St. Landry democrat., 1885-03-07
sALA's MEN OF STONE.
The Cardiff Giant Fraud of Fifteen Year.
Ago Initiated in California

The Cardiff Giant Fraud of Fifteen Years
Ago Initiated in California.
In November last Giuseppe S. Fab
ricio Sala, sculptor and mineralogist,
who arrived in San Francisco in April
last from New York and who opened &
marble yard at 10 Golden Gate ave-
nue., went prospecting for marble. In
pursuit of his search for the stone,
which on account of the difficulty and
price of transportation from the Italian
quarries is almost precious stone, Sala
went to Santa Barbara County, having
heard that there was marble quarry
on the estate of C. H. CLARK. He found
the quarry at Point Sal, but did not find
any marble. In its place, however, he
discovered astratum of gypsum, or ala
baster, of fine quality. A big block,
six feet long by five feet thick, was
taken out and while looking at the
huge mass of stone and wondering
what it would be best suited for,
Sala conceived the idea of carving
from it two human fgures-a male and
female = thinking that such forms
would attract universal attention and
prove unique advertisement for Cali
fornia stone. A workshop was put up,
and, having his tools with him, SaIa
set to work at his carving. As the
labor progressed Sala, led by his odd
fancy, decided to make figures of a pc
culiar build, SO to speak, thinking that
by this means even more attention ard
curiosity would be attracted to them.
While the figures were growing under
Sala's chisel and mallet they were seen
by G. H. Clark, George Garner, a young
man in Clark's employ, and CATO and
Edouard Sala, the two sons of the
sculptor. The bodies were finished on
the 21st Of December and then, in fur
therance of a still deeper scheme, they
were taken out on wagon at midnight
and buried in canyon about a mile
from the quarry Edouard Sala carried
the lantern for the burial party, Garner
and CATO Sala dug the graves and the
Others buried the bodies
The next day, December %, CATO
Sala, under the assumed name OF
George Hall, and Garner, presented
themselves at Clark's and announced
that while they were prospecting for
minerals in the canyon they had discoV-
cred what looked considerably like hui
man remains. Everybody rushed down
to the canyon, and there, sure enough,
were two feet sticking out of the
ground. Digging was at once COM
menced, and in about couple of hours
the sspetrifed remains" were resurrect-
ed. They were carefully lifted into a
box, packed with sand and carried tc
Santa Maria. There, as well as at San
Luis Obispo and other towns, the objects
were exhibited at twenty-five cents adj
mission.
The .spetrefactions" reached this city
on the 18th of September, and they
have been visited by hundreds of per.
sons who firmly believed them to be hui
man bodies pes11fed. A few days age
Sala and his par ners quarreled over
/ Ehe distribution of, THE spoils and theiE
secet leaked oSs.@ Each now accuses
Sthe other Of ksFng originated the fraud.
ltoS.S,xess6 Fro7 gssco Chronicle
&SNr Charles A. Gray, Of New Bed.
ford, fass, has suffered fractured leg
four times, and each time. to add to
the INTEREST of the occasion, one OF bus
hoFses'aas died. Boston Journal.
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