Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1920-09-16
men OF STATURE:
Only a Few Have Been "Giants
in the Land"
Johann Van Albert, Recent Importa-
ton From Holland, the TalIest
Specimen of Humanity Ever
Seen in Modern Days.

When Johann Van Albert stepped
from the gangplank on recent ar
rival of the Mauretania he had the
distinction of being the tallest man
who ever entered the United States.
His s feet 5 inches of height required
that a special berth, made up of two
cots placed end to end in a large COM
panionway, be furnished for the trip
from his home in Amsterdam Holland.
Since Johann has left his quiet home
out among the nearby wi:ldmills of
Amsterdam and intends to enter the
show business over here, 1t will be in
teresting to dig up some giant history
and see how he compares with previ-
Gus competitors who used to be great
attractions. Probably no living giant
in the United States ever exceeded the
8 feet attained by the late Captain
Bates who was native of Kentucky.
The word living is used here be-
cause of the fact that for some time
during the year 1869 the famous Car
diff giant led many people to be-
lieve that 10-foot man had once lived
in Onondaga County, N. Y. The story
of this monstrous fraud perpetrated on
the American public makes such I'M
usual and Interesting reading that it
will bear repeating.
The idea had Its inception out in
Fort Dodge, Ia, when an adventurous
fakir purchased huge block of gyp-
sum from a quarryman of that place.
The block then was shipped to Chi
cago it being taken in charge by a
sculptor, who chiseled it into q 1O-foot
giant. The surface was pricked with
needles to give it the appearance OF
pores in the human skin, and then
treated with variety of acids which
made the entire statue appear OF
ancient origin. After completion the
giant was securely packed in an iron
box and shipped to Union, N. Y,
where the owner. claimed it, loaded the
bulky box upon large wagon and
hauled it fifty miles to farm near
Cardiff. The giant form was then
removed from the box and secretly
buried, remaining under the ground
nearly a year, until it was accidental
ly" discovered by some workmen who
had been engaged to dig well by the
promoter of the fraud.
This great discovery was made on
October 16, 1869, and news of the Won
derful petrifed giant spread all over
the country The lucky finders cover
ed it with tent and put it on exhibit
ton, while special trains were run
from New York city and other nearby
points so that the clamoring multitudes
could see the astonishing remains at
the earliest opportunity.
Until the deception was discovered
it is estimated that more than So
600 persons jostled each other liz
order to view the wonder, paying a
dollar apiece for the remarkable priv
ilege.
But, passing on from this greatest
hoax, 1t is found that Captain Bates
was the talleSt of our modern Ameri
can giants, although his 9-foot height
was slightly exceeded by that of Anna
Swan a native of Nova Scotia. Going
further back into giant history we fine
that Queen EliZabeth's head porter
was feet 6 inches high, probably be
ing given this exalted position on &C
count of his ability to see what was
| going on at all times.
Among royalty itself it Is claimed
| that one of the Roman emperors was
/ nearly 9 feet high, but the measure
| ed him considerable more height thar
ne would be entitled to at this time
though no doubt he was a person O
| great stature for history to make not
! OF the fact.