Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1891-06-04
TIE GREAT AMERICAN HOAX,
A sharp Yankee Made Money Out OF .
stone Image.

A SHARP 4buhOC NA~c N'-~~S Wv VI .
stone Image.
The { ardiff giant forms one OF the
most utoue and interesting chapters
in fhe history of the show business in
tba limited States. 1t almost passes
belief that such great fraud could be
oeruetrated on an intelligent people.
The idea originated in the mind Of
Ceorpe Hull. tobacconist OF Birm.
ingham, N. Y, and, strange as it may
seem. was not prompted by desire to
make money. One night in the year
1866 he had controversy in his shop
with a Rev. Mr.. Turk, of Ackley, o.,
over the question of the former exist
ence of giants of the earth. Hull
argued the affirmative side, the preach
ar the negative, and Hull was badly
worsted. This defeat so ranked in
his bosom that he brooded for days and
weeks over some way of getting even
with Mr.. Turk. He at last decided to
produce the fictitious remains of a man
of giant proportions and strange phys
iopnomy. Securing the assistance OF
n man named Martin, the two left
birmingham for Fort Dodge, Ia,
where bed of gypsum rock was To-
Gated in retired locality on the line
of the Dubuque Il Sioux City Railroad.
They finally quarried slab twelve
feet in length, four in breadth and
TWENTY-FIVE inches thick, which was
purchased for a barrel Of beer and
shipped to E. Burghardt, of Chicago,
a sculptor who had previously been
engaged to carve the image. The job
was completed in September 1868,
and after considerable "doctoring" to
give it an ancient appearance, was
packed in sawdust and shipped by rail
to Union. N. Y. From this point it
was hauled in wagon drawn by four
horses to Cardiff. This was selected
az the place of burial because fossil
remains had recently been discovered
in that locality. and because Hull had
relative named William 5. Newell
who owned farm there. The figure
reposed on Newell's farm for
one year. In October, 1869, it
, was unearthed by some laborers
who were digging we'll The excite
ment which this supposed discovery
, created in scientific circles is a matter
of public history. DR.. j. F. Boynton,
, F., of Syracuse, an amateur antiquarian
was among the first to examine the
, image and he pronounced it the statue
3 of Caucasian, probably carved by the
, Jesuits. who dwelt in the valley be-
tween 1920 and 176O. This started a
| 70 u,I,n OH thu fp,
: was statue or fossil, and gave the
v fraud extensive advertising. Hull's
revenge was complete when one OF
Rev. Mr.. Turks associates seriously
advocated the theory that it might be
Lots wife. or rather the pillar of salt
= into which that inquisitive lady turned
= brought to America by some wander
The giant was removed to Syracuse
|. where people focked to see it for fifty
. cents a head Barnum tried hard Il
. get it, Hull refusing an offer of $25,
. 900 for an eighth interest. Failing il
l this Barnum had Syracuse sculpto
make an exact copy of the image, an,
afterward exhibited it all over tn
- | SouApi 90 ohC VI ~ iHdi, SOAuAilC Nli vi
giant. The men who had been let int
= Hull's secret finally quarreled over tn
- profits, and gave the fraud away
'. Newell went back to his farm and i
~ there to-day, unrepentent and pros
- porous. Hull went through his fortune
!, and is now poor man. The giant
!, dimensions were as follows Fror
:. crown of head to hollow of foot, te
- feet two and a-half inches; crown {
~ head to chin, one foot nine inche:
length OF nose, six inches; width {
!. nostrils. three and a-half inches; widt
T.; ~ OF mouth, four inches; point to point {
~ shoulder, three feet; length of foo
- one foot seven and a-half inches; widt
- OF palm, seven inches; diameter
~ wrist, five inches.