Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-08-07
NO. 33.

power In lmbuing persons Of great
physical development with an equable
temperament, while the dwarfs
of our race are usually inclined to ex-
hibit a disposition the reverse of past
days concerning whom details of a
thoroughly authentic character have
been preserved by Patrick Cotter, alias
O'Brien, and Charles Byrne, both hail
ing from Ireland. Curiously enough,
is preserved in the Museum of Trinity
College, Dublin, the skeleton of third
Irishman, named Magrath, whose case
attained some notority in consequence
of the statement made by physician
named Cambell, in work entitled a
Philosophical Surrey Of Ireland. he as
serts that Magrath's exaggerated growth
was caused by Bishop BerkeIey's exper-
iments in feeding the lad. There exists
however, little or no foundation for this
statement. The story probably arose
from the fact that Magrath, having, at
the age of sixteen. attained height of
over 6 feet and being poorly fed, pre-
sented a fit case for the exercise of the
kindly bishops charity. He accord
ingly caused the boy to receive liberal
diet for about a month, and this treat
ment restored him to health. AT his
death Magrath measured feet inches.
In the British Magazine for 1888 the
death of Charles Byrne, one of the
giants just mentioned, is duly chron-
icled. From this source we learn that
Byrne measured exactly s feet in
height in August, 1880, while "inl7'2
his stature had gained two inchesl II
when dead his full length was feeti
inches. His death is alleged to have
been cansed by excessive drinking, to
which," says the writer in the British
Magazine, she was always addicted. but
more particularly since his late loss of
all his property, which he had simply
invested in a bank-note of f700. In
his last moments" continues the mar
rator, she requested that his remains
might be thrown into the sea, in order
that his bones might be removed far
out of the reach of the chirurgical
fraternity" In consequence of this,
we are further informed that ''the body
was put on board vessel, conveyed to
the Downs, and sunk in twenty fathoms
Of water" Byrne died in Cockspur
street, Charing Cross, at the age of
twenty-five; but the statement that the
remains OF the giant were buried at sea
is quite erroneous, since, after all, the
"chirurgical fraternity" represented by
the famous John Hunter, contrived,
after much trouble, and the expendi
ture of considerable sum of money
stated at 9500-to obtain possession of
the body, and the visitor to the mag
nificent museum In Lincoln's Inn Fields
may have the pleasure of beholding the
skeleton of the once-famous Byrne Oc-
cupying. place of honor in the osteo-
logical department. 1t is interesting
that this giant appeared on the stage,
in 1852, at the Hayn arket Theatre in
the summer pantOmine of Harlequin
1eogup; or, the Giants Giatsewdy-a title
strongly suggestive of Byrne's promi-
nence IN the piece.
The history of Patrick Cotter, who
was born at Kinsdale in 1851, shows
that giants are by no means exempt
from the cares and worries that beset
ordinary people. His parents were
poor persons, of the usual stature, who
le?sed him, at the age of eighteen, to a
Snowman for exhibition. The contract
was for three years, at salary of ESQ
per annum. Arriving at Bristol, Cot
ter demanded some extra remunera.
ton for himself. The Snowman
being disinclined to grant his re.
quest, Cotter refused to allow himself
to be exhibited, which resulted in the
poor giants imprisonment for debt.
His case, however, being made known
to some benevolent person, Cotter was
liberated. The contract between his
father and the Snowman was also proved
to be illegal. Some time after, the
giant exhibited himself for his own
benefit, and realized the sum of ESQ
In three days.
Cotter adopted the name of O'Brien,
in order to strengthen the fiction set
forth IN the bills that he was "a lineal de-
scendant of the old puissant King Brian
Boroihme," and that he possessed Gin
person all the similitude of that great
and grand potentate." His heigth was
stated at "near nine feet" although a
memorial tablet IN Trenchard Street
Roman Catholic Chapel, Bristol, in
forms us more truly that his stature
only amounted to8 feet inches. Cotter
died at Clifton on September, 1904,
having realized modest competence
by exhibiting himself, and having also
secured we are told, the respect of the
whole community by his weli-regu-
lated conduct. Like his countrvman
Byrne, Cotter was exceedingly anxious
that his remains should rot fall into the
hands of the anatomists, and gave di-
rections that his grave should be built
in with bricks and secured with iron
bars.
Not long ago the English papers con-
tanned intelligence of the death of the
sBuckinghamshire Giant" person
named William Stevens, who merited
the appellation rather from immense
weight than usual stature. In 1873 he
went to reside at an inn called the
Give Arrows" situated at Waddesdon,
near Aylesbury. At that time he
weighed $50 pounds. The story goes
that henceforth his life was spent in
eating and drinking and exhibiting his
In four years he had grown to such a
ponderous size that he weighed 490
pounds. His heigth was feet s inches.
The mighty accumulation of flesh was
cut short, however, by his death, which
occurred early in the spring of 1877.
| The poor giant had overdone the mat
ter Of eating and drinking, and it is only
surprising that the catastrophe was so
long delayed.
RAPID progress has been made to-
wards the completion of the historic
Hotel de Vile in Paris, and it is be-