The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1891-01-09
THE VERY wEe.esT MAN.
A Dwarf Who Would Have been a 10.
nanza Had he Lived To-day.

Bebe is supposed to have been the
smallest man who ever lived. He was
borne by a peasant woman i'll Lorraine
just $50 years ago, and was called Bebe
because the first few years of his life he
could articulate only "b-b.n The day
of his birth Bebe was smaller than his
mothers hand.
Ten days afterward he was taken to
the village cure, to be baptized. in his
mothers wooden shoe. because he was
too tired to be carried safely in her
arms. During the next six months
the same wooden shoe served us Bebe's
crib.
When Bebe was about seven years
old King Stanislaus Lescynski of Po-
land, who was then living at Lorraine,
heard what n wonderful little fellow
lie was aud ordered the child's father
to bring him to court. Bebe. ST., car
ried his son to the royal palace in a
small basket. Stanislaus said ut once
that Bebe must become his court
dwarf. Bcbe's father was induced to
accede to this proposal with a good
bit of royal Polish gold, and Bebe was
made a regular follower of the Kings
court.
AT the time of his introduction to
court life Bcbe was just twenty inches
tall and weighed eighty pounds. He
never grew larger.
He had q sweet little voice, a good
ear for music and nimble legs. He
could dance and sing with the best of
the Kings courticrs. He was useful
90 a 4 nlla ~, ~, nj NJ all tko II . l.. -
great %banauets. His most famous ap-
pearance in this rather peculiar role
took place at a dinner which Stanis-
laus gave to the Ambassador of a great
power in 1885. In the middle Of the
table was IN immense sugar castle.
Shortly before the guests rose to
leave, the door of the castle opened
and n knight in full armor stepped out
with a drawn sword in Ills right hand.
All the guests thought the knight must
be some wonderful automator which
the King had obtained from the skilled
mechanics across the Rhine. He
wasn't. however. He was none other
than little Bebe. He walked around
the table. shook his sword in the face
OF every guest, saluted the King and
thCu tutucu UNCk W lne cnStIG ell
trance, where he assumed the position
of a sentry.
AT a signal from the King every one
at the table began to lombard him
with small sugar balls. Bebe hurried
at once into the castle, locked the door
mounted the tower and pretended to
return the fire by setting off a lot of
perfumed explosives.
In 1853 the Empress C~atharine. of
Russia. sent i'm emissary after him to
the court of the Polish King. Late
one evening when tho royal palace
was almost deserted. Catharine's ennis
sary snapped Bebe up and stuffed him
into the pocket of his great coat. Bebe
screamed so Justify that he revealed
the plot to the guard at the door. The
emissary was arrested and Bebe was
rescued.
Not long afterwnrd Bebe accom-
panied Stallislaus to the court of Louis
XIV. in Versailles. where he again mar
rowly escaped abduction. A lady Of
the French court had been holding
him in her lap between the course of a
state dinner. Suddenly she rose to
leave the room. Her lirst step was ac-
companicd by a stirill cry from tue
folds of her gown. Your Majesty,
Your Majesty, this lady has stuck me
in her pocket anl is running away
with me-"
The voice was Bebe's. He was i'm