ONE HUNDRED and twenty-nine years ago this week a tall man, known as the 'Yankee Giant', walked over West Street in Drogheda for a final stroll of the town before he left the Boyneside.

The ' Yankee Giant' had arrived towards the end of February, 1881 and, standing at seven feet six inches in his stocking feet, he was on view to the public in the White Horse Hotel at two pennies a head where a stream of onlookers and visitors paid a daily trip to see him.

On the night before leaving Drogheda the ' Yankee Giant' wished to stretch his limbs with a walk across the town and, according to the Drogheda Argus newspaper, 'he could not be smuggled out of the hotel like his comrade a dwarf, so he had to take the chance of affording an exhibition of himself, gratis.'

The dwarf, referred to above, was also on show at the hotel as part of a double act by the two men. Anyway, as soon as the 'Yankee Giant' stepped out onto the street he was immediately surrounded by an inquisitive group of people who began following the man over West Street. Within minutes the crowd had swelled to over fifty people and among them was one Mr. Christopher Smith.

By all accounts, Christopher Smith was a 'hard man' about town; perhaps even a bare-knuckle fighter, as he was referred to in local circles as 'being a rising young man, being able to rise and take a fall out of all comers'.

As the ' Yankee Giant' walked along West Street, Smith shuffled towards him knocking and shoving people as he did so and all the while people were cheering and becoming unruly.

The Drogheda Argus reported that, 'Smith seized the opportunity of glorious ambition of pitching into the giant and engaging him in mortal combat.'

The paper went on to report that, 'If he (Smith) could tumble the giant his fame would be forever secured among the cornerboys of Drogheda.'

Smith was making for the ' Yankee Giant' with that intent when the constabulary arrived on the scene after hearing reports of a disturbance and, it was stated that, 'the fun was spoiled by their interference.'

Sub-Constable Murphy accompanied by Constables Walsh and Peril managed to keep the giant and Smith apart and, it was at this stage that Smith said to Constable Murphy, 'Keep out of this, I don't want to do for you as I have done for Carson.'

Apparently Smith had seriously assaulted a constable named Carson in the past and had left him a cripple for life as a result of the injuries the constable received while trying to bring Smith into custody.

The ' Yankee Giant' by now was enraged with Smith and again, according to the local newspaper, 'the giant was drunk and was peeling off his jacket to have a round with Smith.

'I'll see you before I leave town,' he reportedly told Smith. However, by now Smith was already in the hands of the police who took him to the West Gate Barracks and thus let the giant continue on his walk, or perhaps that should be stagger, in peace.

At a sitting of the local court the following week the Justice, referring to the giant, remarked that, 'it is evident that this poor man was here endeavouring to earn a livelihood by the exhibition of his extraordinary proportions was set upon and sought to be got into a row instead of being let go along quietly' and he jailed Smith for seven days as a result of his behaviour of his conduct; the night the 'Yankee Giant' took a walk.