The evening times., 1897-12-21
MADE THE CARDIFF GIANT
George Hull, Sculptor Of the
Famous Hoax, Lies Dying.
TELLS HOW 1T CAME ABOUT
Bible Stories About Giants Made
Him Think About Chiseling Out
One and Passing 1t Upon the Gull
lible Public as Petrified Nan.
His Profits Were 100000.

Binghamt6n, Dec. 21.-Geor ge Hull.
home in this city and his friends have littic
hope of his recovery. Ir. Hull says lie
made the Cardiff giant and tells th.. fol-
Io wing interesting story Of his experience
with that CT iOssal fraud:
1T was at Ackley. Iowa, that first
conceived the idea OF fooling the world
with the big stone man. At that tinc a
Methodist revivaiist was In Ackiey, and
prayed all over the settlement. The Ico-
pie were to pror to pay him anything. and
he boarded around. One night he was at
my sisters house. aud after supper W. had
q long discussion and a hot one. / was
then and am no W a n atheist. At midnight
we went to bed, and lay wide awake
wondering why people would believe those
remarkable storiesinthe Bible a bout giants.
when suddenly thought of making stone
giant. and pa ssing 1t off as pefr.fied
man.
AFTER while found suita ble sint
or stone near Fort ID lodge, on tn. river banx.
1t was a gray stone, somewhat resembling
Ky Ifsutt Will udIh-COioEfta StHtdks,
wnicha II erward pa s,etl for veins of humal
body.
AT Boone shipped IL to Chicago, whe:e
renteda one-story franz building on y orth
Cla rk sr-rs. cfos- g tn, Like.
''Ifint made the model of a man In clay.
1t lay on its back and was jus. the sha ,e
which the Ca rdiff giant ast he work
OF cutting 1t out progressed. On the
underside Of the body l cut away sp.ie
places, as l did not wish To have the
giant too perfect, because there should
be some pats OF his flesh which had not
pet rified ana therefore rotted away. /
then made a tool with bundles OF ia ming
needles, the handles cast in lead, and
with this tool went over every inch OF
the body. makjr millions OF little holes
in the stone. scientific men siterward
viewed them with ma gnifying glasses and
thought they Were pores OF the giants
skin In order to give the giant the ap-
pea rance or age / procured two gallons OF
sulphuul acid and swabbsd the figure
with it. The steam from the acid and
the stone nose in clUIds. The acid gave the
stone dingy brpwn color and IN appear
ance OF great antiquity. Then l put the
giant il, ah i:on- hound box and shipped 1t
to Cuion, n. Y, nine miles from Bling
hamton. Ii weighed with its pac king 4 900
pounds. The figure itself weighed 1896
pounds.
Il buried IL in a barnyar'l belonging to
Stub Newell l returned to Birmingham
aud waited ole year, less Two weeks. In
the meantiine. manufactured cigars. I
had previously given directions how to dis
cover the giant 1t came out all right.
days after it was dug up, and was first told
of the great fiGG by several people on the
street / profe ssed to believe it was a
sell When did go crowds were flock
ing to the grave from all parts Of the
country. and New ell was making small
fortune charging so cents a head to zee
the wonder. One day he took in SEQ,
and in all must have realized about 81 900
before the giant W as taken frain his graS
The State ceolcgist and party of sci
cntific gentlemen came to view it, and
proclaimed it petrified human being,
and then came the Spectators"
P. T. Barnuin offered $4,000 for the
use of the figure for three months. They
refused
Mr. Hull finslly got $4,000 for his one
fourth interest in th.. figure, which ma.le
$23,0OO in all AS his expenses were
$4,000, this left bin more than $50. 100
for his work There were sooh six copies
of the wonder Icing exhibited through
the couatry.