Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-08-06

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 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, cOntrlved,
after much trouble, and the expendi-
ture Of a considerable sum of money
stated at e50O--to obtain possession of
the body, and the visitor to the mag
nifcent museum in Lincoln's Inn Fields
inlay 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 1882, at the Haymarket Theatre, in
the simmer pantOmine of Harlequin
Iedgue; or, the Giants Guuseauay-a title
strongly suggestive Of Byrne's promi-
nence IN the piece.
The history of Patrick Cotter, who
was born at Kinsdale in 176l, shows
| that giants are by no means exempt
from the cares and worries that beset
ordinary people. His parents We're
! poor persons, of the usual stature, who
leased 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 ga lineal de-
scendant Of the old puissant King Brian
Boroihme," and that he possessed sin
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 to s feet3 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 not fall into the
hands of the ANTAGONISTS, and gave d.
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
''Buckinghamshire Giant" a 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 lie was spent in
eating and drinking and exhibiting his
increasing weight to curious observers.
In four years he had grown to such a
ponderous size that ne weighed 400
pounds. His heigth was feet 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 ofeating and drinking, and it is only
surprising that the catastrophe was SO
long delayed.