The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-05-18
Giants.

Among the transents at the Palmer house
yesterday were pair ofnotables whose appear
ance on any earthly scene since antediluvian
days would be enough to attract public attcn-
ton. They were registered rs Capt and Mrs.
NJ. '. Bates, and they were escorted to the
largest pGrlors in the hotel. The hackmam
who brought them from the depot charged
them double fare, and the middle sized man
who attempted to shield the lady from the wet
discovered that the handle of his umbrella was
half a yard too short. Mrs. Bates is seven feet
eleven inches high, and her husband, the cap
tain, is within half an inch of eight feet. They
have been travelling together for seven years.
Mr. Bates il a native of Kentucky, and his
wife was born in Nova Scotia, of Scotch par
cntS The exact height of Il giant is about as
hard to ascertain as the exact age OF Henry
Jenkins, Old Parr, or the numerous body-ser-
wants of George Washington-a few inches or
a few wears more or less will not be closely
scrutinized by the reader, and the claimant for
preeminence in age or in height usually gets
the benefit Ola doubt. There is no doubt about
the hight of Mr.. and Mrs Bates They are the
longest couple on record. United, they stand
within one inch and ahalfof sixteen feet high
The giant Is genial son of Anak, who likes
to take his ease in his inn and talk over his
manifold experiences in this world of wonder
Unlike most giants, he is well proportloned,
firmly knit, with no superhuous flesh upon
him-although he virgins ATS pounds-and
with an open, intelligent countenance. He
says that when he visited the Tower of London
he tried on the suit of armor worn by the fam.
Gus Og who is claimed to have been eight feet
four, and he found he couldn't stand up
straight in it, the helmet and the foot pieces
only being too large for him. He also had his
suspicious about the real dimensions of Muir
ply, the Irish giant, after measuring himself
against the skeleton in the British museum,
and the armor of Guy of Warwick, who was
said to be nine feet three inches, was found to
be several inches short of the measure of our
Kentucky champion. Neither Murphy nor
Guy is on hand to contest these points, and
it may be as well not to arise controversy 1t
IS enough to say that the captain is way ahead
of Long John. He is not posted as to the cause
of his elongation He is one of twelve children
who are all of ordinary height. In a general
way, he is inclined to think the lime water of
Kentucky has something to do with it, but he
did not give his opinion with the assurance OF
a scientist, so the interviewer id not press the
point, but turned to look up to his amiable wife.
She rose, and kept on rising, on being intro
duced, until the visitor begun to ask internally,
"Wlll the line stretch out till the crack Of
doom?' This is the tallest woman who ever
travelled in a railroad car. The first impress
sion is that you are looking at being througha
magnifying glass. And yet she is not Il mon
strosity, but quite shapely and withal most
ladylike and wellbred in manner and CONVEX
sation. At the age of six she was as tall as her
Notwithstanding over five feet-and she did
not attain her full height till the age Of 81.
This remarkable couple appear TO live together
very happily, and mean to retire from public
life in a short time.-ChicagO Tribune.