# Obscure request: Article on a man named 10-8 Kelly **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 19, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-request-article-on-a-man-named-10-8-kelly/715419 "2015-03-19T20:02:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-request-article-on-a-man-named-10-8-kelly/715419/1 "2015-03-19T20:02:26Z")
Possibly the name was rendered something like 10’ 8" Kelly, and possibly his last name was spelled “Kelley.” Anyway. . . I remember reading this newspaper article about him in the early 1970s. Sounded like an interesting character who wove some interesting stories about himself–such as how his name was derived. Supposedly (as I attempt to dredge up 40+ year old memories), it was because his gestation period was 10 months, 8 days. The only other thing I can recollect from the article was he was able to \*talk [something] out of people–but he couldn’t give away how he did it or he would lose the power. That’s it. \*Some backwoods folk claimed to be able to ‘talk’ ailments away. I’ve heard of talking warts off, talking fire out (i.e., making the pain of a burn go away), and talking the pain out. I don’t recall exactly what his specialty was. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-request-article-on-a-man-named-10-8-kelly/715419/2 "2015-03-20T20:01:01Z")
There was a Teneight Kelley 1903-1981 from Whitmire SC that I got from a little googling. I don’t see an article though. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-request-article-on-a-man-named-10-8-kelly/715419/3 "2015-03-21T22:13:00Z")
There’s a single mention in [Volume 5 of the _Saturday Review_](https://books.google.com/books?id=3o07AQAAIAAJ&q=%22teneight+kelley%22&dq=%22teneight+kelley%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=M-wNVbHpNoXFggSjtYPgCg&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAA), though the full article doesn’t seem to be available online. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-request-article-on-a-man-named-10-8-kelly/715419/4 "2015-03-22T18:16:59Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > There was a Teneight Kelley 1903-1981 from Whitmire SC that I got from a little googling. I don’t see an article though. Hmm. . . probably the guy. Gives me a start. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-request-article-on-a-man-named-10-8-kelly/715419/5 "2015-03-22T18:21:45Z")
Honey, you know you should have started with me. I found two articles in The State - one’s an obit and one’s an article. Evidently he could “talk out fire”. I’m trying to figure out how best to post images. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-request-article-on-a-man-named-10-8-kelly/715419/6 "2015-03-22T18:37:16Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Honey, you know you should have started with me. I found two articles in The State - one’s an obit and one’s an article. Evidently he could “talk out fire”. I’m trying to figure out how best to post images. Well, yeah, but last time I imposed upon you for some research, I said it would be the last time! (But if you could get an image of some sort, that would be cool! 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-request-article-on-a-man-named-10-8-kelly/715419/7 "2015-03-22T18:43:35Z")
Sorry, I was far too lazy to actually walk thirty feet over there and scan this from the microfilm so I took six times as long getting it into a format I could put on Flickr and it’s a little clumsy. [Article page 1 (The State, March 12, 1978)](https://www.flickr.com/photos/62555962@N00/16689259487/) [Article page 2](https://www.flickr.com/photos/62555962@N00/16709186560/) [Obit (The State, October 18 1981)](https://www.flickr.com/photos/62555962@N00/16276617843/) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-request-article-on-a-man-named-10-8-kelly/715419/8 "2015-03-22T18:49:37Z")
And if you think I didn’t count that as a reference transaction you are sorely mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-request-article-on-a-man-named-10-8-kelly/715419/9 "2015-03-22T19:19:44Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > And if you think I didn’t count that as a reference transaction you are sorely mistaken. Cool! (And thanks!)