The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-10-30
REMARKABLE DECEPTION.
The Man who Built the Cardiff
Giant Died Only Il Few Days
Ago.
The Grcenville Mountainecr, Oct. 25.

Ago.
The Grccnville Mountainccr, Oct. %.
Newspaper readers who can recal
the events that startled tho countr,
soon after the civil wax will not fai
TO remember the most Stupcndous
humbug Of the nineteenth century
known lar and wide as the "Cardiil
Giant" structure built of peculiar
stone, which caused much speculation
even among the scientists at the
time and was widely discussed in
newspapers and magazines Tho in
Ncntor OF this alleged discovery died
a few days since nL Binghamton, n
\. Ills name was George Hull, and
he was credited with being the origl-
natoI Of tho greatest deception over
practlccd on any people. Mr.. Hull
was not genius, although known
among his acquaintanccs as an inven-
tor, yet he had sufficient insight to
human nature that it was easy for
him to practice deception upon hun
drcds and thousands, keeping himself
in tho background for y long while,
ana lnnltihg money out Of it by the
thousands. Learned men were puz-
lIlcu, ant the masses with rare cNccD-
| iions became his honest duDcs and
c;usy prey.
| In the October number Of The Cen
tury Magazine is II most interesting
article from the pen of Lion. Andrew
ID. White, i'll which he gives the true
story of tho Cardiff Giant, as he was
lcognlZant ut the time of the facts
and circumstances touching this re-
markablc deception, and it will be
Our cndcavor TO give the benefit Of
his narration i'll Il condensed form
| TO our readers.
In the autumn of 1869 the peaceful
valley OF OnOndaga, in Central New
York, was in cOnmOtiOn from one
end to the other, and strange reports
cchoed from farm to farm. 1t was
n"lscd abroad that II great stone
statue or pctriiicd giant had been
dug up near the village of Cardir,
and though the crops were not gath
cred and the election was not over,
| the men, women and children were
| hurrylng to the scene Of the great
| discovery. Church officials regarded
the matter very seriously, and the
| whnl" community was uStir over the
irrrnt. DR.. White had been absent,
but the evidences Of enormous popu-
I lar interest caused him to go at once
to the place where the giant was
being exhibited. The roads were
| crowded with vehicles from the city
and farms, and tho gathering looked
like Il county fair. In the midst was
tent, and tho people were pressing
for admission. Inside was Il large
pit or grave, and five feet below the
surface there was an enormous
figure, seemingly Of gray limestone
which aboundcd in that region. This
was the Carditf Giant.
| ( WAS n StOut tirurp with u,occ;yo
features, the whole body nude, the
limbs contracted as if in agony. The
color indicated n long burial in the
earth, and on the surface were pune
lures like pores. Great age was in
dicatcd by deep grooves and channels
underneath, apparently worn by
water, which was flowing along the
rock on which the giant rested. The
sight produced a most weird effect,
and an air Of great solemnity per-
radcd the place. DR.. White was told
that the farmer who lived there had
discovered the figure when digging
we'll, but he responded that the
whole matter was undoubtedly
hoax; there was no reason for dig
ging the well, as it was not convent
cnt to the house or barn; there was
already Il good spring and stream of
water near by. The figure could not
have been carved by any prehistoric
race, as there was no sign Of such
carly work, and it betrayed the quail
ties of modern performance. Nor
could it be a fossilizcd human being
but this was a generally accepted
opinion in spite Of all scientific rca-
lsons to the contrary.
r DR.. White was puzzled by the fact,
which seemed to argue strongly in
favor of its antiquity, that the sur
face water flowing beneath the i:m".
in it's grave was apparently dc"E
gr0ovcd and channclcd on the unht
side. The Onondaga gray limestone
is hard and substantial, and it would
require centuries for the running OF
surface water to wear such channels.
The arguments supporting the gen
| uincncss of the figure were that the
farmer had not the ability to devise
such fraud nor the means to exc
cute it; the family had lived there
for many years, and none OF them
had ever seen the figure until it was
accidcntly discovered; it was pre-
po$tcrons to suppose that such an
| enormous mass of stone could have
been brought and buried there with
out some Of the ncighbors finding it
ont, and finally that the grooves and
channels worn by the surface water
proved its vast antiquity. This last
was the poser to DR.. White, and the
whole country was soon in the evolu-
ton Of myth and legend An Indian
lSuuaw declared that the statue was
the pctrificd body Of q gigantic
lprophct of her race who had foretold
the coming of the pale faces, and be,
fore his death bad said his descend
ants would see him again. Other pco
pie found in it an cdifying confirma'
ton of the text, "INhcrc were giants
in those days."
1t was not long until some enter
, prising men in the neighborhood pro
| posed to buy the figure and exhibi
il throughout the country, and join
stock company was formed for 1ha
purpose, which had considerable cap
ital, but the plan fell through. Col
lcgc professors came to examine tn
u, ,|"pctrifcd giant" and without excep
= tion declared it a myth and humbng
but the belief was general that it wa
a fosslizcd human being. Finally,