Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-07-21
A GIANT FAMILY.
nm the pittsburu telegram.

an authentic record. The older residents of
the upper part OF the country will need but
the mention of their name to recall them to
their memory. 1t is now many years since
the youngest of the family died. aud though
there are several of their descendants still
residing in the community where they lived,
nevertheless they are ordinary, common
people, attracting no more attention than the
common run Of humanity The family ot
which we write was the Long family, htlN
named as YOU will presently sea. They were
colored. When old Vincent Applegate lett
New Jersey and sought home in Western
Pennsylvania and was one ut the hrst set.
tiers in the forks of the two rivers, taking up
a large tract OF land. he brought the Long
family with him. Though slaves were COM
mon to the plantations of New Jersey, vet
the Longs we're not slaves They had always
been Free aud had been in the service of the
Applegatos. The father of the family OF
which we write, had come with those Apple
gates from New Jersey.
There was nothing in any way remarkable
about this particular Long, nor about the
colored girl he took TO wife after he had be-
come a fixture in the new settlement and had
by dint of hard work gotten himself gcOdly
portion Of the new land. lie WAS a good
Baptist, eNhorted his brethren occasionally,
and was rs happy a colored man rs could be
found anywhere. But rs to his family -Four
sons and four daughters, whose like was
never before in the Long family's entire his
tory, came and grew to such an enormous
size that poor, old man Long, as the
years went by, was lost in darkey wonder
over the thought of his family's greatness,
for truly they were 50. Their great.
ness consisted i'll their enormous size,
particularly in their height Adding up the
heights of the eight children, they reached
the alarming figure OF ti,ty-siN feet four
inches, and adding the heights OF the father
and mother, siNty-eight feet two inches.
Truly the family had been well named the
"Long" family. In respect to the weight of
the family, ii was fully is remarkable a total
as was that OF their height 1t reached the
enormous sum ot ,, 500 pounds. 1t is doubt
ful il there has ever been family in modern
times with such record. OF the family,
Reuben, one of the younger sons. was the
most remarkable. He was seven feet four
inches in height, and weighed Ij0 pounds.
Hewas giant not only in appearance, but
in physical strength.
THE GIANT OF THEN ALL.
Reuben Long was for many years, in tact
| up to the time of his death, which occurred
about 1855, employed on the Terrence farm
in Forward township. He was married but
had no children. His home was log cabin,
and it still stands on the old farm. Mr..
James florence, the postmaster at Gamble
pOstOtlice, and the present owner of the farm,
was seen by the writer at his home and gave
some interesting particulars of the life of the
great giant. Mr.. Terrence was young man
when Reuben died and had many oppOrtuni-
ties OF seeing Just what teats OF strength he
could perform.
"Possibly," said Mr.. Terrence, 'there has
never been as strong a man lived as Reuben
Long, excepting Sampson, of course. No
one ever knew how strong lie was. He was
such quiet, peaceable fellow that all the
coaXng we could do would not get him to
exert himself to his utmost strength. 1t was
ouly when he had a few drinks in him that
We could get any fun out OF him. Reuben.
for all he weighed $50 pounds, had not an
| ounce Of extra flesh on him. He was bone
| and muscle, and was as active as an athlete.
| l remember one day we were at the barn,
| three or four of us, and were trying with
hand-spikes to put the horse power machin.
cry OF a thresher on a wagon. 1t weighed
| about !, 100 pounds. We couldn't get it up.
| Directly Reuben came down the road and
| stopped to watch us tugging at the machine.
"'W hats dis you chllden tryin' to do hyar,
| he said rs he looked over the crowd. Now
| jist stand back dar an give de ole man a
chancs, will YER and planting himself tirLnly
| he raised that machine and put it on the wag on
as easily as 1 could have put up two hundred
| pounds" F"
| REU BEN WITH HIS LITTLE CRADLE.
| Every one living in the nelghbOrhood OF
the Long family has heard OF what Reuben
| has been able to do in the harvest tield-in
| fact the whole family, even down 10 the girls,
| were accustomed to cut the harvest tor the
| farmers round about, doing such an incredi-
| ble amount of work that you would hardly
credit II, were 1t not that the older people
| of the neighborhood saw it done who are
| always ready to YOuCh for the truth of the
| stories.
| " knew OF one instance of Reuben's mar
velous work, said Mr. Terrence, " that
suppose has never been equalled by any
man. Reuben had frequently said that he
could cradle twelve acres of oats in a day
| 1t was disputed in the neighbOrhoOd, and
one day Reuben came over to our house and
said he would like to cut our oats. We had a
field that had been surveyed and which con-
| tained Just twelve acres and a fraction over
| Reuben said that he would 20 into that field
| the next morning at sunrise aud cut il before
| the sun went down. | was a small boy then
| and Reuben got me to carry water and
| whisky to him. In those days whisky was
| very necessary i'll harvest. All that day that
| big giant went slasbing round and round
| that held, stopping at the corners and taking
huge drinks of whisky and water, and fully
an hour before sundown he had cut the last
swarth. 1t was the most wonderful feat ever
performed. When you stop to think that it
was the work of three good Graders, you
will have an idea of this mans strength"
THE FAMILY As SQUIRREL HUNTERS.
81 remember one morning." continued Mr..
TOrrence, ''we were sitting at breakfast when
there was wonderful racket down among
the chestnut trees below the house. We ran
out and went down to the woods. There we
found Reuben and his three brothers ston-
ing squirrels on the tops of the high chestnut
trees. These fellows could take stones that
would weigh four or five pounds and throw
them into the tops of the trees as straight as
gunshOt almost. | saw Reuben pick up a
stone that would weigh five pounds and
knock squirrel from limb fully SEVENTH
hve feet from the ground. He did il like il
was the easiest thing in the world to do. In
less than hiteen minutes, these fellows had
killed eighteen squirrels, and the eighteen
would hardly make them a breakfsst-they
were such big eaters"
Although the Longs had never been slaves
they lived in constant fear that they would
be kidnapped and taken South. They never
could be induced to be away from home after
night. No difference where they were work
ing they would always arrange TO get home
| before nlghtiall, and if by any unavoidable
| circumstances they were detained away after
| night, they would always get some OF their
| nelghbors to go home with them. One
nlght, however, Reuben was DELAYED He
| had been at Monongahela City and had rar-
| taken OF too much of the " MOnongahela
Bye To have his wits about him. Half A
mile from home, he found himself in the
dark, and with three men on horses coming
| up very close TO him. Reuben was terri
frightened. The men rode past, One hun
dredte ahead OF him they dismounted. They
closed upon him. 1t was fight now. As they
| came within reach Reuben's arm was swung
Years before, conscious OF his strength, he
hau vowed that he never would hit a man
| with his fist lest he killed him. As sthese
men came w he struck them with his open
| hand. Each stroke as it fell upon the side
N