Show TWO MISSOURI BEARDS more than seventeen feet lone and six feet longer than their owners valentine tapley of pike county mo baa the longest beard of any living man it measures 9 feet 2 inches nd is detill gro winer mr tapley ie a wealthy fanner a prominent citizen and a man of strong mental he indulges a great deal in limmor and sarcasm but his is of each a biting character that perhaps it Is about as cutting as bis sarcasm As a consequence of this gift he creates a sensation on the witness eland in his many tilts with the lawyer frequently getting the better in the war ot it his father was born in north caro lina removed thence to kentucky where he remained ten years and finally settled in a rich valley called buzzard boost on the extreme northwestern of the land of joe bowers there valentine ibe lo 10 g bearded rear ded wa born in 1831 and there he lives to this day tilling bis broad acres and ing hia enormous whiskers his corn alexion is dark he is a heavy set man five feet eight inches in height with very dark bright eyes his hair was once black and very thick it i not thin yet but is considerably dashed with silver both bis beard and hair are coarse and bristly growing largely out of the fact that he has epal bis life principally out of doors he ie unusually strong physically enjoys splendid health comes of a giong family and bids fair to reach the century cea tury himself by which ti beard will probably be twenty fleet ione be let it bebin conw just nine years ago air tapley is a stanch democrat in and leans towards the south sra methodists methodises ses in religion he handles ithe lamoue beard very tenderly dresses it with finelt oil and combs it with a wooden comb made to order for hat identical purpose the teeth being highly polished perfectly smooth anil far part when hie beard is not being dressed he carries it carefully strolled up in a silk bag concealed in his shirt bosom so that a stranger upon casually meeting him would never dream that he was in the presence of a who could make an independent bertane fer tane out of his whiskers mr tapley visits st louis and chicago to sell bis shorthorn short horn cattle of which be breeds great numbers and on such occasions to have fun merely that nothing more he puts his beard an of all beholders and to the epenial delight of the email boy on one occasion in chi cago mr tapley waa followed along hw streets by each a throng of dm irine people that traffic was until the police coald clear abo way for pedestrians and it waa after thie exhibition of hie wealth of whiskers that the pro cf the offered mr greater than the eov ertter ert tor of Aliee ouri receives to enter hie service the star attraction o 0 tapley that ol 01 like character the astonishing fact remaina to be stated the man the second longest beard in the world ie elijah gates who lives at carryville curryville Curr in the ame township of spencer an which mr tapley elivea and moves and hae bis whiskers whether it is the climate boil or water that aaa caused these men to wondrous ie oneff the lacta tacta which no fellow is likely to find out soon mr gaea has for yeara conducted a lage and thriving bueme ea as a merchant in the villace of the 0 end A R R he wae born in kentucky in 1835 and is a well cheerful affable gentle nian prominent n all good works in his neighborhood lie isa broad shouldered heavyset man about five feet seven i in chesin stature and weighs about pounds he ie a brunette and bia beard which is now over bight feet boac is black as the ravens wine and boft as silk it is growing and it is thought that ha will yet overtake tapley a his beard got a later start than vil perhaps the reason why hs i i finer ie be has ebent moat of his life itu loore he aives hie whiskers nebout the eanie ean ie treatment that tapley hie and weara them in the fame ervle i whidden ehid den in his clothes mr gates went from kentucky to darine the old ever end hiat bouny if t t 1 pike sir gates ie a prominent democrat takes an active interest in campaigning pai gning and hag been frequently foli cited by bis neighbors and friends to become a candidate for office but be prefers the pleasures and emoluments of merchandising like tapley he has had tempting offers to go ioto the show business but being well off he too has refused all such boners and keeps his beard for the pleasure of himself and his friend in addition to tapley and gates there are two other bikers who bid fair to become famous for their beards john of farmer and john M scott of bowling green they have been cultivating beards only abacut five beare and now each mau hag whiskers over four feet long As scott is a young man fat and broad faced the chances are that in the course of human events he will have more hair on his face than any of them hawkinsen Haw kinse beard ie black streaked etre aked with white but scotts if 0 the dark sandy variety |