The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-11
FAKE PETRIFIED MEN.
Made in California and offered to
the National Museum.
From the Washington Post.

From the W dSDlIlBtOI ISL
Lots of people try to bunko scientists"
says Prof. ]. W. MCGEE of the Bureau
of Ethnology. The government and it's
agents are looked upon as legitimate OBJ
jects of prey Sometimes there are inten-
tional deceptions sometimes only those of
ignorance. All sorts of queer objects and
limitations of utensils of prehistoric times
are sent in to this bureau. l have received
from out West this foot. or what purports
to be foot, and the sender thinks he has
found valuable petrifed bit of a human
body. Now the fact is, there is no case
known to science in which flesh has be-
come petrifed, though ii is possible that
it might become so by first being mumi-
fed.
IN spite of this fact, the bureau every
little while is in receipt of objects from
all over the Union, the senders asserting
that they have unearthed the specimen In
some cave or water course, and they for
ward 1t to us 10 get our approval of Its
genuineness. In consequence we have
brought 10 light in the last few years
great many fakes which drew big crowds
as side shows, when the truth was the so
called wonder was made in a factory,
which is said TO be somewhere in Califor-
mia. This factory made a speciality of
turning out natural wonders. petri1ed bod
les and similar curios.
My reply, after a careful examina ton
of the foot was that it was composed of
cement and sand; that Il showed not a
trace of any bones at the fracture, the
interior structure being perfectly <plilar
TO the exterior, while il also showed in
disputable evidences of having been mold
3D. with gas pipe for a stiffener. II evil
IDENTIFY came from the factory in Califor-
MIA, was planted in some Western state
by agents of the makers, and found to
be sold IS a wonder to some conhding per
son who bought it at good price. This
is only one of many similar fakes con-
stantly brought to our attention.
One Of the first frauds exposed by the
bureau was that of a petrified woman
owned by a man who, after travelling
over nearly the whole country and Sc
curing certificates of genuineness from
hundreds of physicians, brought her to
Washington to be pronounced upon by
government experts. She Call her Mrs
Stone for shorO was exhibited in a hall
in Pennsylvania avenue, and was here
visited by throngs of the curious She
lay on her back, one arm extended at the
side and the other thrown naturally across
the breast. The gentlemen OF the bureau
were invited 90 inspect the wonder, and
did so, being also accompanied by a den
tist who was to examine the teeth. This
was an easy matter, as a portion of the
upper lip had been broken off, disclosing
two teeth intact. The dentist looked at
them carefully, and declared that the first
tooth was on the wrong side of the
mouth, this being the opening wedge in
the examination of what turned out to
be rank fraud. The experts next no.
ticed that the back of the woman was
very fiat. just as If the cast had settled
when taken soft out of the mold while
about the body were bits of plaster of
paris. Obtaining permission of the own
er, these gentlemen procured drill and
bored into the back of abe leg, bringing
out core which showed no sign of bone,
but only of composition.
A second boring being made, the tool
struck a bit of gas pipe. This evidence
convinced the owner of the spurious ma
ture of his specimen. and. taking down
the sign of "petrified woman he substi-
tuted one reading "the greatest fake of
the day." and made almost as much
money as before.
Al the time of the Atlanta Exposition,
three years ago, was shown what pur-
ported 10 be a prehistoric mummitied
giant The late Brown Goode was in the
South at the time, and made a cursory
examination of the specimen, and finding
no evidence of fraud, recommended its
purchase by the National Museum. 1t
was decided, before buying it, that it
should be subjected to a careful examina-
ton and test by Prof. Lucas, who is one
of the best experts in his line in the
country.
Mr. Lucas went 20 Atlanta and spent
several days in slowly studying the giant,
which lowered high above the living men
of the day and in all respects seemed
TO be n respectable prehistoric inha bitaht
Of ancient America AS far as he could
see by mere inspection, without making
any tests, there was not a sign of any
/ fraudulent work. But on coming away
| he managed to bring with him several
strands of the giants hair. Subject
/ the so-called hair was nothing in this
world but pure jute.
With this as a starter, Prof Lucas
made another visit, and procured bit Of
| the flesh of the mummy, This he soaked
| in water and found II contained fibre
which was part of the composition USED
/ i'm making what seemed to be the brown
antique skin of the giant. Having PROVED
that the hair and skin were manufactured
| Prof. Lucas devoted himself to flndnG
out how the thing was made
Another examination brought to lieh
the fact that the unusual hight was pro
Of the giant was built on the skeleton OF
a human being of ordinary size, but by
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