The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1892-08-17
| THE CARDIFF GIANT.
History OF the Hoax by the Man
Who Made It

a. Puolic swfndie That brought 10 Te
- PeFpetrmtor Considerable Money -
-Hsw ~ Received Its ~
Name
l. -1
BY the announcement Of the recen
death OF George Hull, styled In the pres
dispatches ''the originator of the Car
difr giant hoax" 1t was recalled to ths
memory Of reporter that he had oncs
heard him tell In detail the whole story
OF that celebrated and marvellous fraud
The reporter, says the Chicago Tribune
was at the time at Binghamton, N. Y.
reporting the trial Of Edward RuloR,
who was finally hanged in that city fol
murder. at that time the exposure OF
the Cardiff giant was a matter Of the
recent past, and the story that Hull told
one January night to 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 70 the credit Of being high
| ly interesting. - 'rs.a@sRss. "a
AS ne gave the story ne had The idea
OF the Cardiff giant In his mind as a
good speculation long before he took
any practical steps In the matter. FL.
nally he decided TO undertake the fob OF
making o petrifed giant that would
amaze the multitude, puzzle the
learned. and al his own pockets With
dollars Hull had no knowledge Of the
art OF sculpture and was totally iRnor.
ant OF the science of anatomy. First
OF all he set himself resolutely to work
10 remedy these defects. BE had con-
siderable natural aptitude with the
chisel. and he soon acquired sufficient
skill 70 hew out figure that was to be
put before the public as q relic Of an
age 90 prehistoric that nobody would be
likely 10 closely criticise Its proportions.
But Hull said he knew that no matter
how ancient was the era In which his
giant lived he had 10 have pores In his
akin 70 pass the scrutiny Of even the
unlearned. and IL was the making of
these pores, he claimed, which required
moro time and labor than all the other
work he did In the manufacture Of the
giant His work occupied many weeks,
and was all done in an outhouse at
tached TO his home near Binghamton.
When IL was at last finished he NEXT
made preparations for It's burial, In
order that when brought TO public view
Il might show the proper evidence Of an
hquity. To effect that he buried Il In
the side OF hill on his farm and only
few yards from the ''studio" where Il
had been chiseled out Of a 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, o sled and a
yoke of oxen In moving them; the man
who helped him move the stone was a
newly-arrivedG German immigrant whom
he had employed as o farmland, and
had no curiosity about the matter, and
the one who helped thin bury the
statue" was another man OF the same
kind. -. ss.es. asm.u,xausss
Hull allowed the statue 70 remain IN
the ground two years, he said, before
he considered II 10 be in proper condition
30 be accidentally" discovered by him
self, dug out, and the huge petrifaction
brought into public view to amaze and
perplex people in general. but TO de-
light the antiquarians who found In it
an argument to uphold some of their
most cherished theories. >.~~~~@@%
The work Of Hull got It's name from
The fact that near the spot where
Il was buried and was afterwards res
nrrected was q small hamlet called
Cardiff. Therefore IL was as the
Cardiff giant" that the roughly.hewu
image began and ended It's public
career, which was not of long continu-
Ance; 1t was, however, for period suf-
aciently lengthy 20 enable Hull to make
money out of the thing.
According to bis own story as he told IL
hat night he might have made more
with much less trouble II he had &C
'epted an offer Barnum made him for
he giant soon after its appearance In
'ublic. OF course exposure In the end /
vas sure TO come and did come, but /
hat would have made no difference TO
3arnum; rs an item In the great
how" IL would always have had value,
'ut with Hull the case was different:
he truth becoming known the giant
vas forced into retirement But he de-
Jared to his auditors that night In the
hotel that the Cardiff
iant which he averred was then lying
q the shed where II was made, had
rought him more money than he
ad ever dared hope II would and that
e was entirely content with the result
4 the venture so far as its pecuniary
eturns were concerned Sc