Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-14
MODERN GIANTS,
Men and Women Who Were More
Than Eight Feet in Height.

From the st. Louis Post Dispatch.
Marie Fassnauer. Tyrolese woman, tow
ers to the height Of eight feet. But Marie
| In spite of her many inches, Is not the most
exalted lady who ever lived. Just quarter
OF century ago the world gazed with
craned head and open mouth at still taller
giantess who looked down on her admirers
from height of eight feet two inches and
who was said to be still growing"
Marian" as this remarkable maiden was
called, had been born only sixteen years
earlier in a village near the Thuringian
mountains. and the Amazon Princess
was for some months the greatest attrac-
ton in the spectacle of ''Babil and Bijou" at
the Alhambra Theater-a character In which
she wore wonderful suit of armar and
was crowned with towering headdress.
the topInost plume of which was a good
ten feet from the stage.
Nor Marian distinguished only by
her great height. for she had a beautifully
proportional figure. a distinctvely pretty
face and most amable disposition. This
magnificent creature had a very brief ten
ure of life, for she died at Berlin less than
two years later and before she had seen
her eighteenth birthday.
In 1869 and 1870 Miss Anna H. Swan the
Nova Scotia giantess. caused considerable
sensation. Miss Swan seemed destined
from the cradle to be woman of abnor-
NAL dimensions. for though her father, q
Scottish immigrant. was barely five feet six
Inches high and her mother was half foot
shorter still Miss Anna reached six feet at
the age Of eleven. ard at fifteen was the
talleSt person in Nova Scotia. For time
she was the chief attraction of Barnum's
great show, and during this period twice
narrowly escaped death from fire. She
had. too. some histrionic ability as was
proved when she appeared as Lady Mac
beth in New York. and before going to
England she made triumphal tour Of the
United States.
In her prime Miss Swan was but a few
inches short of eight feet and she found
an appropriate husband in Capt. Martin
Bates. the Kentucky giant. who was actual
ly two inches taller than herself.
Chang, the Chinese giant. who ended his
days at Bournemouth not many years ago.
was man of enormous size. standing over
eight feet In his socks. but he used to de-
clare that he had sister at home In China
who could easily look over his head. This
remarkable lady was eight feet four inches
In height and had hand with a span of
two feet.
Robert Hales. the Norfolk giant, who
caused great sensation in England about
half century ago, was member of
very remarkable family. which included
some women Of extraordinary stature. His
father. farmer. six feet six inches
high, and although his mother was but a
paltry six feet, 1t is said that >she had an
ancestor in the sixteenth century who stood
four inches over eight feet.
OF the children of this couple the four
sons averaged six feet five inches. and five
daughters but one and one-half inches less.
Robert, the tallest member OF the family.
was little over seven and one-half feet
high and measured sixty-four inches and
sixtv-two inches around the waist and
chest. respectively. while the tallest Of the
sisters who died at twenty. was seven feet
two inches In height and of proportionate
build.