Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-12-12
DID ! KILL JERRY.

Le WesS ny 1oIIS OuoS Gile OlSBeSt Clt!l
in the regiment. There was one Or two
VIII" slightly overtopped his six foot
three and half in his stockings,
but they were spindllng, nerveless
narrow-c hested fellows, whom Jerry
could twist round his thumb if it came tt
muscle
Where Jerry hailed from originally ]
never knew He enlisted in New York
Ill the spring Of 1862, and, fancy, hac
at that time been staggering about
among the Bowery boys and living of
the admirers of his ineHable good ma.
ture and unparalleled biceps. But
have never known to what section is
due the credit Of raising so glorious 6
specirnan of the physical man.
Take it all in all, I believe Jerry Day.
ton was essentially the biggest man ]
ever saw. It was I who enlisted him
when I was at home in New York dur
ing March, 1862, the bearer OF GER
tain papers to Governor Morgan, and
when I took him to the surgeon for ex-
animation / noted down all his measure
ments rs matter of curiosity. Here
they are:
Round chest, 48f inches; round
shoulders, So inches; round forearm, II
inches; round biceps. 49, inches; round
thigh, % inches; round calf, l6 inches
weight, 1856 pounds.
don't think any p,ize-fghter ever
entered the ring that could beat that
and yet Jerry was not fat. He was
rather the opposite. When he was
stripped his muscles stood out free from
adipose tissue aud showed their play
WIDEN he moved like those of a thorough
bred after training. Added to these a
bull neck and good looking, jovial face
hands like the paws of a gorilla, but
small feet for his size; enormous length
of arm, and slow, easy going look,
which betoken mildncss and honesty,
and Jerry Dayton gave one the idea OF
huge, inoffensive elephant.
/ have called Jerry's face cookbook
ing. Perhaps it was more the good
humor which shone through every pore
to the amiablo soul within that gave
'one this idea, for Jerry was flush of
face and fearfully and wonderfully
freckled. He wore very small yell
low moustache, which seemed to be all he
could grow; for although henever shaved
his face was destitute of hair save on his
upper lip. Nature had evidently OK
hausted herself in putting together his
frame, and had nothing left for beard.
Jerry never quarrelled with any of
his comrades. Good reason why. To
begin with, he was too gentle to tyran-
n1ze or bully, and altogether too bury
for any one willingly to come in hostile
contact with him. I never knew him
TO be at odds with single soul. He
moved about and attended to his own
business with much the same kind of
consciously superior Indifference that a
Newfoundland exhibits among pack
of terriers. No matter how much the
boys leased him; no matter how much
the terriers vel ped at his heels, as ow-
ing to his forbearance, they were very
apt to do---he would for an instant look
as if he were on the point of retaliating,
but then, as if feeling that he might do
them harm if he allowed himself to get
angry, he would check his rising ire
and smooth down his bristling crest
with half deprecatory, half threaten
ing, NOW, boys, look out and quit
your foolin'"
Dayton was O good soldier. To be
sure he had not been in action as yet,
and so had not had a chance to show
his gallantry: but he was obedient and
attentive to duty, intelligent and up
right. He seemed sometimes to dislike
to enforce orders when the men made
any objection OF resistance; but this
was only of a piece with his own
lenient impulses, and never called for
more than passing criticism. Take it
all in all he was on the high road to
success in the profession of arms,
though it had been taken up as only a
temporary one.
Dayton was one of my favorites. He
was always willing, nay, eager, to be of
service to me, He would volunteer his
help whenever there was any work to
be done about my quarters; and besides
his enormous strength he possessed
steadiness and aptitude at work in no
ordinary degree. He was handy, to o,
in little things. His thick, coarse fin
gers could sieze hold of any little deli
cate job as daintilyl as if they had been
as taper as woman's. Nor did he ever
seem to weary in Offering his services.
Before knew I wanted anything done,
Jerry would have started to do it; and
all manner OF little conveniences, such
as shelter of boughs in front Of my
tent, or an oven for my contraband to
bake bread in, or nice bunk, or
camp-table and chairs, grew up around
me whenever we remained q few days
in one place, under the deft hand and
willing heart Of Corporal jerry Dayton.
As rule, when men grow to such an
enormous size they lose in stamina what
they gain in weight. Little or middle
sized men, say of from five feet five to-
five feet nine in height, and weighing
100 to l60pounds, are generally able to
march farther, carry more weight and
live on shorter commons than men who
get beyond these limits. The greatest
endurance I have almost invariably seen
exhibited by small spare men not men
who lack muscle, but men whose food
goes. to nourish bone, sinew, and muscle
instead Of turning into fat.
& But Corporal Jerry Dayton was an
exception to the rule that size and en-
durance stand an inverse ratio to each
other. iii his case endurance seemed
to have kept pace with growth, and he