Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US) a short person; also as adj.

1833		A. Greene Life and Adventures of Dr Dodimus Duckworth II 120: Good bye to you, little stumpy Dumps.
1838		J.C. Neal Charcoal Sketches (1865) 78: ‘Stumpy chaps, such as you, ain’t got no troubles in this world.’ [...] ‘That’s all you know about it – stumpies have troubles.’.
1927		S.V. Benét John Brown’s Body (1928) 260: Stumpy Grant is a mole / Gnawing at Vicksberg.
1938		L. Ortzen Down Donkey Row 53: There was Georgie Graves, a stumpy corner-loiterer who agreed with everybody.
1971		(con. 1930s–50s) D. Wells Night People 118: Stumpy, adj. Short.

2. (Aus./US) a crippled beggar, esp. one with a leg missing; also as adj.

1823		Oxford Jrnl 11 Oct. 4/3: Stumpy, a man with a wooden leg, Cowskin, Spindleshanks, Cockeye, Pig-tail and Yellow-belly were severally invoked.
1854		Bell’s Life in Sydney 7 Oct. 3/1: John' Griffiths; a short, thick, stumpy person, stumpy in the most literal acceptation of the term, having a game leg .
1920		Daily News (Perth) 9 July 5/2: [heading] Our Returned Soldiers. Our ‘Wingies and Stumpies’ Forgather.
1923		N. Anderson Hobo 102: Peggy is a one-legged man. Stumpy is a legless man. Wingy is a man with one or both arms off. Blinky is a man with one or both eyes defected. A Dummy is a man who is dumb or deaf and dumb.
1928		Mirror (Perth) 19 May 4/3: The Wingies and Stumpies’ annual consultation will be paid in full [...] Proceeds go to assisting the work of the Returned Maimed and Limbless Men’s Association.
1945		R.S. Close Love me Sailor 86: ‘Stumpy’ Taylor [...] shoved Lamps aside and sat in his seat. ‘Get hup fer yer betters! . . . Lettin’ a real sailor with a gammy leg stand!’ he said indignantly.
2003		N. Griffiths Stump 51: Quockie tells Tommy where he thinks this stumpy mudderfucker might be hidin.