THE CARDIFF GIANT -1869 -1870 485 



suit was, in some measure, the same as in the case of the 

 American fraud. Excellent people found comfort in 

 believing, and sundry pseudo-scientific men of a cheap 

 sort thought it best to pander to this sentiment; but a 

 well-trained geologist pointed out the absurdity of the 

 popular theory, and finally the police finished the matter 

 by securing evidences of fraud. 1 



To close these annals, I may add that recently the in 

 ventor of &quot;the Cardiff Giant,&quot; Hull, being at the age of 

 seventy-six years, apparently in his last illness, and anx 

 ious for the glory in history which comes from suc 

 cessful achievement, again gave to the press a full ac 

 count of his part in the affair, confirming what he had 

 previously stated, showing how he planned it, executed it, 

 and realized a goodly sum for it; how Barnum wished 

 to purchase it from him ; and how, above all, he had his 

 joke at the expense of those who, though they had man 

 aged to overcome him in argument, had finally been ren 

 dered ridiculous in the sight of the whole country. 2 



1 For the Ruddock discovery see Dr. Gr. A. Stockwell in the &quot;Popular 

 Science Monthly n for June, 1878. For the Australian fraud see the London 

 &quot; Times &quot; of August 2, 1889. 



2 For Hull s &quot; Final Statement&quot; see the &quot;Ithaca Daily Journal,&quot; January 

 4, 1898. 



