Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1879-05-07
THERE BE GIANTS IN THIsf
DAYS.

And Two Of Thorn are Auartsfsd 81 the
Palmer House..An Interesting Chat
with An 1isht Foot Han.
From the Chicago Intsr-Ocean.
The main paflof Of the Palmer House
was yesterday tho centre of curiosity,
for there were quartered in 1t the biggest
man and woman known ON earth. This
Is no idle talk, ~ any one who called
upon the pair had ocular demonstration,
Captain and Mrs. NJ. v. Bates they are
called, and each lacks only half IN inch
of being eight feet. They have recently
arrived from Europe, and are en- route
to st. Louis, and will travel with w. W.
Coles great show this season. When
one first enters the room his impression
IL that the tales Of Jack the Giant
Killer and the adventures of CULVER
quite possibly had some more solid
foundation than mere fancy, for before
you stand two q formidable giants,
physically, n were ever drawn by story.
tellerA5 Yet they are a. gentle, q
aiable, as courteous, and 8 Intelligent
. couple ~ a would care to
meet. Captain Bates is . native
of Kentucky. IL Z feet III inches
high, weighs 496 pounds, measures IS
inches around the chest, wean q mum.
Der 9 hat, a rs inch collar, a fifteen boot,
and is 80 years Of age. He dresses neat
~ in black, wears q massive gold chain,
attached to what Is q gigantic watch, q
present from Queen Victoria; wears q
massive diamond in his shirt bosom, and
q fashionable collar and scarf; has a
rudy, healthy complexion, . pleasant
smile, and is q ready talker. Altogether
he ID, a. the reade, can very we'll zee, an
extraordinary giant, for your mammoth
men are generally %slovenly, dull, ignor-
ant fellows. Mira Bates is . native of
Novia Scotia, of Scotch descent. Her
height Is exactly the same q that of her
husband. Her weight is $50 pounds.
She is well formed, and can hold her own
in conversation. For the benefit of the
female reader it may be stated that it
takes sixty.five yards of goods to make
her q dress, The Inter. Ocean reporter
found her arrayed in q fsshionably.cut
dress of green silk, and fingers, ear and
neck ornamented with diamonds In
modest quantity.
In course of conversation the captain
expressed his firm conviction that the
race wa not degenerating physically,
but men to-day were more robust and
taller than they were several centuries
ago. He had come to this conclusion
BY observation while abroad. While in
London he visited the tower, where the
armor of noted soldiers in English his.
tory is kept, and he is confident that
not one in ten of the average men of to.
day could get inside of the war-covering
of these military heroes who figure in
song and story. The captain, while in
England, devoted considerable time to
an Investigation of the legend of English
giants. The gigantic proportions of Or,
Cog and Magog, the guardians of the
tower centuries ago, m matters of his.
tory. Og was the tallest of the trio, and
his suit of armor lies in that venerable
pile. Og is said to have been eight fee,
four inches high, yet Captain Bates tried
to get into the deceased giants fighting
costume, but found it entirely too abort.
1t was wide enough, however. The cap.
tain. upon investigation, found that the
system OF measurement had been changed
years ago, ten and one-half inches be.
ing the foot of the period when Or
lourished; although he must have been
q tremendous fellow, he could not have
been more than seven feet three inch.
es, according to modern measurement.
Then he visited the British museum,
where the skeleton of Murphy hangs.
He is said to have been nine feet, but
by Captain Bates calculation could not
have been over seven feet seven. Then
Chang, the Chinese giant, who was on
exhibition at Manchester while Potter
Palmer's guest wa in England, was Wis.
tied: Changes vanity was taken down
by the captain, who, after divesting him
Of thick.soled boots and q high head.
dress, measured only seven feet eight
inches. Chang announces that he ID
nine feet high. During the converse
ton the captain gave some interesting
facts CLEANED from his investigation
into the history of giants and g~iantesses,
and exploded many of the notions popu.
larly entertained regarding them.
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