The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-10-16
THE FATTEST OF ALL.
A G ri Who Weighs Four Hundred
and Fifty Pounds.
Her appetite Is so Delicate That Her
Parents Sometimes Become Alarmed
Two Pairs of Stockings Required to
Make One for Della.

A vcritablc mountain of rollicking,
rolling flesh is good-natured, pleasant
faced Della Beck, the largest girl in the
world. Della, according to the Pitts
burgh (Pa.) correspondent Of the Chica-
go Times, Is sixteen years of age and
she tips the beam at exactly $50 pounds.
She is the daughter CT respectable but
poor parents; her father is coal-miner
in the Westmoreland regions, and her
home is at Cokeville, that county, near
the Indiana County line. Her parents
are both of ordinary size and none of
her brothers or sisters show signs OF ex-
ceeding the average limits in point of
physical development At the age of
five years one sister reached the weight
of 145 pounds, but she died at that
period,
The correspondent visited Della's
home and found her to be sufficiently
comely American girl, strong and
healthy, and of fair intelligence. In
fact she is rather pretty, considering
her enormous proportions. She was
asked to tell something about how she
came to be so stout, but the question
staggered her; she could not tell. In
this connection, however, the writer
drew from her the most remarkable
feature of her existence.
"What do you eat?' she was asked.
sNot much," was the astonishing re-
ply. :.
"You seem surprised, and / don't
blame you for doubling what have Just
told you, but nevertheless it is gospel
truth. never had much of an appetite"
"But how did you get SO fat?"
II can not tell. You would like to
know what eat? will tell you. 1t
will not take long. In the first place,
for my breakfast l usually take cup
of coffee and one or two hot cakes or a
slice of toast, nothing more; for dinner
I eat slice and half of bakers bread
and very small piece OF steak or
some potatoes and cabbage. My supper
consists of about the same amount, with,
of course, an occasional change of diet
Really, to tell you the truth, meal fol
an ordinary person will last me two
meals and l will have all want, too"
, Mrs. Beck verified her daughters
statement and added that they wert
4 sometimes alarmed lest their child!
health should fail from lack of prope'
8 nourishment.
"Have you never tried to reduce you
weight?" asked the writer OF Miss Beck
mo, sir, l never have" she replied
"Why should I? am happy, and neve
know what it is to be ill. I experienc
Q no difficulty in walking, but I puff
little when go upstairs"
o When Della was five years of age sh
. weighed 140 pounds, and she has bee
gaining steadily ever since. She has II
= creased in weight at the rate Of on
i pound per month for the last few year
,, and is still gaining. In height she
n 3 feet 4 inches. She measures
= Inches around the waist, - incht
y around the neck and 81 inches aroun
2 . the feshy part Of the arm. Her feet al
~ not long but are abnorusally broad,
|. that it is impossible to procure any o
"a dinary pair of woman's she es to fit he
d The same difficulty is experienced
20 fitting her with hose. Her mother e.
le planned that to meet the embarrassmel
q which this causes she buys two pairs
q hose and makes them into one. Della
chair is n curious piece Of furniture, g
- pecially made for her, and is sett
"a large enough for two persons. Her b
q is furnished with extra supports.
10 Compared with famous fat women
" history Della Beck outshines, or rath
{, outweighs them all when her age
u taken into account. Hannah Battersb
:. the fattest woman that over lived, d
- not acquire her enormous proportion
). until after she was forty, and Big Wi
10 ME, the colored heavyweight, W
st thirty before she made a record. Del
j. and her parents have at last decided
d accept the offer of local museum man
Il ger, and the girl will then appear
. the frst time in public. She will co
y tinue on the road and will manage he
- self