Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-11-03
A GIANT.
singular Discovery near Syracuse.
New York.

SYRACUSE, N. Y, Oct. IA remarka-
BILE discovery has been made in the town of
Lafayette, in this county. Ahuman form
of huge proportions, entirely petrifed, was
found under the following circumstances:
About twelve miles south of Syracuse,
near Cardiff, lives farmer named William
Newell Yesterday afternoon, in company
with hired man, he began TO dig well in
a meadow in the rear of his barn. About
two and half feet below the surface they
struck upon what they supposed to be
large stone, and Mr.. n. went for crowbar
to remove it. Before he returned, how
ever, his man had uncovered two large
stony feet and legs. Continuing their dig
ging, they brought to light the perfect fig
ure of man of more than giant size, and
as solid as though chiseled out of the rocks
of Onondaga Some conception of the
sensation it has produced here may be
formed when l give you a few of the
actual measurements.
The total length from the top of the
head to the lower surface of the instep is
10 feet two and half inches; across the
shoulders the width is two feet; across the
palm of the hand, seven inches; the large
finger is eight inches long; the thigh is
II inches, and the leg below the knee
nine and half inches in thickness The
figure was found lying on the right side,
one hand placed upon the abdomen, the
| other upon the back, and the left leg
thrown across theright. The resemblance
is complete. Everything is there-the
wrinkles about the eye, the Adams apple
in the neck, the full veins, the prominent
muscles and bones, the natural swell OF
each rib, and the clearly defined nail, both
of the hands and feet. The face and
features were decidedly Caucasian. May
it not be statue2 The decided opinion
of nearly every person who has seen it
and it has been visited to-day by some OF
the most highly educated and intelligent
people of this city-is that its perfection,
the material of which it is composed, anC
the place in which it was found, are against
this hypothesis. 1t seems to be composed
of a soft grayish limestone, with which
this region abounds. AS may be supposed
spectators are already on hand; sums
reaching into the tens of thousands have
been offered for the figure.
| fCluCC Wiling tllC duONtJ ltdIH Judt III
J. F. Boynton, the well known geologist
and lecturer of this city, has visited the
spot, and inclines to the opinion, that the
gigantic figure is statue. This theory
however, leaves the matter in almost as
great a mystery as the other.
LATER.
The New York Sun says: 1.-The Onon
daga petrifed giant turns out to be only 6
rudely sculptured statue, the work of {
Canadian stOnecutter possessed with the
mania that he was a second Michael Ange
10, and attempting to embody his ideal o.
st. Paul in sandstone. He worked in Sc
cret, and the fruit of his labors was only
revealed on his deathbed to fellow work
man who had rendered him kind offices
during his sickness. The confidant con
ceived the idea of making use of the statue
to perpetrate hoax on his neighbors
which he did, it seems, with complete sue
cess. He buried it in an old ditch, anC
then discovered it at the proper time ant
in the proper manner to create the impress
sion that it was great curiosity.