St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-11-26
Cardiff Giant.
HOW AN OLD FARMER HOAXED LEAENEI
DOCTORS AND SCIENTISTS.

In the New Englander for October. is
ii very interesting history of the Cardiff
Giant hoax or humbug, 10y w. \. Me
Kinney of Binghamton, y. Y. from its
first inception 10y Geo. Hull of Eing-
hamtOn, who. it seems, went West to
better his fortune. and stopping III Ack
ley, Hardin county, Iowa. where one
night, watching with Il sick man. he
had dispute with Il Rev. Mr.. Turk
about the SONS of Anak. Hull retired
at late hour excited by the discussion
and convinced of the imordinate cred
ulity of mankind, especially regarding
the giants mentioned in the Bible. In
his Sleeple>S state he conceived the
scheme of manufacturing il giant. then
bury it, iii: it up and pass it off as Il
petritied giant. and thus SubStantiatc
his notion a> To the crcdulity of man
kind-and. perhaps. make his fortune.
He carried this notion for Il wear and Il
half before attempting to execute it.
He had quaIricd. finally. Il block OF
gypsum near to Fort Dodge. weighing
1000 pounds, sent it to Chicago 10y rail,
where 10y Il German stone cutter II wis
shaped as exhibited, Hull putting ON
the finishing touches. After ii wa>
ready it WAS shipped and buried III
Cardiff. y. Y, where il WIS cNhnmcd
in due time and bccamc the wonder ri
wonders. The first men of science who
came to view il. were the touI doctors
of the neighhorhood. Dana. Parker,
Mcdonald, and Kendall. who comculIed
in calling it the pctritactinn "t Il giant.
DIR. Boynton. the geological lecturer
Il. Il
aud gave il as his opinion that ii Was
made some three hundred NcaI> ago 10y
the Jesuit fathers: and he Offered : 10.
UOu for it: hut his offer was refused; II
was FINALLY concluded to sell three
fumthS ot il for 80 900. AMI Il sale WIS
made tn express men and bankers III
Syracuse. and invitation, were sent
/ Prof. Aga>>iz. Pref. Hall. y. \. Stat,
grolngi>t. and Prof. :. B. Wonlw"Ith
Secretary "t the Regents of the Uni
| vrI>itN. y. Y. tn come and SrIcn
/ titicallN examine the fossil man. Prot
! Hall believed it of great antiquity
| Prof. Henry \. Ward of the 'uiNer>It y
of Rochc>tcr. y. Y. said OF II. though
! not datin" back of the stone age. 1t L.
/ nevertheless. deserving of the attention
( of arch;rnlugi-l> Il clergy man wrote
This i moi Il thing contrlNcd OF man
I but i tn, face. of one who once live,
/ like all on earth. the very image an,
child of G"d." Dr. j. kucrlaud said I"
[ il ia the independent Il am "t tn,
opinion hat il will not la found a. "l,
~ the Egyptian SPHINX. nor :S l"Hu4
~ the first settlement of New York 10y
the Dutch" Dr. knrrland iuthrr say :
"Thc anatomical structure oi he human
frame WAS most carefully copied 10y th,
ScuIpturc." The Rev. :. Il. Calthnrl
SAYS .'ln the ancient world only til,
GIrck school of Ant WAS capable I"
such perfect reproduction "i the human
tnrm. have seen II" Egyptian "l
AS>l rian sculpture which appr"achc'
this in anatomical accuracy. Through
ont the middle Ages till the great Al
Revival no one in Europe had skill
enough for the purpose.
Prof OlmStrad SAYS "Ihcrc Is
Charm in looking at it. whicl does II"
arise from fine material or adnIlthI'
finish. but from it, just proportions an'
lis correct. harmonious portrayal ot the
character assumed. As IL work OF Al
the Cardilf statue iS. perhaps. Il bette
cmhodmcut of the intellectual an'
physical power OF Il r"ck-hnrling an
mountalm-pilimg Titan. than Italy pos
ScS>rS.
How Farmer Hull must have lai'
back and laughed at his success seen Il,
these testimonials. with others tina
follow. contributed 10y Learned scientists
doctors and clergy men,
The giant. meanwhile WAS yielding
inf.
, ON S3.OOO. 900: large bids were mad
for it. aS high as 80 0nO for IN eight
of the fossil man of antiquity. quarIic
, in 1863. and subsequently wrought on
10y the Stone-cutter III Chicago.
1t was brought to Boston. the Athen
of America. and visited by the learnc
, doctors and Savans. DIR. Oliver Wen
dell Holmes. the Sceptic in religion
f matters. ..rcportcd it to hc an immens
statue. cut from stone 10y unkn"w
| hands. and of wonderful! anatomc;
developments" Ralph Waldo Emel
son pronounced il ''bcyond his deptl
very wonderful and, undoubtedly. al
: cient." though he doubts other thing
= much less ancient. Cyrus Cobb. tn
z artist and sculptor. said ''that the ma
| that called that giant fossil Il humhus
, simply declared himself il fool" ID
: Jackson, the genlogist. deemed it
, great marvel Many others of tit
: learned men and women of B">tol
. visited it and tested it with acids. con
I pass and needle. The whole of IN eve
| ming of the Thursday cvcuin" BoSto
Club was occupied with its discussion
. preferred 10y learned discourse by til
! President to prove the giant must l.
modern ''hccause its features were y;
I polconic.' Hardly had the words {
these learned doctors. Swans. an
t douhtcrS of the archaeology of the lhhl
r died away upon the ears of the hcarel
before the Cardiff Giant passed ont {
public notice. only to he recalled. If n'
- a> Il humhug, yet aS Il wonderful h"i
b, played upon learned scientists, the,
f l"gianS, and philosophers, hy an "i