The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-03-21
EARLY AMERICAN GIANTS.
Reasons For Believing That kace oi 30
Footers Lived in Arizona.

Reasons For Believing That Race OF "-S-
Footers Lived in Arizona.
Does anybody believe that there
ever has been a race of giants IN the
world? Does anybody believe that
race of gigantic men, who were from
twelve to twenty feet high, ever lived
in these United States of America?
And yet the prof 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
orints in the red sandstone. Foot
nsints that appear to have been made
by the moccasined feet OF gigantic
men. Men whose tracks measured
twenty inches in length and who
stepped five feet at stride.
The second proof is that there is
the petrifed body of such man, like,
wise in the red sandstone of the Grand
Canyon district. This body was that
of living, breathing man, but, after
deatt: the flesh was replaced by lime
Or silica, held in solution in the water.
There is ample evidence that nature
was able to perform this feat, as the
petrifying process is being carried on
in the canyon to this day. >
The third fact is that there is and
wal a strong and almost universal ira.
dition among the ancient people oi
Mexico and Peru that such q race oi
giants lived in their country. ~
Perhaps it is almost too much to
call this proof, but it is at least COR
roborative testimony.
Last June visited the Grand Cam
yon as tourist, says O writer in the,
Prescott Prospect. The Atlantic and
Pacific Railroad to Flagstaff, thence
by stage seventy miles to the Hance
trail on the brink of the gorge. There
I met Mr.. Hull, who was acting az
guide into the canyon and who was
pioneer OF northern Arizona. He told
me the following story, and, with
apologies for my credulity. I believe
him. r.l.
Three years ago he and a, com.
psnion named Jim Lavelle had been
pfospecting in this part of the coun.
try: They found ledge which they
thought was valuable and had started
out Of the canyon with samples OF the,
ore, expecting to return IN afew days.
One of. the Indians was with them.
Mr.. Hull speaks the Indian language
Auently and the Indians have great
admiration for him. The Indian said:-
a.sHaye you ever seen the big Indian
up here,n volunteering to show it.
They followed him up a foot trail
which led through crevice in the red
wall, thence on to the bench-like for
nation above, but still in the midst Of
the red sandstone.
They came to a place where pro-
iecting rock formed shelter over q.
,sloping table-like slab Of stone which
was covered with white incrustation
of lime. Outstretched on this slab
was the body of gigantic man turned
into stone. The body was entirely
nude and 10y face downward. They
estimated his height to be eighteen or
twenty feet. The left arm was out at
full length, while the right arm was
doubled under his head. The left
was perfect, but the foot was iammed
into q crack in the slab. The right
leg was broken off just below the knee
and the broken part was missing.
They looked at it ten or fifteen min
utes and then continued their Jour-.
ney, intending to return and make
more complete investigation. Plans
changed and they failed to return.
Mr.. Hull told the story to several.
people, but they either disbelieved3
lin or discouraged him, so it hap
pened that he had never been back
there and that he had never tried to
do anything with his discovery.
He also told me that reliable In
! dams had described to him tracks OF
II 9th men and animals in the solid
! rock not far from this body and in the
same formation. These he had never
seen, but he had no doupt of their
! existence.
This was startling information. but
'}.I had been in measure prepared for
it. In the first place it had always
seemed reasonable to me that the
prehistoric, prime1al hunting savages
should have been of large statue.
Geology tells US that there was a
period in the history OF the world
J called the Tertiary or Mammalian age
that was peculiarly favorable to ami
NAL life. 1t is the age of the NAM
moth, the great cave bear, the cave
lion, the ..woolly rhinocerous, the
primival OK, the great Irish elk, the,
gigantic sloths and other familiar ani-
mails. that were far larger then than
now. Was man to be left out entirely