The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1885-09-11
TOBACCO GROWER.
Death of the Great SsFat WOman.'

Mrs Emma NJ Markley, who was cred
tied with being the heaviest woman in the
country, was buried from her home, 52G
Lombard street, Philadelphia, last week.
| She was known to the amusement Of the
| public as Nine. Victoria. Her adver-
tised weight was over 600 pounds and
her actual weight about $50 pounds.
She was born in Reading, Pennsylvania,
about thirty three years ago and was slim
and delicate throughout her girlhood. At
10 She weighed 30 pounds only, but from
tb1Ss age she began gradually to gain flesh
Retwe,rG. three and five years ago, when
She made ans application for an insurance
policy, she weigflit;;ss.. weight Z. 2so pounds; Alter,
ward her weight increascU - tpiuis' uii,ii 't
she gained the distinction of pcas az 'iie nc
fattest woman in the country, if norinSSi
the world. The honor was conferred on
her 1T the Fat Woman's Congress" at the
Arch street Dime Museum here last win
ter, when she carried off the first prize.
Two years ago she was placed on eXhl-
pitloH Tor Il short time at 80 G'!itet.sl
street, and while there sustained an injury
that finally resulted in her death The
platform on which her chair was placed
was hastily constructed and she expressed
her fears as to It's strength. Soon after
she had mounted the platform the sup
Her ankle was sprained, and soon after
ward she was attacked with ervsipelas in
the leg.
4 week ago last sunday, while suffering
great pain. she fell out of her bed A
number of strong men tried to lift her
back, but failed. They placed her on
mattress on the floor, where she lay until
her death. Her weight seemed to increase
during her illness, and some time before
her death measurements of several parts
of her body were taken. The circumfer
ence of her arm at the biceps was 36
inches. Her waist measured 90! inches,
and from shoulder to shoulder she meas
ured 3 feet and ] inch The measurment
across her hips was just feet. On the
night of her death it required the full
strength of nine men to carry her body
from the second story front room to the
parlOr on the ground floor.
Early after her death a crowd of persons
gathered around the house, all eager and
clamorOus to look on the dead woman
Many of them were drawn through feel
ings Of love and gratitude toward the wo-
man, as she had befriended scores of poor
people in the neighborhOOd, but malo
itv of them came to CRAFTY their curiosity
AS the hour of the funeral drew rear,
Lombard street in the neighborhood of the
| house of mourning, became blocked with
people, and ii was necessary to call out
sqad Of police to hold the mob in check.
Hundreds filed through the parlor and
looked on the face of the dead woman, but
hundreds more failed to get near the house.
The body lay in coffin that was prob
ably the largest ever built. 1t was con
structed of three inch walnut planks, and
was stoutly braced on the inside with
dozen heavy iron bars. 1t was six feet ten
-, a
three feet deep. 1t was too large to pass
/ through the door. and was taken through
the wide single window and carried to the
undertaker's wagon by twelve stout men.
| There was not a hearSe in the city large
| enough to contain the coffin. The inter
ment took place at the odd Fellows Gem
etery. Her burial was against a wish eX
pressed by her shortly before her death.
She had a morbid fear hat her body would
be stolen for the purpose OF dissection,
and asked that it be cremated. Her hus
bands limited means prevented him from
carrying out her wish.
Her husband, who is il dapper, good
looking young man, weighed about l30
1 pounds, said that his wife never had an
extraordinary appetite and never ate more
/ than himself. She was active and moved
| about the house with as much ease as per
sons one-fifth of her weight.
DR.. Samuel J. Ashton, who had been
/ her physician for the past two years, said
that death was caused by hemorrhage and
! blood poisoning. Her general constitution
was as good as that of any person of ordi-
nary size. Many persons Of small bones
/ he said, ''attain an enormous size. There
| is no authentic explanation of the cause
Of this accumulation Of adipoSc matter
4 In this case elephantiasi>. or Il ihickenin Z
of the skin, had set in Oh one leg. and in
places the membrane WAS almost as thick as
leather"
Nine. Mictoria, whose maiden name was
i Harriny, was married about five years ago,
at which time she was not an unusually
large woman During the years that she
exhibited herself as a mOnstrosity her hus
band acted as her manager.