Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-03-08

Early American Giants.
Does anybody believe that there ev-
er has been a race of giants in the
world? Does anybody believe that q
race OF gigantic men. who were from
twelve to twenty feet high, ever lived
in these United States of America?
And yet the proof that such race OF
people did live in this country is to be
found in the Grand Canyon OF the
Colorado river in northern Arizona.
This proof consists, of first: Foot
prints in the red sandstone. Foot
prints that appear to have been made
by the moccasined feet of gigantic
men. Men whose tracks measured 20
inches in length and who stepped five
feet at stride.
The second proof is that there Is the
petlified body of such man, likewise
in the red sandstone of the Grand
Canyon district. This body was that
of a living, breathing man, but, after
death the flesh was replaced by lime
silica, held in solution in the water.
There is ample evidence that nature
was bale to perform this feat, as the
petrlfying process is being carried on
in the canyon to this day.
The third fact is that there is and
was a strong and almost universal ira
dition among the ancient people OF
Mexico and Peru that such race Of
giants lived in their country.
Perhaps it is almost too much to call
this proof, but it is at least corrobor-
ative testimony.
Last June l visited the Grand Can-
| yon as a tourist. The Atlantic and
Pacific railroad to Flagstaff, thence by
stage 70 miles to the Hance trail on the
brink of the gorge. There I met Mr..
Hull, who was acting as guide into the
canyon and who was pioneer OF
northern Arizona He told me the fol-
lowing story, and, with apologies for
my credulity, 1 believe him.
Three years. ago he and compan-
ion named Jim Lavelle had been pros
They found ledge which they
thought was valuable and had started
out of the canyon with samples of the
ore, expecting to return in few
days One of the Indians was with
them Mr.. Hull speaks the Indian
language fluently and the Indians have
a great admiration for him. The In
dian said: Have you ever seen the
big Indian up here" volunteering to
shcw it. They followed him up foot
trail which led through a crevice in
The red wall, thence to the bench-like
formation above, but still in the
midst of the red sandstone.
They came to place where pro-
jecling rock formed a shelter over a
sloping table-like stab CT stone which
was covered with a white incrustation
of lime. Outstretched on this slab was
the body of a gigantic man turned tC
stone. The body was entirely nude
and lay face downward. They esti-
mated his height to be Is or 20 feet
The left arm was cut at full length
while the right arm was doubled undel
his head. The left leg was perfect bu
| the foct was jammed into a crack il
the slab. The right leg was broken of
just below the knee, and the broken
part was missing They looked at II
journey intending to return and make
a more complete investigation. Plans
changed and they failed to return.
Mr. Hull told the story to severa
) people, but they either disbelieved hin
or discouraged him, so 1t happened
, that he had never went back thert
and that he had never tried to do any
thing with his discovery.
He also told me that reliable indians
had described to him tracks of botl
men and animals in the solid rock no
far from this body and in the SAM
formation. These he had never seen
but he had no doubt of their existence
This was startling information, bu
/ had been in measure prepared TO
it. In the first place it had aDway
seemed reasonable to me that the pre-
historic, primeval hunting savage
should have been of large stature
Geology tells lis chat there was a per
iod in the history of the world callei
the Tertiary or Mammalian age tina
was peculiarly favorable to anima
life. 1t is the age of the mammoth
the great cave bear, the cave lion, tn
wC2ly rhinocerous, the primeval OK
: the great Irish elk the gigantic sloth
I and other familiar animals, that wer
Far larger then than now. Was ma
! TO be left out entirely amid all thi
3 list of g:arGs?