The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-10-07

self was obliged to do large part of the
work. But the statue gradually advanced
toward completion. At the end of three
months, there stood John Henry, naked,
bald and picturesque. But nature herself
requires more than a scuiptor's chisel for
her imitation. The very pores of the skin
must he represented on John Henry's body.
To this end the following device was resort
ed A circular piece Of card board, the size
OF watch crystal, was cut out. The hand
was pressed on this. leaving prints of the
SKINS pores. Darning needles were pressed
through the card board at the points marked
by these prints. Theh the needles were
liked in place by plaster of Paris; and into
plaster OF Paris was poured melted lead. thus
forming handle. The tool so made was in
fact heavy hammer, with the darning-
needle points projecting from its face. Then
the whole body Of the mysterious giant was
carefully pecked over. Especial care was
used to make the marks plain and deep
under John HeDry'S nose, in the place where
modern giants wear their moustaches. FL
nally, the whole body had three separate
baths of sulphuric acid, giving it rusty.
dlngy appearance, and carrying the date Of
Its origin back at least 2, 900 years.
Now. that the giant was flushed, came
the hardest work of all-that of getting him
into market-if we may apply a modern
phrase to so ancient a subject. This petri-
fed man weighed 1900 pounds, and even to
move it was great task; but to move it out
OF the city aud away in secrecy-there was
the rub. But the same indomitabe genius
triumphed here as everywhere previously
The giant was measured, and a mammoth
box of two>inch plank was constructed for
him. The driver who brought this box was
intensely curious to learn its purpose, and
was only half satisfied by being told that it
was for the conveyance of marble. Never
theless he went off, leaving the box in front
of the barn door. Late at night it was taken
into the barn, derrick made, the image
raised and placed in the huge coffin the lid
YVES spiked down, and the whole box was
strapped around and around with sturdy
iron strips one-eighth Of an inch thick and
one and one-half inches wide. The next
day John Henry Cardiff figured on the way
bills at the freight depot. under the direction
of George Olds, Union, Broom County,
New York - 1t had been the intention Of
the protector to bury the giant in Western
prairie. aud aiterward to emigrate thther.
But it was found, when the statue was COM
pleed, that funds were lacking for trans
porting it to the West and for procuring and
fitting up an emigrant wagon for carving
out the scheme. 1t was therefore decided,
by that i'll luck. that the image should be
shipped to Binghamptop, so that its owner.
having the giant at home, could take his
own time and wait for the capital to come
to hand, Union. whittier the box was
shipped, IS the next railroad station west of
Binghanpton. Mr.. Hull himself came to
Binghampton and rejoined his family, after
an absence of nine months devoted exclu-
siveIy to his mysterious project. The pro
blem now was where to bury the giant. 1t
was the summer of 1865. A great sensation
had just been caused by the discovery of a
cave in the earth at Salisbury Conn. Re.
port described this as a second Mammoth
Cave, full of all sorts Of relics and remains of
remote antiquity. Here is the place for
them to discover a fossil giant" said the
giant killer, and he started at once for Sails
bury. But the owner of the new found
Machpelah demanded fabulous price for it,
and the giant was compelled to abandon his
intentions against Connecticut. Something
must speedily be done. however, for the
stone man was now on his way East. and
must be taken away from the railroad sta
rion as soon as it should arrive. At this
point it occurred to the unfaling genius of
our giant builder that he had an acquaint-
ance, one Newell, withal a shrewd fellow
living near Syracuse. New York. His resi>
dence was in the middle Of that famed On
ondago Hollow" where geology places an
ancient inland sea. and where rumor speaks
of wonderful fossil discoveries To Ononda
ga therefore went the father Of giants. He
found Newell. gently broached the subject
TO him. and discovered that Barkis was will
ling, and not only willing but anxious to get
a shore in the propretorship of the forth
A juip
was stipulated that Newell should receive
one-eighth interest for his services in the
affair. On looking over Newell's farm Mr..
Hull discovered spot Of suOken ground
near the barn, which appeared to be the
location of an abandoned well. Now.
Newell, there's our spot" said Anack, the
father of giants you commence well there.
draw stone for curbing. tell ali your neigh
bors that you going TO open well for
your cattle next summer. and there's our
game" Newell replied that he could play
that "Well. you want to study on that
one point, and not tell any body. not even
your wife" But, after all. believe New
ell bowed on me-" said Mr.. Hull, in describ-
ing the result.
THE BURIAL AND THE RESURRECTIoN.
Hull now returned home. and waited
week for the arrival Of the giant at Union.
At The eud of that time he sent two men and
four horses for the big box consigned to
.,Georee Olds." They loaded the box on
the wagon and started for Cardiff, some 20
miles distant. People along the road fre-
quently asked about The contents of the
strange~looking box. The usual reply was.
"Ips jeff. Davis"-an individual whose
memory was then just dying ont of the world.
The drivers of this wagon were relatives of
MIR. Hull, and were good. trusty fellows. 1t
was so arranged that they should arrive at
Cardiff in the night. So, stopping at New
elPs house about midnight, they unloaded the
vast box, covered it up in mass of chaff at
the barn door, and in twenty minutes had
driven away again, leaving the barn-yard
alone to darkness and the unsuspicious look
ing mass of chaf. In this ignoble condi-
ton lay the wonderful giant fer three or four
weeks At the end Of that time derrick
was finished and shipped by railroad to Car
diff That night Hull and Newell removed
the sleeping giant from his bed of straw to