The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1877-08-02
Uncle John RObinsin's Giant.

/
Uncle John Robinsin's Giant.
| From the Saturday Night.
lie was the most shif'less giant
ever knew" said "Uncle John" Rob.
insOn, as he sat among some Of his cro-
nies in Jake Aug's Clubhouse, the
other night, telling about the "PolO-
naisean Hercules" that travelled with
the circus good many years ago.
"He didn't appear to take no interec,
in his business. A giant to be of any
use to show wants to be sociable like
with the folks that come to see him.
lie must shake hands with them aud
tell h6w tall he is. and how high his
father and mother stood, aud all that
sort of thing, you know. But he
would not. He wouldn't talk TO no.
body, and the more folks crowded
| about hi.. tho croescr lie got. He was
giant without a particle of love for
his iellow-man.'
"Icld himself above them, l sup
pose, we put in.
"Well, yes about three feet above
them, l should say, lie was a luuker,
nearly nine feet high. And, Lord
what an appetite he had. He got very
lazy before the season was over, aud
he would come down to the canvas
when he got ready. Sometimes he
didn't get along until the show was
just letting out, anu the people would
be mad about it, for when giant is
on the bills, and folks have paid to see
him, they naturally want TO see him
there part of the time, at least would
MT you?"
We answered that under such cir.
cumstances nothing short of two
hours interview with the giant could
possibly have satisfied us.
"Weli, half an hour would have been
enough with him, lie was surly
beggar. tell you. 1 felt like giving
him an overhauling about il, but some-
how feller' don't like 10 get into any
words with feller nine feet high. He
turned into hard drinking, and finally
got so that he stand away from the af-
ternOOn performances altogether, lay
ing asleep i'll his room.
''One day 1 wasn't feeling first-rate,
and / came down to the canvas in the
afternoon to find that the 'Polonaisean
Herculcs'-that's what we called him,
although he was born in Pennsylvania
wasn't on hand,as usual. Here, you
Rubei! says to the boss canvassman,
where's that blank giant?' sAsleep,
up to the tayern,' was the reply. We'll
I'll sleep him. says 1, blank blank his
blankety blank to blank and blankna-
tionv So picking up barrel stave 1
started for the tavern on run.
You see l was mad, for l was card
ing him heavy and paying him fifty
dollars week and found
"Drunk ?" we suggested,
"That's it," said Uncle john, found
drunk morn half the time. l was SO
mad that forgot all about his size, I
was only thinking about a mans
drawing salary and not showing up.
1 rushed up to his room and there be
lay, fast asleep, and nearly raising the
roof with every snore."
"How big was this giant, Uncle
John ?"
"Nine feet if he was inch, and as
he lay on the bed two-thirds of him
was on the floor. But. as I said be-
fore, 1 was SO excited l didn't think
anything about his proportion. The
broad part of his corporosity was ex-
posed, and raising the stave 1 brought
it down with laundering whack, as
| yelled: "YOu miserable, lazy, good
drunken blank giant to
blank and gone, git up in minute, or
III pound yonr blank head OIL"
Gle jumped up quicker'n any giant
you ever saw. 'Now make double
qnick for the canvass says l, as l gave
him another ringing slap that you
could have heard four blocks away
With howl he made for the street
and down towards the canvas on q
run, ! after him fetching him lick at
every jump, and yelling. Get drunk,
shirk your work, will ye: Oh III
give you dance You ought to've
heard the people cheer when brought
my giant in. He was just in time for
the great spectacular piece, prepared
expressly for him, which he called
Samson captured by the Philistines,
and he took his place i'm line meek as
Moses. Before that he had made
good deal of trouble in the piece, and
once he nearly killed the whole Phil
istine army instead of going along
peaceably, As Il captive should. But
we had no complaint to make about
him after that. and when he left the
show to set himself up in the saloon
business gave him the highest sort
of a recommendation, which, 1 under
stand he had framed and kept hanging
in his place for visitors to see. spoke
particularly i'll it of his sobriety, docil-
ity, and strict attention to business.
Ha ha l tell you boys, you can't do
with a giant until you whale
him once"
Uucle Johns story confirmed us in
a previously formed determination
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