Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-06-14
CELEBRATED NUGGETS,
SOME DlMINUTIVE MEN AND WOMEN
WHO ACHIEVED FAME.

E1aH9 who Killed His Nless in a Duel.
A Short Pole with Long Name and
Title-Our Own Tom Thumb and the
Sir Godfrey Hudson is used for the genesis
of this article, not because he was the smallest
of the long list of midgets who have appeared
upon the stage of action duSing the past BOG
years. but for the reason that he is the earliest
of which authentic record has been preserved
He was born in the year 1919, at Oakham,
Rutlandshire. England. He first attracted
the attention of the Duke of Buckingham in
1928, he being then 8 years old and but eight
cen inches high.
Little Godfrey, or jeffrey as it is some
times written, remained in the service of the
duke until the time of the tour of Charles |,
king of England, through the different shires
after his marriage with Maria Henrietta
When the king and his new bride visited
Buckingham, in order to serve their rnajesties
with unique surprise, Geoffrey, the dwarf,
was incased in large cold pie and served at
dinner, much to the delight of the royal Wis
l. itors.
THE DUEL ON HORSEBACK.
Her majesty was SO pleased with the pranks
of the little elf that she was allowed to take
him with her to London Soon after this
event he began to grow rapidly and soon shot
up to three feet; calamity which he charac-
teristically claimed was due to royal feeding
Still he retained his position as court dwarf
under the suggestive name of Lord Minimus
was present upon all state occasions and knew
more, perhaps, of the affairs of the govern
ment than the kings ministers themselves.
He was sent to France to bring an attend
ant for the queen she being native of that
country While on this Grand thinking
himself dwarf of considerable Importance,
he formed the acquaintance of Mr.. Crofts, a
young man of high social standing and posi-
ton in France, who leased the poor little
dwarf beyond the bounds of reason Being
courtier when at home he naturally resented
the treatment of young Crofts, which finally
became unbearable resulting in challenge
from the dwarf
When Crofts and his friends appeared at
the scene of rendezvous Crofts was armed
with squirt gun filled with muddy water
This enraged the little Englishman to the ex-
tent that a real duel followed, the partici-
pants being mounted on horseback, which put
them more ON a level Crofts fell dead at the
first fire.
The remainder of the adventurous life of
Hudson reads like romance He was for
SOlIl0 UllIG d Save LII DdTDdfy, al Gl-WiECS,
upon his return to England, captain in the
royal army. In 1864 he accompanied the
queen on visit to France, but after the be-
stowal of all this royal honor upon him he
was sent as prisoner to Gatehouse, West
minister, having been suspected of being privy
to the poplsh plot He died at the Gatehouse
prison in his esd year.
BoRoWLAsKI AND THUMB.
d..
was born in the year 1889; he came of fam
lily of six children, of which every other one
were dwarfs The first of the family was Il
son 3 feet and inches high; then came an
other who was feet in his stockings after he
had attained mans estate; next came Joseph,
the subject of this sketch, who was but 81
inches high on his twenty first birthday; of
the three that followed Joseph the first and
last were of ordinary proportions, the middle
one being dwarfess, who died at the age OF
g. being then but % inches tall. Joseph
became celebrated for his remarkable lon
gevity as well as forthe brevity of his stature,
he living to the advanced age of 9S. After
his tour through England he visited his ma
tive land, but returned two years later to the
British Isles, married a lady of ordinary size,
raised large family and died at Banks cot
tage, near Durham, in 1887.
About five years after the death of Borrow
laski, in 1912, Tom Thumb, the most cele-
brated dwarf of modern times, although not
the smallest by any means, began his trium-
plant march under the auspices of his patron
saint, P. T. Barnum Toms real name was
Charles Stratton. He was born in 1888 and
was therefore but years of age when put on
exhibition at Barnum's museum, New York
city He weighed twelve pounds when first
exhibited, soon became famous, and made his
first trip to England in 1871, | believe, but it
may have been year or two later. He grew
but very little until after the end of his fif
teentE year, then grew until he was %. AT
the age of 30 he began to ''fill out, and dur
ing his last trip west, in 1888, he stated his
weight to be seventy pounds! Not much of a
midget, sure He died at his summer resi-
dence near Mddleboro, Mass July Is, 1883,
aged 45.
THE WARREN SISTERS.
Mrs. Tom Thumb, the wife of the subject
of the foregoing, was, before she attracted the
attention of her husbands patron saint, little
Betsy Bump. When put on exhibition be-
side her future husband, at the New York
museum, she adopted Lavina Warren as a
stage NAME She was married to the little
general at Grace church, New York city, in
1868, and was, therefore, just twenty years
WIFE,
Mrs. Stratton, when young, weighed any
where from fifteen to thirty pounds. As age
advanced she became quite portly, and
weighed, when she made the last trip west,
not less than fifty pounds Robust health,
general portliness combined with natural
rotund figure, gave her quite motherly APP
pearance, which earned for her the sobriquet
Of the "Matron in Miniature"
After mourning the death of the renowned
Tom for year and nine months, Mrs. STRAIT
ton tried abbreviated matrimony second
time by union with Count Primo Magri,
April &, 1885. The count is but thirty-two
inches in height and weighs less than his min
iature bride. Like her first marriage, this
second one was also performed in New York
city at the Church of the Holy Trinity, Rev.
DR.. Watkins officiating.
Since her second marriage the late Mrs.
Thumb has settled down to the enjoyment of
an enviable reputation; but few inklings of
her everyday life are given to the public.
Minnie Warren was another celebrated
dwarfess. She was sister to Mrs. Tom
Thumb, and before being put on exhibition
beside her sister was plain Huldah Bump.
Minnie was some ten years younger than
Mrs. Thumb and weighed AZ pounds. She
was born on the Bump homestead, two miles
out from Middleboro Center, Mass, and
early began the show business. She was mar
ried to Maj. Newell in 49, and died July %,
1878, eight hours after the birth of girl
baby weighing pounds, one-seventh the
weight of the little mother. The baby lived
but few hours. Mother and baby were
buried in the same coffin.-John w. Wright
in st. Louis Republic.
Blonde Villains.
Who ever started the fashion of making
40 hoarrr villain q dark hrnMad man2 or did