The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-09
BROKE DOWN THE BEDS.
2s-Year-Old Girj Weighs $50
Pounds; Can Lift n Barrel of Salt.

From the St. Louis Republic
Just four miles south of Opdyke and but
eight miles from Mount Vernon, ILL.,, lives
very large young woman. on a little
forty-acre farm, which his father entered
from the United States government prior
to the Black Hawk war, lives Ignatius
Atchisson, known to tie people of JEFF
ferson county as Mace"
To Mace AtchsSon and his wife sixteen
children were born. None of them are re-
markable in size except their daughter
Mollie, age Is who, although but feet
and inch in hight, has continued to take
on flesh until her weight is estimated at
about 500 pounds. The young womans pa
rents are of average hight and build. Al
her birth Nellie weighed but eight pounds.
OF the other fifteen AIchissOn children all
but two We're larger at birth than Molie
Up to years of age, nothing unusual
was observed. Then she took on flesh and
I grew taller. In a short time her develop
ment was so rapid that il attracted the
attention of her parents. Mollie was sent to
school at the usual age, and went about
two months when heavy sleet came By
reason of her great weight it was found
necessary TO keep her home for fear she
would slip and injure herself. Later she
tried school again. but her weight was in
creasing at such rate ii was considered
too great an undertaking for her to traV-
81 the rough country roads to The school
house. She was compelled to abandon
school entirely.
AT the age of 16 Mollie seemed to have
attained her full hight. bur continued to
increase in weight. She is thought to be
constantly increasing, although at much
less rate than was the case prior to her
18th year.
The following are measurements taken
on the occasion of the Republic" corre-
spondents recent visit to the home of this
remarkable woman:
Waist measurement, feet Z inches.
Arm (above elbow, % inches.
Wrist, ~ inches.
From tip to tip Of shoulders, 2s inches
Hight, feet inch.
The girl comes of sturdy, healthy par
ents, ana has, as a rule, been blessed with
good health. Although able TO attend
school but few months, she has learned
to read and write. Miss Mollie has rot
been away from home in several years
and never went anywhere except to school
and to church a few times. She has never
stayed away from her parents roof
night. She has never seen a town or a
railroad. In fact she never has been two
miles from her home.
For fourteen years Mollie has done al
of the cooking and her share of the other
household work for the Atchisson family
She is said to be a most excellent cook
She is an expert with the needle; she
readily operates a sewing machine, and
her quilts are the pride of her mother, who
never tires of showing them and praisi1g
her daughters skin. Mollie can also hoe
in the garden, milk the cows and RON
a cross-cut saw. Her time is principally
employed in knitting socks.
Moliie is almost as remarkable for ac-
tivity and physical strength as for ter
weight. She has been known to pick up
a barrel of salt weighing 800 pounds, shoIl-
der it, and take il from the wagon and
carry il to the smokehouse, a distance Of
several yards. This young woman mas a
very small, chubby hand, and can wear
a No. s glove. Her feet are also short
and chubby, and, while she has TO have
her shoes made to order wears a No.
in length Mollie has never had re-
markedly hearty appetite and eats no
more than the average healthy person on
a farm Her mother says she has brok-
en- down nearly all the beds in the house.
and a chair doesn't last her very long.
A uundle bed has been especially made
for her use.