Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-12-02


William G. Ruger said: mo one can
look upon that calm. grand smile of
mingled sweetness and strength with
out being convinced that the giant
once lived and had a being"
Cardiff, where the giant was found,
is in Onondaga County, New York
State, few miles from Syracuse. Near
by is depression in the earth known
as Onondaga Hollow. In this hollow
are to be found petrifed fish and rep
tiles. Biologists say this hollow once
formed the bed of an ocean.
1t was here, on the Newell farm,
that the giant was ostensibly discov-
cred on Oct. 16, 1869, while William
Newell, nicknamed ''Stub" Newell, and
his men were digging well. To at
test the authenticity of the find at the
time, Newell, Gideon Emmons, Henry
Nichols, John Parker and Smith A.
Woodman solemnly made affidavit to
the circumstances in order to be able
to meet any possible charge of fraud.
The news of the discovery of the
giant spread across the country in an
incredibly short time, and soon vehi-
cles of all sorts were headed for the
pit, loaded with people curious to look
upon the face of this wonder, this pre-
historic giant. With admirable promp-
titude, Newell erected tent over the
pit and charged an admission fee of 80
cents. In this way he made over ST.
900 in few weeks. He sold three
quarter interest to some Syracuse men,
one of whom was DR.. Westcott, father
of the author of David Harum." 1t
is said that Newell got $4,000 for this
three-quarter interest.
1t was not long before the giant be-
gan to attract the attention of eminent
scientific men. One of the first to
New York State geologist, who pro-
claimed it to be the petrified body or
a man. The newspapers and maya
zines of the country went into learn
ed discussion of the subject. Heated
arguments between scientists were
published, some declaring that the
giant was petrifaction, others deny
ing this, but asserting it to be an i'm
age of great antiquity. Among those
who held to the latter theory were a
committee from the Geological Society.
of Boston, composed of Oliver Wen
dell Holmes, Prof. Jackson and others.
Judge Ruger gave the delightful tes
timonial already quoted. Powers, the
sculptor, whose statue, The Greek
Slave, is known all over the world,
declared that no chisel could have
oarva6 Snch man
Families Quarre1ed Over It.
1t is said that in central New York
families were virtually disrupted by
the aggressiveness of the discussion
over the genuineness of the giant. 1t
is doubtless true that the four or five
men who became the owners and ex-
hibitors of the giant were as badly de-
ceived as the public, the originator of
the humbug having in that way made
a master stroke. One of these was
DR.. Amos Westcott, the father of the
author of David Harum." DR.. West
colt was a gentleman of the highest
respectability IN Syracuse, and when
the giant was finally shown to have
been a fraud, his health gave way and
he died shortly after, it is said, of
broken heart. He felt the world
would never believe him innocent of
an intention to hoodwink it.
At the time the giant fourished P.
T. Barnum had a museum in New
York, and he recognized the worth of
the giant for his show. He offered
100000 for it for three months. This
offer was rejected, but Barnum was
not to be defeated thus easily. There
was a chemist in Syracuse named
Otto, who knew something about mod
cling. Barnum commissioned him to
make plaster giant as near like the
original as possible. Otto produced
duplicate giant, made of plaster on
wire madel and weighted with iron to
give the weight of the original. This
imitation Barnum exhibited in his mu-
scum, and many who saw it wonder
ed how such a composition could de
ceive the learned men even for q mo-
ment.
Meanwhile the original giant was
shown in different cities, causing no
end of wonderment. On one day in
Syracuse 1000 people paid so cents
apiece to see it. The Mayor and all
the public officials of Rochester made
an official journey to Syracuse to see
it. Trains on the New York Central
road stopped ten minutes at Syracuse
to afford passengers an opportunity to
run across the street and see it. Even
tually the fraud was discovered and
then Hull made a confession that he
was the originator Of the gigantic
fake"
The idea of the Cardiff Giant Hull
got from an argument he had with a
Methodist minister, In which the min
lister claimed the earth was at one time
peopled with giants, as the Bible says.
His resourceful mind grasped the idea
of great and grand sell, and he at
once set to work to materialize it.
After long search for the proper kind
of stone he at last found one to an
swer his purpose at Fort Dodge, Iowa.
in gypsum bed. After many difficult
ties in Transporting the very heavy
stone oyer forty-five miles and across
the Des Moines river to railroad, he
finally succeeded in having it secretly
housed in an out-of-the-way place in
Ificago. He then secured G. Fabrisco
Lila, an Italian sculptor. to carve a gi-