Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-05-09
DwARFs OF EUROPEAN COURTS
Hudson, HoruIwaski and Gibson All
Famous Little Men.

Famous Little Men.
5 The report that the sultan Of Turkey
has installed as favorite the clever
dwarf, Mehemmed Selim, who stands
2S inches In his socks, speaks half q
dozen languages fiuently. and can con-
jure sweet music from a dozen In
struments, turns ones mind agree
ably from the subject Of giants to the
men of few inches, Of whom many en-
tertaining stories are told.
One of the most notable OF these
little men was Jeffery Hudson, who
was introduced to Henrietta Maria,
consort of Charles I. In a noble VEN
ison pie. says Tit Bits. When the
pie was opened out stepped Jeffery
in all the dignity of his Is inches ana
made a courtly obeisance to the as
tonished and delighted queen, begging
to be taken into her service. a favor
which was promptly granted.
Jeffery was a man Of stout heart
and adventurous spirit. He fought
two duels, one with turkeycock ana
the second with a Mr.. Crofts, who
faced the little man armed with a
squirt and was forthwith shot dead.
Twice Jeffery saw the inside Of prison
walls-once when he was captured by
the French on his way across the
channel and again when he was cap
tured by Barbary corsairs, and to
crown his career Of adventure he was
accused Of being mixed up In the
Popish plot and ended his rather trou-
blous days in the Gate House In 1852.
A very notable dwarf was Borul-
waski, the Pole. of whose debut the
following story is told; AS a boy OF To-
when he was just one incher higher
Than a two-foot rule, he was present.
ed to the Empress Maria Theresa, who
was so charmed by his grace and good
looks that she seated him on her lap
and gave him a hearty kiss. "And
what do you consider the most inter-
esting sight in vienna?" she asked the
boy. What now behold" he an
swered. "And what Is that?" "Why,
said the tiny courtier, Ito see so little
a man on the lap Of so great a lady,
Naturally a youth who exhibited such
q ready and courtly wit had a distin-
guished career before him. From that
day Borulwaski became the pet OF the
courts of Europe. He wac, a special
favorite Of Stanislaus II, 'who brought
him to England and introduced him
to George III and his family; and Tor
more than half century he made his
home with US.
Borulwaski, who at his tallest was q
yard and three inches high, had SIS
ter whose head was just level with ner
bie brothers shoulders. He was not
only handsome and courtly man, but
a scholar of repute; he lived In hVe
reigns, and was laid to rest In Dur
ham in 1877, side by side with the
Falstaffian Stephen Kemble.
Richard Gibson and his wife, who
fiourishedsla the seventeenth century
were a remarkable pair, quite apart
from their inches. which, combined
barely reached seven feet. Both
were clever miniature painters, and
Gibson was drawing master to the
daughters Of James II, both future
queens of England. At their wedding
which was arranged by Henrietta Ma
ria, Charles / gave the bride away
the queen placing q valuable diamond
ring on her finger.
Among other dwarfs Of interest are
Philetas, who acted as tutor to Ptol.
emy Philadelphus, and who was said
to be so light as we'll as short that he
carried weights in his pockets to pre-
vent his being blown away; Coropas
and Andromeda, two tiny handmaids
of Julia, niece of Augustus, each Of
whom was but % inches high, anc
Richebourg, who died in Paris In 1851
and who was one inch under two
feet.
1t is eloquent Of the healthfulness oi
dwarfs that Borulwaski was but two
years short Of the century when M
|.died; Richebourg was 80: Gibson was
Ina, while his widow died at the grea'