The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-07-04
BEeE, COURT DWARF
aueor Career Of the Tom Thumb
Of the Last Century.


staats.sua q reland-NaMeeeus l'se.ls
60 Which tho Ilttlc Fellow was
ExpossA-ills East fssyA
Tho story Of Dcbe 10 . quaint bit Of
last ccntury's history, which. has just
Boon rescued from oblivion by . Conti-
ncatal Dryasdust. lscbe is supposed to
save been tho litticst man who over
lived, says tho Now York Sun. ltc was
.ornc by q peasant woman ii lorraine
Just $50 years ago, and was called lIcbO
.,ccausc tho first few years of his lifc ho
could articulntc only s'b-b." Tho day Of
lis birth lscbo was smaller. than his
mothers hand. Ton days aftcrward no
was taken to tho village church to BE-
baptized in his mothers wooden shoe.
because he was too tiny to be carried
safely In her arms. During tho next six
months tho same wooden shoe served a.
llcbc's crib.
Debc's carly childhood wa unevcnt-
full. He did not grow and he did not
talk. lilo was famous throughout
lorraine, however, Is tho c%unningcst
md tinicst bit Of humanity g
lilo was perfectly proportioned, had
wonderfully largo and beautiful brown
sycs, and was remarkably active upon
hi: ai.ainutivc legs. When ltel,c was
.',olt scvcn ynars old King Stanislaus
i. ,sc.ynaki Of Poland, who was then
living in Lorraine, heard what o
wonderful little fellow lao was, and
..cdereI the child's father to bring him
.,couvt. Iscbc, ST., carried his son To
The royal palace in a small haskct.
At timo OF his introduction to court
lifn l:cbc was Just twenty inches tall
and weighed eight pounds. lie never
grew larger. At first tho King tried to
teach him Jokes and fairy stories and
bits OF questionable poetry. lkln's in-
tclligcncc, however, was not equal to
tho dcmands thus made upon 1t. Ills.
memory was so weak that l.c forgot ono
hour what he had learned the hour be-
fore. Reading and writing wcrc for him
quito impossible. With all these fall
ings, however, he was by no can q
failure rs . court dwarf. lie had q
sweet little voice, q good car for music,
and nimblc logs. lie could dance and
and kick and sing with the best Of tho
Kings courticrs. lie was very useful as
y table ornament Mt all tho Kings great
OutkN UNslSs III biiOSG 1tAulOIS NItkN'NSsSnCO
in this rather curious role took place ut
- dinner which Stani,laus gave to tho
ambassador OF q grslt power In l.ss.
In tho middle of tho table was an Inn
cns sugar castle. Shortly before tho
guests rose to leave, the door Of tho
castle opened, and q knight in full arm
or stepped out with a drawn sword in
his right hand. All the guests thought
tho knight must be some wonderful
autonaton which the King had obtained
from the skilled meet. anics across tho
Rhine. Ito wasn't. however. Ito vas
nonc other than little lschc. lie walked
around tho table, shook his sword in tho
faco Of every guest. salutcd tho King,
and then turned back to thu castle en-
trance. wncre ne assumed the position
# sentry. At a signal from tho King
every one At tho table began to lombard
him with small sugar balls. lscsc hur-
ricd ut once into thu castle. lockcd tho
door, mounted tho tower. and pretended
to return the fire. by setting of . lot Of
p%crfumcd explosives. -~.-:-.
Within ton or twelve years after
Babc'S appearance at court hc was ono of
she most celebrated persons in royal So
.icty on the continent. With fame.
however, am to him numerous Nri,s.
MI tho sovcrcigns Of Europe were GDvct.
ing him, and ,Nany VI thea tried hard to
steal him. In 1858 the Empress CATH
crime, OF Russia, sent all en.;SSary after
hirl to the court Vt Tao Polish King.
Late n evening, when the royal palace.
was almost deserted, GATHERINGS cr,is-
sary snapped lBcbc rp ard stuffed him
into the pocket Of his greet coat. liclc
screamed SO Justify that he revealed tho
plot to the guard ut tho door. The ennis
.:ary was arrested and isebc was rescued.
not long aftcrward l.e,po accompanied
;;tanislaus TO the court Of LOFTS Nv. in
Versailles, wllcrc he again narrowly cs-
capped abduction. 4 lady Of the French
court had been holding him in her lap
between tho courses of q court dinner.
Suddenly she rose M leave the room.
Her FIRST step was acco,: panied by q
shrill cry from tho folds Of her gown:
.'Your Majesty. your Majesty. this lady
has stuck mo in her pocxst, and is run
ming away with me-" The voicc was
I5cbo's. lio was Immediately dragged
from tho court laIy's pocket and placed
under the guard Of two pages. who wcrs
instructed by King stanisiaus to watch
him day and night.
Tho pcri:s through which no had
passed. and Tic si::ct Surveillance T.,
which he was nov subjected. depressed
l;cbe's spirits and dcm.u-a.:1.d his
nervous system. He became lnclan-
choly, mortsc, round. ssluui.lcrrl and
haggard. The King Thought l.n ncci,,l
a companion to cheer him up, and there
fore married him with great Inon:p and
ceremony TO Thcrcsc souyrav. q dwarf
Of about his age and slightly y-.a:cs
stature. That was the last drop in
Bcbc's cup. Two weeks altar his mar.
riage no lost his mind. lie ceased to
talk entirely, ate little, and passed most
Of his timc in his crib.
His honeymoon was hardly UP when
he died. Shortly before his death his
cloudcd mind was cleared in q most re.
markablc manner. Ills memory, which
had always been weak and after his
marriage had vanished, ~srdddcnly re-
turned. Ito rccollcctcd all tho Incl
dents OF his carly childhood, his
mothers face, which no had not seen
for fifteen years, and oil the songs which
had been taught him since his advent
to court. lobe was Just twcnty.onc
years old when no died. Ills vito
Thcresc survived him forss:.tw0 years..