The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-05-09
Interesting Story of ~ ~
~ ~ The Cardiff Giant
BY N. COLVER, DeFuniak, Fla.

| EOlI bOuSe, Ia, to chicago ana Ln6fe
carved into fine statue nearly eleven
rect long, and when incased in an
| iron bound box. shipped to a farm
| at Cardiff, near Syracuse, n. Y, to
be buried there and dug up in year
as petritied giant without a single
person (the writer eXcepted) diScov-
eTlng the fraud, seems almost too
marvellous to be believed, and yet it
was accomplished. Early in 1868
George Hull, who often called him
self Geo. Odds, visited a former part
ner or his named II. B. Martin, OF
MarshaltOwn, Ia, and there saw some
immense blocks Of gypsum from Fort
Dodge, and conceived the idea of
palming off a giant made from one
OF them on an unsUspecting public as
petTificatiOn.
Arranging with Martin to ship a
block to Chicago when he was ready
for it, he left for that city, to see if
he could find a sculptor able and
willing to make the figure in proper
shape. He somehow got track of Ed
ward BUFikhaTdt, a member of the
Chicago Marble and Granite Co, in
which firm 1 was a partner, the pres
ident of the company being l.. w.
VOlk, the sculptor who made the bust
of Lincoln and whose wife was a
niece of Stephen A. Douglas.
Arrangements being made, Martin
shipped the block from Fort Dodge
in May, 1868, having first sent on a
specimen to ascertain if the rock
had texture enough for the purpose.
The specimen, for greater secrecy,
was sent by express, mysteTiOUSly
sealed in a cigar box, to BUrkhaTdt's
house. His wife, fearing it might be
an Internal machine, slammed the
door in the expressman's face. BuTk-
hardt tried to get the package from
the express office, but could not with
out being identified, so l got it, pay
ing $3.50 charges on it, and took it |
down to our office. A number of US |
gathered round to see what he had |
in the box that was so valuable.
AS soon as Burkhardt saw what |
was in the box, his wits came to him |
and he said: That fool of a Martin /
thinks he has got marble on his farm, |
but it is nothing but gypsum" and |
turning to me he said, here, COlver,
you can have it to put with your /
curiOSities."
Block Reaches Chicago.
The block arriving in Chicago, it |
was hauled on big wagon belonging
to Wenthe & Messenger, who were
in the stone business, to BuTkhardts
barn at $40 North Clark street.
Blankets were hung around the block
and the windows of the barn were |
curtained to exclude the gaze Of the
curious. The barn being on the dI-
rect route between our works and
Rose Hill cemetery, tools Tor moving
the block were cleverly left at the
barn afr being used in setting some
monuments Fred MOhTman, one of
our most skillful marble cutters, and
E. SaIIa, an Italian sculptor, who cut
the figure for us that is on top of the
soldiers monument at Rose Hill,
were set to work under the direction
of BuTkhaTdt, who gave them his odd
hours and Sundays.
Hull, being over six feet tall and a
we'll formed man, stood for a model
1t was designed to have the giant
fourteen feet tall, but the railroad not
being done to Ft. Dodge, the block
had to be hauled some distance on a
wagon, and falling through bridge
a corner was broken off, so 1t had to
be three feet shorter, and then part
Of one shoulder was defective, but
Burkhardt fixed it up so that it ap-
peaTed to have been worn away by
the action Of some underground
stream while the old fellow had been
lying in his lOwly grave. As the
room in the barn was not high enough ,
:
had to carve one side and turning 1t
over finish the other, and have the
two sides correspond, and yet they
to make perfect figure As
it had to be transported a long dis
lance, they had to have no projections
TO be broken off on the way, so they
placed his hands on his stomach, Civ
ing il the appearance Of having died
i'm great-agOny In two months they |
had a perfect giant, but to make it !
appear to have once been alive, Burk- !
hardt went all over it with mallet
having harness needle points, and the
pores of the skin were natural as life, /
too natural. in fact, so he toned it ,
down with diluted acid, making the !,
skin show the effects Of having lain
in the ground for unknown ages.
Tho Corpse Coffined. II
The distinguished corpse was cof- I
fined in an iron bound box, made at |
Mic Strassers planning mill on Memo ;
minee street, and then hauled through {
he secluded streets to the Michigan
Central depot and billed to Suspen- [
sion bridge, and a shipping bill OBJ t
tanned as follows: c
BILLED, Chicago to Susp. Bridge, '
Sept. IS, 1868, consigned to Geo. Odds, I
Union City. n. y, I box marble, FIN f
she'd 1920 lbs Bill 416, car 1884.
CSigned) ThOs. Hoops, G. F. Agt." [
The account of the giants journey S
ana burial is given below as told me I
)y Mr.. Martin, who furnished the f
1ioc.: T
Hull or Olds accompanied the box. G
md told everyone he met that it con- a
aimed machinery to be used in con- T
raband tobacco factory somewhere i
IN the Black river canal. The box I