The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-01-06
JOE MULHATTAN'S HOAXES.
4 FiMOiS INIENTOR mann IROM "
TEAiS, " rs sam,
There Had Been Rumors Of His Death After
Ills Retirement Five Years AGO Famous
Hoascs which lie Invented ana Circulated
throughout the World Even science Fooled

Hoalcs which lie Invented ana circulated
Throughout the Norid-Eyen science Fooled
News'comes from n remote corner OF Texas
that Joseph Manhattan. the most Ingenious
contriy"r of honSes Of his time. has recently
turned w In lint part Of the country. II -
now IN order For IN" new ~papcrs 10 he on Their
gIard, tor M hi priii- Nu!ia'ilu PERI etra'ed
and got into circulation through various I'M
portanl newspapers, hoHNe~ that would have
made Baron Munchausen feel Ike an amateur.
and there l. uo guarantee that he wont 60
into the business again The last previous
definite news OF him Wa some I've years ago.
when II was announced That he had retired
10 the wIids Of california to recuuerate from
his drdnnu- n"ntal ltbur~. Soon after II was
ulpufed that he was dead. ard hi Years OF
Ier.istcnt Silence gave support 10 the ru'nor.
MuIhattan had been n truthful commercial
traveller tor year~ lief re the passion for big
story tcllinR took possession Of him. one day
II occurred to him that the newspapers OF his
locality weren't interening enough. - he pro-
cccded to liven them up with the products
Of lie own Imagination The pittshurc
LcdGT was the medium selected. and he kept
the editors busy publishing denials Of the
little hoa,es he got up about w"l!-anown
peoI e. Presently these personalities palled
upon him. and he sought 20 exercise his genius
In a larger field
About this time the first crematorv In the
United States was erected at Little Wash
ington, Pa Mulhattan wrote all article
announcing that a cremation would take
place az a date two weeks ahead OF the com
pletion Of tho furnace. and Little Washington
soon had an army NJ reporters TO entertain.
besides special artists from the illustrated
papers when they found IN" crematory
unfinished and discovered that there was no
corpse. they sought for MIR Mulhattan to
supply that n Important omission. but he was
far away
II was in 1875 that Mulhattan got up his
first really imposing fake He discovered
that the remains OF George Washington were
petrifed, and that some well-known citizens.
who were very deSirous % seeing the Wash
ington monument completed. were about
TO remove the ~petrifed body 10 the exposition
OF Philadelphia. to place it on exhibition
during the Centennial year An admission
Zee 81 so cents would h. charged. the money
to he used in finishing the monument This
was printed and reprinted the vide country
over. and the newspapers teemed with letters
favorable and denuncistory Alexander X
Mcclure, editor II the Philadelphia T'nes.
was particularly vigorous in the dennncia-
ton Of Mulhattan's idea, while the Pittsburg
GasStts supported II warmly
For a time thereafter Mr. Mulhauan's
stories. according 20 his own account, were
what might be called plain lies Rut hs
went TO Kentucky, and after he had hreathed
the inspiring air of that locality FOR a While
h. heSsn to 'aSe pTids IN his %orE and p,Si
prevarication. In 1877 he visited the Nam
moth Cave. and promptly evolved ont of his
inner consciousness another great cavern
fpurtaer miles long containing a large n "
iTable river. to ply upon the waters 81 which
a steamboat was b-ins butt Nh, editor Of
Frank Lssii.'s wrote for a sketch Of the town
near which the cave was located and for
pictures OF the cave With an artist friend
Mul haitian filed this order and the articles
and pictures were printed In Frank Lee is
isnt a success that he followed it az with
other caves. until he had nearly the whole
tnimal %storias were very popular then.
Mulhauan concentrated his powerful intel
Vas a highly detailed and interesting account
~ q T- as cotton plantatior kept in order by
a Nock Of trained gees" The geese oarried
RRG"Hr!'s So"rd E,ch goose did the work 1.-TWO
men in seeding The story conCl4d"d win
irnent Is as successful as ne thinks II will 10.
It is only a question af a few years. until the
bv the ordinary goose This was REGARDED
bv many newspapers. particularly in tho
SOUTH as an imRortnnt Agricultural departure
the proportion ~ an ~Lrternationnl. .vent
This was published in lsss in the Fort Worth
GaS'r, and was re making "I that Iarer
story whole and te!egrarhed al over the
country. on the day inter- III" story was
In regard e. the matter. Three Of them came
from Eurone one from the London Times,
one from the Ed'rburOh Scotsman and one
cnterprising papers te!eerarhed Tor CORES
pondents 10 get fun particulars aud 70 draw
on them for tho NECESSARY f,nnds The meteor
II covered an acre, of ground i plunged
200 feet in the ground and stood so feet above
inS the air with anlghurous smoke and noS,-
iols gases and k.lLns az The oa'tl"
inH"c c"rntry Contained column" Of lnieryiew.
with DISTINGUISHED scientists regarding ~"
meteor ond thonsanas e lF'tSTT TeTs ZEN,
nan, that he gave %H, word that I Mnlha>,an
sgT the ea .ro, 7" aa-nf, rs M%Ti" h "S %@&iq he e'i T]Gisn 1,,'i
ard invited ~" famous prcvartcator - dine
with him. The G@1s'f'. had, 70 emr,lov a
received. besides getting out thousands of
explanatory circulars
Mulhattan next wrot" an extended account
Of the discovery Of the lost art Of making
malleable glass The story Vas told with
such sweet implicitly and careful and minute
detail fnNt the average IfHutT lfl t'Hl ne
Could 20 right ont and manufacture malleahle
glass himself with q few simple implements
NeNt. AT the sugcestiun IL a newsrHTe al. man
al Lexington. Ky Mulhattan located the
star 81 Bethleuem Among MulhattaH's
friends NJ the time was John NJ Klein, a
hardware dealer Of Richfi"ld, Nv Mulhattan
dubbed him 'proiessoI, and described
him as a successful observer Of sun spots
and an astronomer of remarkable attain
mcuts and high scientific reputation AC-
,ordiug to Mulhattan'S story II was Prof
Klein who had discovered III" tar The
Iate Richard 4 Proctor. the eminent English
was IN the ulted states al thi>
tim" tnfurtunately for HIM he didul know
about Nulhattan. and he burned WIN 7"nl
10 "a "" IA" American public from N" Inths
column. Of lHbored wri' NJ To an cXyusup'
Of what he termed a hu'rhug We said that
there was no such 'N'ug and never had been
any such thinS ps n star uf Ret leh"'l. md
n there was such a str n could rot haN"
been discovered at klcin's observatory.
wni,' vas Iuit" true, - thor" was n" NiC''
thing a. Klcin'- observatory. H." os'ln'| vi"
h0rdw ara dealer having never looked tir"Ht
am 'lIlg birc"I thUn "a air "I uI"rd flh-s"~
40 ME ~. Pro,tur'~ denial 81 TIE Siul -
RrthlehriU's existence stirred ~ . hornets
most about MS ears The Iiois and criocGoN
ZEN M on Tim with truly religious dra"f,
dofrudiur Prof kl",u and d'rouuclnC rector
Vlth % 'igtr WhIyl soon made the ~ ia
astronomer very sorry that h." ,'oke
pHri's 49," sunni ~ ~ - N'.fl ~
VITA Nv" aid 80 4 iurihir1l prnf y y N'rd-
whistle oT the equally g,' thicaI lnwr"r'''u'g
Ncadcry q" Science. discovered IN Invisible
ir,pu 'h' bulk 81 WHICH " '- 1bpu' i've 0r1 10
halt l'u"- gr" toe 'UHu ti"t ~ ia" visible