The morning news., 1897-01-03
TWO MISSOURI BEARDs.
More Than Seventeen Feet Long,
and Six Feet Longer Than Their
From the St. Louis Republi

Owners.
From the st. Louis Republic
Valentine Tapley of Spencersburg, Pike
county, Mo, has the longest beard of any
living man 1t measures . feet 2 inches,
and is still growing. Mr.. Tapley is a
wealthy farmer, prominent citizen, and
q man of strong mental characteristics.
He INDUCES a great deal in humor and
sarcasm, but his humor is of such a biting
character that perhaps 1t is about as cut
ting as is his sarcasm. AS a consequence
of this gift, he generally creates a sensa-
tion on the witness stand in his many tits
with the lawyers, frequently getting the
better in the war of wit.
His father was born in North Carolina,
removed thence to Kentucky, where he
remained ten years, and finally settled in
a rich valley called Buzzard Roost on the
extreme northwestern edge of the land of
Joe Bowers. There valentine the Long
Bearded" was born in 1891 and there he
lives to this day. tilling his broad acres
and cultivating his enormous whiskers
His complexion is dark. He is a heavy
set man, feet inches in hight, with very
dark, bright eyes. His hair was once
black and very thick. 1t is not thin yet
but is considerably dashed with silver
Both his beard and hair are coarse and
bristly, growing largely out of the fact
that he has spent his life principally out
of doors. He is unusually strong physi-
cally enjoys splendid health, comes of a
long-lived family, and bids fair to reach
the century mark himself-by which time
his beard will probably be twenty feet
long, as he let it begin to grow just thirty
nine years ago.
Mr.. Tapley is a stanch democrat in poll
tics. and leans toward the Southern Meth
odists in religion He handles his famous
beard very tenderly, dresses it with finest
oil and combs it with a wooden comb
made to order for that identical purpose
the teeth being highly polished, perfectly
smooth and far apart When his beard
is not dressed he carries it carefully roll
ed up in silk bag, concealed in his shirt
bosom, so that a stranger upon casually
meeting him would never dream that he
was in the presence of a man who could
make an Independent fortune out of his
whiskers. Mr.. Tapiey frequently visits
st. Louis and Chicago to sell his short
horn cattle, of which he breeds great num-
bers and on such occasions. to have fun
merely that and nothing more'-he puts
his beard on exhibition to the astonish-
ment of all beholders and to the special
delight of the small boy. On one occa-
sion in Chicago Mr.. Tapley was followed
along the streets by such a throng of ad-
mirng people that traffic was suspended
until the police could clear the way for
pedestrians and vehicles 1t was after
this exhibition of his wealth of whiskers
that the proprietor of a museum offered
Mr. Tapley a salary greater than the gov
ernor of Missouri receives TO enter his SER
vice as the star attraction; but Mr.. Tap
ley being well to do, refused that tempt
ing offer and all others of like character
The astonishing fact remains to be
stated that the man possessing the second
longest beard in the world is Elijah Gates
who lives at Curryville, in the same town
ship of Spencer in which Mr.. Tapley lives
and moves and has his whiskers
Whether it is the climate, soil, or water
that has caused these men to experience
such a wondrous hirsute growth is one of
the facts which no fellow is likely to find
out soon. Mr.. Gates has for years con-
Quoted a large and thriving business as a
merchant in the village of Curryville on
the c. and a. II. r. He was born in Ken
lucky in 1888 and is a well-preserved
cheerful affable gentleman. prominent in
all good works in his neighbOrhood. He
is a broad-shouldered, heavy-set man
about feet inches in stature and weighs
about 1SG pounds. He is a brunette, and
his beard, which is now over eight feet
long is black as the ravens wing and soft
as silk. 1t is growing rapidly and it is
thought that he will yet overtake Tapley,
as his beard got a later start than Nalen-
tines Perhaps the reason why his is
finer is because he has spent most of his
life indoors. lie gives his whiskers about
the Same treatment that Tapley gives his
and wears them in the same style, i. e.,
hidden in his clothes.
Mr.. Gates went from Kentucky to Cali |
fornia during the gold fever, and finally
landed in the historic county of Pike. Mr. |
Gates is prominent democrat takes an |
active interest in campaigning, and has |
been frequently solicited by his neighbors /
and friends to become "A candidate for |
office but he prefers the pleasures and |
emouments of merchandising. Like Tap |
ley he has had tempting offers to go into |
the show business. but being well off, he |
too, has refused all such offers, and keeps |
his beard for the pleasure of himself and |
his friends.
In addition to Messrs. Tapley and Gates /
there are two other Pikers who bid fair to |
become famous for their boards - John |
Hawkins OF Farmer and John M. Scott of |
Bowling Green. They have been culti- |
waiting boards only about five years, and |
now each man has whiskers over four feet /
long. AS Scott is a young man, fat and |
broad faced the chances are that, in the |
course of human events, he will have more |
hair on his face than any Of them Haw-
llin's beard is black, streaked with white |
but Scotts is of the dark sandy variety
-s-e-s
II can't help being a little melancholy" |
he said, apologeticaly.
"In trouble?"
mot on my own account. But I can't |
help thinking over the misfortunes OF |
two friends of mine who recently married. |
one got a girl who can cook and insists on /
plaVinE the DianO The other got one who |