The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-08-26
Anniversary of a
 Remarkable Hoax

Back in 1885, when such modern news-gathering agencies as the As- sociated Press and United Press were Iundreamed of and Samuel Morse naQ just exhibited his first teleGraphic i1- &trurnent. news was not the plentiful commodity it is today. Perhaps # was "a failure of the news crop of August 26. 1895, seventy-seven years ago today, that led some genius on the New York Sun to perpetrate one lof the most remarkable hoaxes In his- tory. The Sun, the pioneer penny IyounEster of two years, but young stgr whose pockets were not plenti- fully supplied with cash. News be- ing scarce, 1t was cheaper to invent { it than to buy it, and so on Aug. 26s 1885. the Sun commenced the titled Great Astronomical Discover les Lately Made by Sir John Her scfel, LsL. D. F. R. S., Etc, at the Cape of Good Hope" The Cape was long distance away. the cable yet to bs inyented, and so the Suns great sffs00n hoax, written apparently in all good faith, set the scientific world agog. The Suns statement that Sir John, with the assistance of David ! Brewster, had invented a telescope that enabled the observers to see the most minute objects on the moon was y scientists and savants of America and Europe. It was not until several months had elapsed that the whole thing was proved to have been a clever imposition, conceived and car ried out by Lewis Gaylord Clark and proved themselves capable of excel- lent fiction.
 According to the observers the new telescope. when directed at the moon, brought plainly to view wide stretches of forest and field. the lat valleys and amethyst mountains. The fauna Of the moon. including peli- cans, sheep. unicorn goats, and strange winded creatures that appear ed to be a. cross between bats. mon keys and humans, were described with scientific preciseness. The they were called by the scientists, , were described as follows:
 We were thrilled with astonish- ment to perceive four successive flocks of large winged creatures, wholly un- like any other kind of birds, descend with a slow, even motion, and alight on the plain. A lens was introduced giving a fine half-mile distance, and we counted three parties of these creatures each walking erect. pr. Herschel exclaimed, T was confident IT we 1oun0 beings Tn human shape it would be in this longitude, and that they would be provided by their Creator with some extraordinary powers of locomotion.' They were like human beings, for the wings had now disappeared, and their attitude in walking waw erect and dignified- They averaged four feet in height, covered, except on the face, with short and glossy copper-colored hair, and had wings composed of thin membranes, without hair, lying snug ly upon their backs, from the top of their shoulders to the calves of their legs. Their faces, which were of yel- Jewish, flesh color, were a slight irn- provement over that of the oran- outang, being more open and intelli- gent of expression. and having a 1ueh greater expanse of forehead.
 As M0ath. however, was very prom Bent, relieved somewhat by the thick Beard on the lower jaw
 \ One of the few who immediately Secognized the stories published by 1he Sun as fakes was Edgar Allen Poe. The poet and story writer was &#alous of the success of the hoax. Which he furiously declared was in part based on one of his own fiction stories, and vainly attempted to ex- pHse the imposture.