The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1878-05-24

ana Two OF Incm arc NuAELOfCu AT
the Palmer HOuse-An Interesting |
Chat with the Eight-foOt Man.
lChicago Inter-ocean.l
The main parlor of the Palmer
House was yesterday the center of
curiosity, for there we're quartered
in it the biggest man and woman |
known on earth. This is no idle
talk, as any one who called upon
the pair had ocular demonstration.
Captain and Mrs. NJ. V. Bates they
are called, and each lacks only half
an inch of being eight feet. They
have recently arrived from Europe,
and are en- route for st. Louis.
When one first enters the room his
first impression is that the tales of
Jack the Giant Killer and the adj
ventures of CULVER quite possibly
had some more solid foundation
than mere fancy, for before you
stands Two as formidable giants
physically as were ever drawn by
story teller. Yet they are as gentle,
as affable, as courteous, and as in
telligent couple as one would care
to meet. Captain Bates is q native
of Kentucky, Z feet 11k inches
high, weighs 1876 pounds, measuring
65 inches around the chest, wears q
No. 9 hat, 26-lnch collar, Is boot
and is 30 years of age. He dresses
neatly in black, wears q massive
gold chain, attached to which is a
gigantic watch, q present from
Queen Victoria, wears massive
diamond in his shirt bosom, and
fashionable collar and scarf; has 8
ruddy, healthy complexion, q pleas
ant smile, and ready talker. AL
together he is, as the reader can
very well see, an extraordinary
giant, for your mammoth men are
generally slovenly, dull, ignorant
fellows. Mr.. Bates is native of
Nova Scotia, of Scotch descent.
| Her height is exactly the same as
that of her husband. Her weight is
$50 pounds. She 10 well formed,
and can hold her own in converse
ton. For the benefit of the female
reader il may be stated that it takes
sixty-fiye yards of goods to make
her q dress. The Inter Ocean re-
porter found her arrayed in q
fashionable cut dress of green silk,
and fingers, ears, and neck orna-
mented with diamonds in modest
quantity.
In the course of compensation, the
Captain expressed his firm convlc-
ton that the race was not degener-
ating physically, but men to-day
were more robust and taller than
they were several centuries ago. He
had come to this conclusion by OBJ
serVation while abroad. While in
London he visited the Tower where
the armor of noted soldiers in Eng
lish history is kept, and he is conf
dent that not one in ten of the aver
age men of to-day could get inside
the war-coveriug of those military
heroes, who figure in song and
story. The Captain while in Eng
land, DEVOTED considerable time to
an investigation of the legend OF
English giants. The gigantic pro-
portions of Og, Cog, and Magog
the guardians of the tower centuries
ago, are matters of history. Og
was the tallest of the trio, and his
suit of armor lies in that venerable
and interesting pile. Og is said &c
have been eight feet four inches
high, yet Captain Bates tried to gel
into the deceaseds giants fighting
OuO WV
short. 1t was wide enough, how
ever. The Captain, upon investiga
ton, found that the system o.
measurment, had been changed
years ago, and, ten and one-hal
: inches being the foot at the period
when Og fourished, although ht
must have been a tremendous rel
low, could not have been more thar
seven feet three inches, according
to modern measurment. Then HI
visited the British Museum, whert
the skeleton of Murphy hangs. HI
t was said to have been nine feet, bu
? by Captain Bates calculation cOult
/ not have been over seven feet seven
' Then Chang, the Chinese giant
Z. who was on exhibition at Man
8 chester while Potter Palmer's gigan
tic guest was in England, was visit
? ed. Changes vanity was take
down by the Captain, who, afte
: divesting him of thick-sOled boot
: and a high head-dress, measure
: him seven feet eight inches. Chan
. announces that he is nine feet higl
8 During the conversation the Cap
: tain gave some interesting fact
J. CLEANED from his Investigations int
1t the history of giants and giantesse
t and exploded many of the notion
IS popularity entertained regardin
them.