The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-08-03

Chicago Tribune.
Few women are heavier than Rachael
Holman. but 1t would be difficult to hnd
one who is stronger than the Texas giant
ess.
This remarkable woma lives on
farm In McLennan County, Texas. that
was settled by her father long before
Stephen F. Austin led his colony Of Mis-
sonrtans into the wilderness of Northern
Mexico. Mr.. Holman also cleared a small
space on the shores of the BraZos. where
he built and occupied the first cabin ever
erected on the site now covered by the
fourishing town of Waco.
Rachael was born on the farm that she
now owns and cultivates, forty-five years
ago. During early life she was distin-
guished for her great strength and cour-
age. She was the only child in the fami-
ly and when she had grown old enough
to handle firearms and ride mustang
she daily performed the work of a Texas
cowboy. She helped her father to look
after his cattle and she vas always ready
to stand guard and help to fight Indians
like man.
She now weighs 494 pounds. but before
she started on the camping excursion she
is now making through the Llano Noun
tains the floors over which she walked
trembled beneath more than quarter of
ton of bone and flesh. She travels in
two-horse wagon, and when she Is COM
fortably seated there Is not much room
in the vehicle for anything else. She Is
compelled to have chairs. bedstead and
a buggy made especially to sustain her
enormous body. She says that she did
not begin to accumulate flesh until she
was about IS years of age. though she
rag r1aA oc Vun
and known to be stronger than any three
or four men on the frontier. Only recent
ly she became seriously alarmed over her
rapidly increasing flesh, and she hopes to
profit by rigorous avoidance of fat pro-
ducing foods and exercise in the open air.
Showmen have frequently made her
some fattering offers, but she cannot be
tempted to exhibit herself for money. Il
never saw show of any kind in my
life she says. She is extremely modest,
and 1t required no little reportorial adj
dress to secure her photograph and in
duce her to talk some of her feats of
strength and of the heroic part she play
ed in making Texas history when the
fierce Iron Eyes, the savage Wacos, and
the merciless Comanches were constantly
making raids upon the frontier settle
ments.
IT do not know how many pounds
could lift,' says Miss Holman. but when
l was about Is years old l attended
house raising and raised a large corner
stone clear of the ground that four stout
men had failed to move. 1 could throw
rope over a mustangs neck or the horns
of a full grown steer and by bracing my
feet against the ground / could draw the
animal up, to. me. l could take steer
by the nose :, / one horn and twist his
neck until the bones popped"
This remarkable woman was only about
sixteen years old when she had her first
battle with the Indians. She was cook
ing supper in her fathers cabin when her
attention was attracted by the clatter OF
the hoofs of horses. and upon running to
the door she saw a bareheaded man
leaning forward over the neck of large
black horse. The unfortunate mans back
was full of arrows. The horse, though
foaming with sweat and certainly tired.
was fairly flying along the trail.
Miss Holman thinks the poor man must
have been blinded with sweat and dust
or. perhaps, blood. for he evidently did
not see the cabin. The girl shouted to
the man as loud as she could. at the
same time reaching above the door for a
loaded rife that was always in the
rack. wild war whoop fell upon her
cars, and when she looked out she saw
a band of mounted Wacos in hot pursuit
of the man on the black horse. She was
about to throw the gun to her face when
she saw Ter father spring over the yard
fence. only a few steps away. with his
back full of arrows.
Three Indians. yelling like demons.
were almost at his heels. They sent a
shower of arrows after Mr.. Holman as
he ran across the yard. Rachel knocked
one of the Wacos from his pony with a
hot bullet, just as her father fell ex-
hausted in the doorway. The other two
warriors jumped over the fence and one
fred at the girl and the other fourishe1
his scaiping knife as they ran across the
yard.
Rachel quickly drew her father inside,