invited as to Site" HiIchiDg our
hors es to the fence corners, we went in, and,
on tbs strength of Brother WhitwelPs pop
ularity, we received warm welcome. The
old lady informed US the cole man and Jim"
were hauling wood, but would soon return.
Shortly grCaning OK cart came in view, with
the "ole man" sitting sideways on the
tongue, and Jim on top of the wood. They
drove slowly up. and Jim jumped to the
ground, and as his huge carcass struck it
he doubled up like lockwood rule and
then up his ungainly form rose until he
seemed really giant of the first water. He
came slowly shuffi ing and sham bling to the
house, and as he walked he swung his long,
ape-like arms back and forth as II pulling
himself along by IA invisible cable. l had
ample time, as he came leisurely up, to OBJ
serve him; and as much as had heard OF
him, / was not prepared for his appearance
He was indeed immense. His body was
not much longer than usual, aud his head
was almost swallow un by his broad,
square shoulders, and he had quite a stoop
when he wslked-but then
HIS LEGS WERE PRoDIGIoUs,
and his arms reached fully TO his knees.
His features were long, vacuous and rough;
his hair dirty yellow: and, indeed, his