The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-04-26
WORLDS TALL
EST WOMAN
marian" Was Eight Feet Two Inches
Hiuh at the Age of Sixteen.

High at the Age of Sixteen.
last week we gave some particu-
lars about The Tallest Giantess In
the World" Marie Fassnauer, the
Tyrolese lady who towers above her
rivals to the height Of feet.
But Marie, in spite of her many
inches, is not the most exalted lady
who has visited our shores. Just a
quarter of a century ago Londoners
were gazing with craned heads and
omen mouths at still taller gaintess,
who looked down on her admirers
from a height of feet 2 inches, and
who was said to be still growing,
Marian" as this remarkable maiden
was called, had been born only sixteen
wears earlier, in village near the
Thuringian Mountains, and, as the
Amazon Princess" was for some
months the greatest attraction, in the
snectacle of "Babil and Bijou" at the
Alhambra Theater-a character IN
which she wore a wonderful suit OF
armor and was crowned with tower
ing head-dress, the topmost plume OF
which was a good 10 feet from the
stage.
Nor was Marian distinguished only
by her great height for sh haa a peau-
tifully proporticned figure, distinctly
nretty face. and a most amiable dis
position. This magnificent creature
had a very brief tenure of lie, LOT
she died at Berlin less than two years
later. and before she had seen ner
eighteenth birthday.
In 1869 and 1870 Miss Anna H.
Swan, the "Nova Scotia giantess,
! caused considerable sensation IN Lon
don. Miss Swan seemed destined
from the cradle to be woman OF ao-
normal dimensions; for though her
father. a Scottish immigrant, was
barely 5 foot inches high, and her
notbar was half a foot shorter still,
Miss Anna reached feet at the age
of II and at Is was the tallest person
in Nova Scotia. For time she was
the chief attraction of Barnums great
show and during this period twice
narrowly escaped death from hre. she
had too, some histrionic ability, as was
proyed when she appeared as Lady
Macbeth in New York, and oefore
coming to England she made trl-
umphal tour of the United states.
In her prime Miss Swan was but
few inches short of feet, and sne
found an appropriate husband In Cap
tain Martin Bates, the Kentucky giant
who was actually 2 inches taller than
herself.
Chang. the Chinese giant. who emo
ed his days at Bournemouth not many
vears ago. was a man of enormous
atxe. standing over feef IN mas
socks" and turning the scale at 2ost.;
but he used to declare that he mad
sister at home In China who couio
easily look over his head. This re-
markable lady was feet 4 inches IN
height weighed 23st., and had hand
with span OF 2 feet.
Robert Hales, the Norfolk giant
who caused a great sensation in Eng
land about half century ago, was
member of very remarkable family
which included some women of extra
ordinary stature. His father, a far
mer. was 6 feet inches high; and al
though his mother was but paltry
feet. 1t is said she had an ancestor
In the sixteenth century who stood 4
inches over s feet. OF the children
of this couple the four sons averaged
6 feet inches, and five daughters
but IA inches less. Robert, the tai
lest member of the family, was 1T
tie over TN feet high, weighed SSst',
and measured Ga inches and 62 inches
round the waist and chest respective
ly; while the tallest Of his sisters who
died at 20, was feet ? inches In
height and of proportional build.