'Two giants' big attractions when circus came to town

In September 1878, W.W. Cole's circus came to Simcoe.

Billed as the "Great New York & New Orleans Circus! Menagerie! Museum! and Congress of Living Wonders!" it was scheduled to arrive on three special trains in time for two Sept. 19th shows.

Admission was 50 cents for adults, 25 cents for children. For that price, circus-goers were treated to a whole range of amazing and wonderful attractions, including "six funny clowns, 50 performers having no equals," and "living Alaska oceanic lions."

And of course there was the parade, which was an important part of most circuses' marketing. Absolutely free, it was described in the ad as "the most gorgeous street pageant."

Small town newspapers at the time usually did not devote much space to travelling circuses, but the Reformer ran a brief report which noted that the big top was filled for both the afternoon and evening performances. Apparently the shows were good and much appreciated by those in attendance, and the clowns were "free from vulgarity."

One of the top attractions, which the Reformer report did not mention, was "The Two Giants." They were, however, given prominent billing in the circus advertisement as "Capt. M.V. Bates and Wife" and were scheduled to give their "levee."

Martin Van Buren Bates, known as the "Kentucy Giant" was 7 feet 9 inches tall. Born in Kentucky, he served with the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, then joined the circus. In 1871, he was on his way to

Europe when he met and fell in love with Anna Haining Swan, a 24-year-old from Nova Scotia, who just happened to be 7 feet, 6 inches and reputedly the tallest woman in the world.

Anna was the daughter of Scottish immigrants. Although she was a normal-sized baby, by the age of five she was 4 feet 8 inches tall and weighed more than 100 pounds. She came to the attention of the great showman P.T. Barnum when she was 16. Barnum invited Anna and her mother to New York and offered her a monthly salary of $1,000 if she would become one of the attractions at his American Museum. He also agreed to pay for a tutor, and for three hours daily for the next three years, Anna studied voice, piano and acting, and used these skills in her performances.

According to Barnum, she was "an intelligent and by no means ill-looking girl" who brought in thousands of visitors. She enjoyed chatting with her audiences, although it was probably her size, more than her personality, which they remembered. At a typical performance, Anna put a tape measure around her waist, then asked a lady from the audience to do the same. The average woman would usually have to wrap the tape around her waist three times to match Anna's measurements.

Anna was still with P.T. Barnum's circus when she met Martin Bates. They married shortly after arriving in England, then spent more than a year touring together. During that period, they gave a command performance for Queen Victoria, at which Anna was presented with a gold watch.

Eventually they settled in Seville, Ohio, but uring. When they visited Simcoe, Anna was probably pregnant with her second child. The first, a daughter, had been stillborn in 1872. The second, a son, was born on Jan. 18, 1879, was 30 inches long and weighed nearly 24 pounds. Although he was given the best medical care the couple could afford, he lived only 11 hours.

Anna never completely recovered from the loss. She died Aug. 5, 1888, just two days short of her 42nd birthday.

Courtesy of Wayne Jackson