The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-06-24

alton at the point OF burial and the
Cardiff giant was revealed to a won
dering people While the scientific
world was debating whether the NAM
moth figure was n real fossil or stone
cut three hundred years before by the
Jesuit fathers, or a Phoenician god,
Hull and his confederates-Rankin
keeping himself discreetly in the back
ground-were Turing money rapidly
from the curious public, who were
charged so cents a head for viewing
the gigantic petrifcation, and the
scheming farmer even refusad an offer
Of $4,000 for a part interest In his
wonderful possession.
ONE sKEPTIC.
There was one skeptic, however. in
the person of Prof. Marsh, of New
Haven, and the story of his relation
ship to the matter is thus recorded by
Yale graduate: "yt so happened
that Prof. Marsh was a native of
Western New York, familiar with its
geological features and had explored
the very region in which the giant
was supposed to have lain undisturb-
ed for so many centuries. Fossils were
somewhat in his line, too, even in those
early days, and it was perfectly nat
ural that his interest should have been
| aroused by these stories of fossilized
man. He was, however. skeptical
from the start. He determined to eX-
anime into the foundation for all the
wonderful stories he had heard, and
so one day a small, keen-eyed man
presented himself and his so cents at
the tent in Syracuse where the Won
der lay in state. The attendants had
no idea who their visitor was, and their
suspicious were not aroused even when
he requested permission to go inside
! the ropes and make a more minute
examination. This permission was
secured after some difficulty. He was
accompanied by the keeper, who. dur
ing the examination, kept pointing out
all the fine points OF his charge in ap-
! parent fear that Prof. Marsh might
miss something. The professor how
ever, saw a great many more things
| than any one had any idea Of, The
first thing he noticed was that the
stone of which the image was made
was gypsum. 1t so happened that gyp-
sum is soluble in 400 parts of water,
| and that the region in which the image
was found was very damp-so, how un-
der the sun, the professor asked him.
self, could IT have retained that fine
polish and all the pinhole marks that
the scientists had explained as pores
of the skin. The professor further OBJ
Served that these pores occurred at
regular intervals and in the same
abundance, which at once led him to
inn 40 ho1 do
with some instrument moving regu-
larly over the surface. In fact, Prof.
| Marsh had hardly examined the thing
| five minutes before he saw it was a
gigantic fraud. The first step he took
| after reaching the hotel was to write
letter to a newspaper friend exposing
the fraud, which that gentleman at
| once published. The letter went the
rounds of the press and was generally
regarded as convincing proof against
the antiquity Of the giant"
MARSH DISBELIEVED.
1t must be admitted, however, that
Professor Marsh's exposure could
scarcely be termed a complete dsclo-
| sure of the fraudulent character of the
| Cardiff giant. This came later through
no act of his, as will be explained
later. OF course an opinion from p
| naturalist of such rank as Professor
Marsh caused the scientific world to
take pause in its acceptance of the
mammoth figure as a phenomenon Of
nature. But believers in Its authenti-
| city remained by the thousands, be-
cause the devisers of the fraud had
| protected their secret well. Mr.. Ran
| kin has been described to the narrator
| by a friend as one "Who never had
any intimates; fewer confidants. The
heather Chinee' was not more secret
i've or more 'child-like and bland than
| he" Besides himself and Hull, the
| farmer, the only one who had knowl-
| edge Of the fraud was the manufac-
! turer of the alleged petrification.
! Strong in the belief that their secret
was guarded beyond the chance of un-
| questioned discovery, they actually
had the audacity 10 take the Cardiff
| giant to New Haven for exhibition,
| having previously, however, carved un-
| der the left arm a cabalistic inscrip-
| tion. This was discovered by the Rev.
Alexander McWhorter who is describ-
| ed by his familiars as a yale gradu-
| ate, a former professor in the Troy
| Theological seminary, and a man of
much antiquarian knowledge and gen.
eral scholarship" He at once deciph-
cred the inscription under the left arm
as Phoenician, and meaning: "Tamur,
god of gods" and vehemently declared
that the stone image was really a
Phoenician god, and in support of this
| theory wrote an elaborate magazine
article which was published, with H.
| Illustrations. in the Galaxy This WAS
reviewed in a scientific publication in
Germany by Berlin naturalist of high
standing, and who publicly declared
that McWhorter had made a great dis
covery. All this gave the Cardiff giant
another boom and its projectors car
ried the stone man on a triumphal tour
through the country, coming shekels
as they went.
THE FINAL DISASTER.
| Disaster, however befeu II In Ei