Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-29
BIG MEN AND WOMEN.
Some Of the Giants and Giantessss of Whom
History Tells.

History Tells.
| Irish Times
AT all times and in all countries kings
and mobiles had a fancy for including
among their retainers either giant or a
dwarf, sometimes both. Frederick the
Great and his corps of gigantic grena-
diers; and in the tower of London may
be seen lance and some enormous armor
OF Sixteenth century work, which,
doubtless, belonged to some giant knight
or trooper of the kings bodyguard.
James L. had attached to his person a
porter named Walter Parsons, commonly
called the Staffordshire giant, a hand
some, brave and strong young man, who
had begun life as farrier. His height
was seven feet seven inches, and his por-
trait exists, engraved by Glover. Par
sons lived on into the reign of Charles =,
and was succeeded by another giant,
William Evans, two inches taller than
his predecessor
1t IS curious fact that the population
OF France has rarely produced a giant;
Great Britain, Germany, Poland and
Switzerland carry off the palm; and this
may perhaps be attributed TO the pre-
Yalenoe in France of a vegetarian diet,
which does not tend to develop to SO
great an extent the growth of muscle as
does the stronger diet of meat. The
Eighteenth century, to judge bv contem-
porarF letters and newspapers, seems to
have been more than usually prolific in
lants and giantesses.
Horace WalpOle mentions a giant and |
giantess who are on view respect |
lively at Spring Gardens an Half Moon |
court, Ludgate Hill. They are both, it |
seems, handsome and well proportioned |
persons, and without the unusual awk-
wa d ungainliness peculiar to heir kind.
AT this time al o appeared a young |
Italian gian tess seven feet in height,
no was the admiration, - said the
handbills, ''of the emperor Of Germany
Of eight kings of Europe, and of the
grand car of Moscow himself. - Her
appearance seems to hav been folIowe
IN l742 by that of Cajanus, the famous
swedish giant, con m My called "the
ivlng Colossus who came over to
england and established himself at a
house opposite the Mansion house He
vas the on of pastor of little village
Finland, and stood eight feet four
nches in his socks.
In l775 England was visited by another
Italian giant, named Bernardo Gigli, or
illll, who measured eight feet in height |
nd seems to have created an immense |
ensatlon by the colossal proportion of |
IS limbs. But no giant created such a
nrore as did Charles Byrne, the Irish ]
lant who was eight feet eight inches in
eight, and possessed of enormous
.rength. He was clever and shrewd, !
nd full of the natural wit of his mother
ountry; but unfortunately the large
'rtune he rapidly gained by the exhibit /
on of himself led him into habits OF e
uttony and intemperanoe, and he died I
the early age of t1o-and-twenty,
aving instructions that his body was to 9
buried at sea; but the College of Sur
IONS in some way obtained his corpse t
r the sum of $500, according to tain n
ports, and the skeleton was "'set up" Q
their museum by William Hunter, the s.
famous anatomist
Shortly after Byrne's death another g
ish giant exhibited himself in London, it
name of Patrick Cotter alias o 'Briep. Il
3 was so attenuated that tall as he | n
Is, he appeared even taller. BIS | al
light was eight feet seven inches. Fee e.
3 and debilitated in health, he could -
ly walk by supporting himself on the OF
builders of two tall men walking in 81
INT of him, resting q hand on the Ia
oulder of each. Many amusing th
'ries are related of him. One even IN
:, at Masonic dinner, he took out of re
pocket the celebrated dwarf, Count
rulauski, and set him upon the table ne
} astonIshment of all. an an
some time after, while staying at Bath fc
nearly terrified night Waterman out 10
wits by taking off the top of street o ov
mp and lighting his pipe with the | eli
me. He was of an amiaTle and oantIa | mi
noait;on ~ -. -o.-..,-I1 - re-
Ous hot FemaFhaple Ior any hi
eIlectuaI capacity. Since his day to tn
present time London has ouIv sean tn
IT giants of any abnormal height or 70
,, namely: James Tolees, eight feet, pc
inches in height, in 1913; Scott,
oHo AA9AA "AnAeAHeHJ Ine oaVa- an
d giant. we
1 -,