, 1884-12-12
DID 1 KILL HIM?

the biggest man In the regiment There
were one or two who slightly ~overtopped his
six foot three and a half in his stockings, but
they were spindling, ~nerveless. narrow
chested fellows, whom "Jerry" could twist
round his thumb If it came 70 muscle.
Where Jerry hailed from originally / never
knew. He enlisted in New York in the spring
OF 1882, and, / fancy, had at that time been
swnggering about among the Bowery boys
and living off the admirers Of his ineffable
good nature and unparalleled biceps But
have never known 10 what section is due the
credit Of raising so glorious a specimen OF
the physical man.
Take 1t all in all, l believe Jerry Dayton
was essentially the biggest man | ever saw.
1t was ! who enlisted him when I wns at
home II New York during March, 1862, the
bearer Of certain papers 10 Governor Nor
gan and when l took him to the surgeon for
examination l noted down all his measure
ments as a matter OF curiosity. Here they
are:
Round chest, forty-eight and three-fourths
inches; round shoulders. fifty nine inches;
round forearm, fourteen inches; round BIZ
csps, eighteen and one-half inches; round
thigh, twenty-five inches: round calf, six
teen inches; weight, 1875 pounds.
l don't think amy p~rize-hghter ever entered
tho 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 adipoee tissue, and showed their
play when be moved like those Of n thorough
bred after training, Added 70 these a bull
neck and a good-looking jovlal face; hands
Ike the paws Of a gorilla, but small feet for
his size; enormous length OF arm, and slow,
easy-golng look, which bstokened mildness
and honesty, and Jerry Dayton gave ono tho
idea OF n huge, inoffensive elephant
have called Jerry's face goodloOking.
Perhaps IL was more the good humor which
hhone through its every pore from the ami
able soul within that gave one this idea; for
Jerry was flush Of face and fearfully and
wonderfully freckled. He wore n very small
yellow mnstache which seemed 10 bda1li be
could grow; for, although he never shaved,
bis face wns destitute Of hair save on his upper
lip Nature had apparently exhausted her
self in putting together his frame, and had
nothing loft FOR beard.
Jerry nevor quarreled with any Of his com
rades. Good reason why. To bsgin with, he
was too gentle 20 tyrannIze or bully. and al
together too burly for any one willingly TO
come IA hostile contact with l never knew
him to be at odds with a single soul. Ho
moved about and attended 10 his own bust
mes with much the same kind OF consciously
superior Indifference that a Newfoundland
exhibits among a pack of terriers. No mat
ter how much the boys teasod him, no matter
how much the terriers yelped at his hoels, as,
owing 10 his Performance, they were very apt
to do-he would for m instant look as II he
were on the point Of retaliating. but then. as
II feeling that be might do them harm II he
allowed himself to got angry, he would check
his rising ire and smooth down his hristling
crost with a half deprecatory, half-threatsn-
ing, Nov, boys, look out and quit your
f~oolinif1
Dayton was n good soldier. To be sure, no
had not been In action rs yet, and 70 had not
had 4 chance to show his gallantry; but he
was obedient and attentive TO ~dutyT9tptelli-
gent and upright. He seemed sometimes to
dislike TO enforce orders when the men made
any objection or resistance; but this was
only OF a piece with his own lenient impulses,
and never called for more han n passing
criticism. Taxi 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 u
temporary one. .
Dayton was one of my ~favorites. He was
always willing, nay, eager, TO 30 of service
70 ms. He would volunteer his holp whom
ever there was any work 10 be done about
my quarters; and, besides his mormon
strength he possessed steadiness and apti-
tude at work in no ordinary degree. Ho was
handy, too, in little things. His thick,
coarse fingers could solEo hold OF any little,
delicate job as daintily as II they had been as
taper NJ a woman'a. Nor did he ever seem
to weary In offering his services. Before 1
know l wanted n thing done Jerry would
have started to do IL; and all manner OF little
conveniences, such as a shelter Of boughs in
front Of my tent, or an oven for my contra
band to bake bread in, or n nice bunk, or a
camp-table and chairs, grew up around me
Whenever we remained n fow days In one
place, under the deft hand and willing heart
Of Corporal Jerry Dayton
As n rule, when mon grow to such IN
normous size they lose In stamina what they
gain In weight Little or middle-sized mon,
say Of from fvo feet 1--we to five foot nine
in height, and weighing from a hundred and
twenty to n hundred and sixty pounds, are
generally able TO march farther, carry
moro weight and live on shorter commons
than men who get beyond these limits. Tho
greatest endurance 1 have almost invariably
seen exhibited by small, spare men; not men
who lack muscle, Int men whose food goes to
nourish bone, sinsw, and muscle instead Of
turning into fat
But Corporal Jerry Dayton was the excep-
ton to the rule that size and endurance stand
In inverse ratio TO each other. In his caf0
endurance seemed to have kept pace with
growth, and he and our petit caporal OF the
left hank IA iye-foot-two, o~ne-hundredsa and
fftsen-pound specimen We'd with zach other
who would first show signs Of tagging. But
there was this Differences between tlem that
the BrobdingnAgian could have picked the
Lutput.an up, loai and all, aud nave
marched OF with him, while the petit caporal
could scarce have lone the same by Jerry.
Often nave ] soSn the big corporal with a
half dozen muskeis and ~knapsacks slung In
varioua fashions about his hrawny person,
which be was carrying along FOR some weary
comrade, and laughing at tho idea Of being
overloaded. A mighty man was Corporal
Jerry Dayton; n mighty man Of valor-yet
untried.
There were two Of his fellow soldiers who
did not believe in Jesry's courage. One was
the orderly sergeant. m old soldier himself,
and tho other q man who seemed 10 have
pown something Of Jerry's nntoccdents,
though be never gave any reason for his
opinion. Both acknowledge Dayton'S good
qualities in camp and on the march; but
"You keep a good lockout on him. looton-
ant, lust squnll we git inter: an Of Jerry
Dayton don't run, then III go beg his pardin
for thinldn' 10 mean on him. FL Jerry hadn't
heen lifted he'd hR' know'd too much 70 ha'
gone and listed
you thought no wn5 really lame that day
VIC went after the bushwhackers, lieuten
ant said the orderly, but I've always had
a shrewd notion that he was lame nearer the
region OF his heart that time
All this / OF course pooh-poohed, and con-
WINGED that l was as good a judge OF the man
rs any one else held fast TO my liking for the
corporal II he wouldn't stick to me in a
fight, ! said, there was not a man In the COM
pany who would. Tins showed whether I
was right or wrong.
Il was at Fair Oaks We had been hurting
forward to the support OF CRssy's SHATTERED
Every smoker should try Little
| Joker"