The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-01-16

| 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 1881, and there he
| lives to this day, tillng his broad acres
| and cultivating his enormous whiskcrs
| His complexion Is dark. He is heavy
| set man, five feet eight inches i'm height
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 he has spent his life principally out of
doors. lie Is unusually strong physically,
enjoys splendid health comes of long-
lived family, and bids fair to reach the
century mark himself-by which time his
beard VIII probably be twenty feet long
as he let 1t begin to grow just thlrty-nlne
years ago.
Mr.. Tapley Is n stanch Democrat in
politics, and leans toward the Southern
Methodists in religion. He undles Nhis
famous beard very tenderly, dresses 1t
with finest oil and combs 1t 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 being dressed. he carries
cealed In bis ebirt boson, GO thn. ,,,rn
er unon cos,,aii,, ,,oti,, H. s',.', - W ] ,',.9
dream that he was in the presence of
man who could make an Independent for
tune out of his whskers. Mr.. Tapley fire.
quenty visits St. Louis and Chicago to
breede grnat n,,n,hars o,i ~ - -
sions to have nm, ,..,,,srai,, +hat a,,1 ,l,th
inc rnore,,bo ,,,,te bi, Lam1 - ,'''' .,ni
tion to the astnnisbran+ of an i,o,,-iIers
md tn tho snocial datit, 70 u
bov IN ono oooa,ia, - '''' "',r
Mr. Taulev uoe follo,rod io,,tr "a
street NV sucb - tbron@ oe "'aS o5r',
neonle tbot troao ,,,o, ,,,,,ail i,,tti ,,',i
tba nolico conld c,oor tl,o ,,.a,. o., 80,
trians ana yohio,os T. ,,,. S+a ,o' 49,,
hibition of his wealth of whisi,at, tha1 ,,,3 ~
nronrietor of q n,,isa,,r, ,renna, a. 1,
low a solo,,v oraota,, thn 49,, ,'',,,,,, 70
Missouri receives to enta,, bis . sor,.i,,a w.,
thn star attraction hue ,ra,,ia, lait, III o'T
TO do refused maj tamnti,a orfo,. a1,d an
others of like character
The ostonisbinr foc+ ra,ooirr 10 j., .ot
ed that the man noeseseing tho second
longest beard I'm the world is E,liiab oats
who lives at Curryville in tho sSnoa toy,n
shin of Spencer in which M Tanlo,. Iivos
and moves and has his Ministers Wbefbe,.
If is the climate soil or n.a+or that ho,
caused these men To exnerien1a eucb a
wondrous hirs,te prowtb is ono or ,ba
facts which no fellow is IikaIv to ana omt
soon. Mr. Gates has for ,aars oond,,ota,t
a large and thriving business ns a NOR.
chant in the village of Currvville on tho
c. and A. r. r He was horn In Kan
tuckv I'm 1S35 and Ia a ya1l-nreserved
cheerful. affable gentleman nrominent i'm
all good works In his neipbhorbood 10 T.
a broad d-shouldered. heayv-set man about
five feet seven inches in stature AMI
weighs about $50 pounds. He is a brun-
ette, and his beard, which is now over
eight feet long. is black as the ravens
wing and soft as silk. 1t is growing rap
idly and it is thought he will vet over
take Tapley as his beard got n later