Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1891-05-11
THE CARDIFF GIANT.
History Of the Hoax by the Man
Who Made It.
A Public Swindle That Brought to It's
Perpctrator Considerable EIoney
How 1t Received Its
Name.


dispatches 1.-The originator of the Car
dlf giant hoax" it was recalled to the
memory Of reporter that he had once
heard him tell in detail the whole story
Of that celebrated and marvellous fraud.
The reporter, says the Chicago Tribune,
was at the time 1T Binghamton, II. v,
reporting the trial OF Edward Euloff,
who was finally hanged in THAT city for
murder. At that time the exposure of
the Cardiff giant was Il matter of the
recent past, and the story that Hull told
one January night to 4 party gathered
around the huge open hearth fire in the
Sitting-room of the hotel had not ONLY
the merit of being news, but was like
wise entitled to the credit of being high
" interesting.
AS he gave the story he had the idea
OF the Cardiff giant in his mind as Il
good speculation long before he took
any practical steps in the matter. FL
nany he decided to undertake the Job of
making petrificd giant that would
amaze the multitude, puzzle the
learned, and fill his own pockets with
dollars. Hull had no knowledge of the
art of sculpture and was totally ignor-
ant of the science of anatomy. First
'f all he set himself resolutely to work
TO remedy these defects. He had con-
siderable natural aptitude with the
rhiscl, and he soon acquired sufficient
skill to hew out figure that was to be
put before the public as Il relic of an
age so prehistoric that nobody would be
likely to closely criticise its proportions.
But llull said he knew that no matter
now Gncunt was the era in which his
giant lived he had to have pores in his
skin 30 pass the scrutiny of even the
unlcarncd, and it was the making of
these pores, he claimed, which required
more time and labor than all the other
work he did in the manufacture of the
Eiant. His work occupied many weeks,
and was all done. in an clubhouse at
tached to his homo near Binghclnton.
When it was at last finished he next
made preparations for it's burial, in
order that when brought to public view
III might show the proper evidence Of an
Equity: To. effect that he buried it in
the side of % hill on his farm and onlv
few yards. from the ''studio'' where it
had been chisclcd out of huge block
Of stone that had been dug out of that
same hill. In all this work, huge and
heavy as the uncut stone and the giant
hewn out OF it were, he had only the
assistance of one man, q sled and 4
yo.- y OF oxen IN moving them; the: man
who helped him move the stone was n
y-alTivcd German IMMIGRANT whom
he had employed rs u farmland, and
had no curiosity about the matter, and
the one: who helped him bury the
"Statue' was another man of the same
Kind.
Hull allowed the statue to remain in
the ground TWO years, he said, before
he considered it to be in proper condition
TO DC accidentally discovered by him
self, dug'out, and the huge pet1'ifaction
brought into public view to amaze and
pcrplcX people in general, but to de-
light the antiquarians who found in it
in argument to uphold some of their
most cherished theories.
The; work Of Hull rot it's name from
shc fact that near the spot where,
it was buried and was afterwards res
nrrcctpd was small hamlet. called
|ardht. Ehcrc1orc it was rs the
Cardiff giant that the roughly-hcwn
image began aud ended it's public
career, which was not Of long continu.
ancc; it was, however, for g period suf-
Gcicntly lengthy to enable Hull to make
considerable money ont Of the thing.
according 10 his own story as he told it
9h;yt night hc might have. made, more
"lSh much less trouble if he had NC
'cptGd an offer Barnum made him for
fho g'nnt soon after it's appearance in
public: Of course exposure in the end
was surc to. como and did come, but
41"S would have nadcno difference to
Bnrnum" as an it2nn in the "nrcat
s6UEy:" it would always have, had value.
AMI with Hull the ease was different:
dc. truth becoming known the giant
Etns2forccd:into retirement. But he de-
Shred to his auditors That night in the
A1lghamton. hotel thai. the. Cardiff
ant, which he a2crrcd was then lying
IL tho shed. where it. was made, had
rouGht; hum more money than he
1sd cvcrdarcdihope it would and tint
DIT a;as entirely content with tho rreuls