Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-05-30
GIANTS OF HISTORY.
Monarchs and Mobiles Who Had .
Fancy for Large People.
Individuals OF wondrous Height VIVA
Have Been Exhibitod-An Irish Giant
Who Carried . Celebrated Dwarf
Around In His Pocket.

Anolv1ouAls OF Wondr0u0 Height WhD
Have Been Exhibitod-An Irish Giant
Who Carried Celebrated Dwarf
Around in His Pocket.
AT all times and in all countries,
Kings and mobiles had fancy for in
cluding among their retainers either q
giant or q dwarf, sometimes both, says
the Irish Times. Frederick the Great
had his corps Of gigantic grenadiers;
and in the Tower Of London may be
seen lance and some enormous armo1
OF sixteenth century work, which,
doubtless, belonged to some giant
knight or trooper Of the Kings body
guard. James I. had attached to his
person q porter named Walter Parsons,
commonly called the Stafiordshire
giant. handsome, brave and strong
young man, who had begun life as
farrier. His height was seven feet
seven inches, and his portrait exists,
engraved by Glover. Parsons lived on,
into the reign of Charles /. and was
suooesded in his Office by another giant.
William Evans, who was two inches
taller than his predecessor.
1t Is curious fact that the population
OF France has rarely produced q giant,
Great Britain. Germany, Poland and
Switzerland carry of the palm, and
this may, perhaps, be attributed to the
prevalence in France OF q 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 by contemporary letters and news
papers, seems to have been more than
usually prolific in giants and giantesses.
Horace Walpole mentions a giant and
giantess who were on view respectively
at Spring Gardens and Halt-moon Court
Ludg.te Hill. They were both, it seems,
handsome and well-proportioned per-
sons, and without the usual awkard I'M
gainliness peculiar to their kind. At this
time. also, appeared young Italian
giantess seven feet in height, 'who was
the admiration"-said the hand-bills-
''of the Emperor Of Germany, of eight
kings Of Europe, and Of the Grand Car
OF Moscow himself" Her appearance
seems to have been followed, in 1919, by
that of Catanus, the famous Swedish
giant, commonly called the 'living Co.
lossus," who came over to England and
established himself at house opposite
the Mansion House. He was the son of
pastor Of a little village in Finland,
and stood eight feet four inches in his
socks.
In 1755 London was visited by another
Italian giant, named Bernardo Gigli, or
Gin, who measured eight feet in height,
and seems to have created an immense
sensation by the colossal proportions of
his limbs. But no giant ever created
such q Juror as did Charles Byrne, the
Irish giant, who was eight feet eight
inches in height, and possessed Of enor-
nous strength. He was clever and
shrewd, and full Of the natural wit of his
mother country; but unfortunately the
large fortune he rapidly gained by the
exhibition Of himself led him into
habits Of gluttony and incompetence,
and he died at the early age Of two-and-
twenty, leaving instructions that his
body was to be buried at sea; but the
College OF Surgeons in some way OBJ
tanned his corpse for the sum Of esoo,
according to certain reports; and the
skeleton was ''set up in their museum
by William Hunter, the famous anato-
mist.
Shortly after Byrne's death another
Irish giant exhibited himself in London,
by name Patrick Cotter, alias O'Brien.
He was SO attenuated that, tall as he
was. he appeared even taller. His
height was eight feet seven inches.
Feeble and deb4litated in health. he
could only walk by supporting himself
on the shoulders of two tall men walk
ing in front of him, resting a hand on
the shoulder of each. Many amusing
stories are related of him. One evening
at a Masonic dinner he took out OF his
pocket the celebrated dwarf, Count
Borulauski, and set him upon the table,
to the establishment Of all the guests.
Some time after, while staying at
man out Of his wits by taking of the
top of street lamp and lighting his
pipe with the flame. He was OF an
amiable and gentle disposition, but not
remarkable for any intellectual oapao-
ity. Since his day to the present time
London has only seen four giants Of any
abnormal height or size, namely, James
Tolees, eight feet six inches in height,
in 1919, SCOTT, Chang and Herr Wicket
meir, the Bavarian giant.
OF giantesses, Miss Scott and Pauline
Marie Elizabeth Wedde are the only CO.
lossal ladies who have astonished the
eyes OF the sightseeing world. The lat
Ter, called the Queen of the Amazons,
was born at Ben-Rendorf, in Thu1tngta,
on the S1st Of January, 1855, and intro
:duced to the London public at the Al
,hambra in a piece entitled "Babil and
Bijou." She was good-looking and Of q
handsome, well-proportioned figure, and
measured about eight feet four inches
in height. OF her subsequent history
and career we have not been able to
trace any account since her provincial
tour in France, after she had exhibited
herself in this country. 1t is q curious
fact that giants rarely exceed the age Of
forty or forty-ave, and few amongst
them ever show signs Of much intel
lsotual capacity. They are, as rule,
good-tempered, indolent and placid,