The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-08-09
GIANTS.


Something About Men of Colossal Stature.
Mythology and fable furnish long list
of men of immense stature. We have
Plutarch's word for 1t that Antocos was
eighty-ive feet in height. straho makes
mention of giant also eighty-hve ieei
high. antkPliny tells of another sixty feet.
Boccaccio describes the body OF giant
from homes found in cave in Sicily about
two hundred and twenty-five feet in length;
but Kircher spoils the story by declaring
that the bones were those oil mastodon.
Augoulellre, the Saracen giant was ll'teen
feet high, his face measured three ieet IN
breadth, his nose was nine inches long, ana
his arms aud legs SIX ieet' lie
was reputed to have the strength OF thir-
ty men. and his mace was the solid
trunk of an oak. Goliath was nine feet nine
inches high his coat of mail weighed 2oS
pounds Eeazer, the Jewish giant men
toned ~ Josephus, was ten feet six inches,
Gabara, who Pliny says was the talest man
seen in the days Of Claudius, was nine feet
nine inches.
The skeleton of Fallas, of the Titans,
which was dug out OF stone sepulcher
near Rome IN the reign OF Emperor Henry
H., was "higher than the walls OF the
city," Kirchner gravely asserts. And the
same writer tells of skeleton found
near Palermo that must have belonged to
person four hundred feet high.
The desultory mention Of monstrous
men, mostly of mythology and tradition,
might be continued indefinitely. There
were any number OF them tramping around
on the earth In the early days. Leaving
the domain of fable and legend for that OF
real life, we also ind some very formidable
giants. The Emperor Maximus was nine
feet high he generally ate forty pounds of
flesh and drank six gallons of wine every
day; his shoe was u foot longer than that
of any other man, and he was in the habit
of using his wife's bracelet for thumb
ring. 1t is well, perhaps to take q little
salt with the story that he could draw a
carriage which two oxen could not move.
Nicetas asserts quite positively that An
dronicus II. was ten feet high. John Mid
dleton, born ut Hale, in Lancashire, in the
reign Of James l., was nine feet three
inches; his hand was seventeen inches
long and eight and one-haif inches broad.
Vanderbrook says he saw a black man at
Congo nine feet high. Charles Byrne. or
O'Brien, the Irish giant Q76l-l7S3) was
eight feet four inches; and Murphy, con
temporary with O'Brien, was eight feet ten
inches. Patrick Cotter, who died in 1902
was eight feet seven and one-half inches. II
is said of Charlemagne, who was nearly
eight feet tall, that he could squeeze to
gether three horseshoes at once with his
hands. William Evans, porter to Charles
j., was eight feet at death. Francis Sheri
dan, an lrishman, who went by the name
of Big Frank, was seven feet eight inches
weight, twenty-five stone; girth around The
chest, il,ty-eght inches. lie diedi in 1870.
j. III. Riechart, of Fricdberg, who's,
eight feet three inches III height Gilly, &
Swede, exhibited in the early part OF the
nineteenth century, was eight feet'high.
Loushkin, the Russian giant, and Drum
Major, af the Imperial Guards, measured
eight feet three inches. Macmillan NIL
Ter, the Saxon giant, was eight feet; hi
hand measured twelve inches, and his fore
finger was nine inches long. Among othe
giants Unreal life, but who are now dead, tn
following may be mentioned; Heinrich
Norwegian, feet O inches; Joseph Bruce
English, feet inches; Cornelius Magrath
lrish feet s inches; Edmund Mellon
Irish, 7 feet 6 inches; James Mcdonald
Irish, feet inches; Louis, French feet
inches; Harold Hardrada, Norwegian,
feet inches; Eleizeque, Spanish. Z feet Il
inches; John Busby, English, I feet
inches; Bradley, English Z feet s inches
Salmeron, Mexican, feet 6 inches
Miles Darien, North Carolina, feet 6inches
Chang, the Chinese giant, is sever
lccb ola illCucs niSll' IuiiitS niiptIt, iiiu
latto, of Chatham, North Carolina, VIII
travels with Barnum's show, is seven feet
Undoubtedly the most wonderful of Twin
giants is Captain Bates, the kentuckian,w VIII
now resides on q farm near Seville, Ohio
when he Is not on exhibition; and Mrs
Bates Is the most colossal Of the giantessc'
The captain is 80 years of age, weighs 81
pounds, Is seven feet eleven inches high
measures seventy inches around the ches
and wears No. 10 hat, q thirty-one inc
collier and seventeen boot. Mrs, Bate
tips the scales at $50 pounds. is 81 years ole
and as tall as her usband, and sports sill
dresses OF eighty yards apiece.