The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1878-07-13
Death of William Campbell, the Heavi.
est Man I'm the World.


The Newcastle Chronicle gives the
following interesting particulars of the
death of Mr.. William Campbell, land
lord of the Duke of Wellington Public
House, High Bridge, Newcastle, and
widely known as the Scottish giant, who
died at that establishment ON May 26:
He had been i'll about ten days, the
cause of death, it is supposed, being
congestion of the lungs, the result of a
cold caught during his absence from
home. The deceased was little more
than twenty-five years OF age, having
been born in Glasgow on the I'd of
April, 1856. He came to this town only
in November last, and his extraordinary
dimensions, which soon found publicity,
attracted crowds OF visitors to the levees
which he regularly held in his newly
acquired house. Campbell was one of a
family of seven children, none of whom
besides himself are of more than ordin-
airy proportions. His father, who for
many years was manager of Tenants
chemical works, in the city of his birth,
was of average weight, although he
stood six feet two inches high, while his
neither was rather under the usual
weight of women. From his birth
William Campo Il showed remarkable
disposition toward stoutness. At nine
months old, according to bis own state
ment, published in the form of an auto
biographical pamphlet, he weighed fifty
six pounds, which, at ten years of age,
had increased to two hundred and fifty
two pounds, and his bodily size con-
tinued to develop until Immediately
before his indisposition il had attained
the following marvellous measurements:
Ninety-six inches round the shoulders,
seventy-six inches round the chest,
forty-seven inches round the thigh, and
thirty-6ve inches round the calf of the
leg. He weighed seven hundred and
twenty-eight pounds, and stood in his
stockings five feet three and one-half
inches high; none of these startling
dimensions having been appreciably
diminished during the illness which
has ended in his death. Campbell, we
learn, was brought up as a printer, but
was compelled, from his huge size, to
give up that occupation, to which he
had became much attached. The de-
ceased was particularly solicitous it
should not be inferred that his unusual
proportions were attributable to his
mode of living, for he took exercise
regularly and subsisted on only ordinary
fare. He boosted of being I" the largest
subject in Her Majesty's realms and
some conception of his claim to this
title may be gathered from the fact that
it required more cloth for his one suit
of clothes than it took for three ordinary
men. Campbell, before settling in New
castle, had travelled very extensively,
visited. all the principal places in Eng
land, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and
France, and being seen in turn by many
millions of people. About the begin
ming of the present year the deceased
was visited at the Duke of Wellington
by local medical gentleman, who, de-
failing his observations in the Lancet,
stated that he found the giant to be an
intelligent and agreeable young man,
having good health as rule, but at the
time suffering from the effects of cold
and ervsipelous affection of the leg.
His powers of locomotion, when well,
were considerable, taking into account
his high bulk. His appetite was not
more than an average one; and although
not an aDSUalner, he WIS moucIdtc III hio
use Of alcoholic drinks. He admitted
that he was great smoker, which, in
the correspondents opinion, might ac-
count for weak and rather irregular
cardiac action observed on ausculation,
and the writer was further of the opinion
that Mr.. CampbelPs occupation, how
ever it might add to his weight and
popularity, was scarcely likely to be
conducive to his health and longevity.
From the publicity which his abnormal
bulk thus received, the giant was in
duced to enter into an engagement for a
series of exhibitions at Egyptian Hall,
London, from which he has returned
home but few weeks ago. The journey
probably contributed in some measure
to his fatal complaint. Mr.. Campbell
was married, but has left no issue.
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