Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-07-12
CIRCUS FREAKS.
BY w. G. COUP.

OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
g CO. Copyright, 1901. by Herbert Is.
p. T. Barnum said the American public
liked to be humbugged. and the truth of
n his saWdust and spaneles. p ufI
formation regarding the. inside Of the
the genuine from the fake, and supplies
habitue Of these forms Of entertainment.
The following chapter taken from his
fakes with which the American public
were successfully humbugged.
MO saying attributed to P. T. Bar
IN mum has been more widely
quoted than the remark that 'sthc
public likes to be humbugged." Ger
tainly this comment on the credulity
OF the masses opens up most curious
and entertaining field, and its men,
ton in company of old showmen
is sure to provoke a flood of remin-
iscences on the subject of fakes,
freaks and takers. There is scarcely
another line of experience concern
ing which veteran showmen more
enjoy comparing notes-possibly be-
because it touches on the secrets of
the craft. Though it is true that FIR.
Barnum was master in the science
of humbugging the public, and did
not disclaim that distinction, it must
be said in justice to him that in the
course of his professional career he
gave the people more for their money
than any other Snowman, living or
dead.
A little inside information on this
hidden side of the showman's business
may be entertaining to public which
has often experienced the pleasure of
being humbugged. Certainly no fake
is entitled to take precedence over
the celebrated Cardiff Giant This
was the invention of certain George
Hull. He lived, I think, at Bingham
ton, New York, and manufactured the
giant in a rude shop on the small
farm which he worked. Hull was
shrewd, energetic and very persist
ent, as may be seen by the fact that
the elaboration of the idea of his fake
and it's execution occupied him more
than four years. He thought the
whole matter out, even to the most
minute details, before beginning work
on it. Without any knowledge of the
art of sculpture or the science of an
atomy, he set himself resolutely at
work to remedy these defects of edu-
cation. He had considerable aptitude
with the chisel, and gradually devel-
oped the skill necessary to hew out
figure that was to be put before the
public as relic of an age so remote
that no person would be likely closely
to criticise its proportions. Hull also
knew that, no matter what the age
in which giant was supposed to have
in the skin to pass the scrutiny of
even the unlearned. The making of
these pores required more time and
labor than all the other work of maxi
ing the Cardiff Giant" The work
occupied many months, and was all
performed in the "studio'' or shop
where it was at1ast finished to Hull's
satisfaction.
the giants burial in order that when
brought to public view it might show
the proper evidence of antiquity. It
was buried in the side of a hill only a
few rods from the outbuilding, where
It had been chiseled from huge block
of stone taken from that very hill.
In all this work, huge and heavy as
the uncut stone and the giant hewn
out of it were, Hull had only the
assistance of one man, sled and a
yoke of oxen in moving them, This
helper was a green and stolid Ger
man immigrant, utterly devoid of
curiosity, and the man who helped to
bury the giant was another of the
same description.
The statue was allowed to remain
more than two years in the ground
before it's maker considered it to be in
proper condition for 'accidental' dis
covery. Hull then promptly "dis-
covered" and dug out the s'petrifica-
tion," and placed it on public view
to amaze and perplex people generally
and to delight the antiquarians, who
found it an argument to uphold some
of their most cherished theories. It
took it's name from the fact that near
the spot where it was buried and res
directed was small hamlet called
Cardiff. The public career of the
"Cardiff Giant" was not of long con-
tinuance, however, but was sufficiently
lengthy to enable Mr.. Hull to make
considerable money out of his clever
conception. He declared, however
that he might have made more money
If he had accepted Mr.. Barnum's offer
made at the time of the giants first
appearance in public. Mr.. Hull knew
too, that exposure was bound to come
in the end, but that mattered not to
him. For many years thereafter the
"Cardiff Giant" reposed neglected n
the very shop in which it was made;
but it's owner and inventor averred
that he was entirely content with tn,
financial result of his ingenuity.