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I ! , If It Might Be. Hushed the sound of traffic,! Quiet the voice of mirth; Night and sleep, twin angels, Have stilled the heart of earth. Over the restless city Silence and darkness lie; Cool, sweet midnight breezes So softly murmuring by. A vision comes unto me— A maiden wondrous fair. With eyes as pure as sunlight, And soft as summer air. Her voice is low and tender, Her touch as light as snow Her lips are red as roses When first they bloom and blow. Before her radiant presence The past doth fade away; I cannot see the future, I live but for to-day. Ah ! were thou mine forever, No fate could come between: The world might seethe around US, It could not touch my queen. The summer-clouds might darken, The storms might burst above, I would not heed the tempest, Contented in thy love. For all that life hath given, All that i hold most sweet, My hopes and aspirations, 1 fling them at thy feet. • **♦*•* And hand in hand together, Where happiness hath led. Through blended shine and shadow, Bile’s summery path we’ll tread. Julian. The Cardiff Giant, and Other Frauds. BY G. A. STOCK WELL, M.D. That great hoax, the Cardiff giant, was con ceived by one George Hull, a tobacoonist of Bingham pton, New York. It was the outgrowth ■of a controversy held one evening in 1866 be tween Hall and a Rev. Mr. Turk, of Ackley, Iowa, regarding the former existence of giants in the earth, in which the latter proved victo rious, his ready tongue and loud voice easily bearing down and overwhelming his opponent. Hull retired at a late hour, and, being chag- jined with his defeat, lay awake the greater portion of the night, thinking of the extreme gullibility of the world in matters where the Bible could be cited as evidence, and in plan ning how to turn this peculiarity to his advan tage. The result was, that he decided upon producing an image which should, after being buried and exhumed, pass muster as a fossil man of unusual size, being assured that such men as his late opponent in argument would aid not a little in contributing to the final suc cess of the undertaking. In 1868, having studied the subject carefully and completed his arrangements, Hull associa ted himself with one Martin, and proceeded to Fort Dodge, Iowa, to procure a suitable block from which to carve his image. An acre ol quarry-land was purchased, and work com menced, but only to be soon abandoned, owing to the extreme friability of the stone, and the persistent annoyance of the curious and inqui sitive inhabitants of the neighborhood. Mar tin. now thoroughly disgusted, withdrew from the project; but Hull, hearing of another gyp sum-bed in a more retired locality, on the line of the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad, then in process of construction, went thither, and the following Sunday engaged the foreman of the railroad-gang to employ his men in quarrying out as large a slab as the nature of the ground would permit, paying for the labor with a bar rel of beer. The result was a slab weighing three and a half tons, measuring twelve feet in length, four in breadth, and twenty-two inches in thickness. With almost incredible difficulty and labor the block was transported over forty miles of terrible road to Montana, the nearest railroad-station, where it was shipped to E. Burgbardt, Chicago, who had been engaged to grave the image. On its arrival at that city, it was moved to Burghardt's barn, which had been prepared for its reception, and two men at once set to work upon it—one, Edward Salle, a Ger man; the other, an American named Markham. It was Hull's desire to represent a “man who had laid down and died,” but, as he entertained doubts as to the universal acceptatien of the '‘fossil-man” theory, it would decided to pro duce an image that might also pass for an ancient statue. This combination of designs was the cause of that carious feature which at tracted notice and provoked discussion when the giant came to be exhibited, viz: the lack of hair. The last of September tbe stone-cutting was finished, but the work was far from being com pleted, having the appearance of newness pecu liar to freshly-cut gypsum. The figure was now subjected to long and patient rubbing with sand and water, which produced the water- worn appearance so often cited as incontro vertible evidence of extreme antiquity. The pores of the skin were imitated by carefully pecking the entire surface with leaden hammers faced with needles, giving the peculiar “goose- flesh” which puzzled so many. There still re mained an appearance of freshness, which was finally obviated by bathing with writing-fluid, and afterward washing with sulphuric acid, giving the desired appearance of antiquity. Packed in sawdust, the giant, now weighing 3,720 pounds, was shipped to Union, New York, where it arrived October 12, 1868. Meantime Hull proceeded to Salisbury, Connecticut, to inspect a newly-discovered cave, in which he hoped to bury and resurrect his giant, but was discouraged by the price demanded. Suddenly ■remembering that fossil bones had recently bean discovered near Syracuse, New York, he ■now visited a relative, one Newell, living in the locality, at Cardiff, and opened the enterprise to him, proposing to bury the giant upon his farm. Newell at once accepted the terms pro posed—one-fourth interest—and it was decided ■to inter the image near the barn, where a well had formerly been projected. All being arranged satisfactorily, Hull re turned to Union, November 4th, and shipped the “fossil” for Cardiff by four-horse team, nnder the charge of his nephew, Tracy Hull, and one Amesbury. On the evening of the 9th of the same month the heavily-laden team ar rived, attracting little attention, owing to the darkness and rain, though the peculiar appear ance of the iron-bound case and its apparent weight, from the amount of motive power de manded in transportation, had excited consid erable curiosity and comment on the road. The box was unloaded and concealed in a pile of chaff, and a few nights later the giant was low ered into its resting-place by means of a der rick. In October, 1869, nearly a year having elapsed, Hull wrote Newell to ‘find the giant;’ when, in accordance with pre-arranged plans, two neigh bors, Gideon Emmons and Henry Nichols, were engaged to sink a well; one Woodmansee was secured to stone it, and Newell aided by one Parker began drawing stene. Suddenly the shovel of Nichols struck a hard snbstance, which, in clearing away, proved to be a massive stone foot, calling forth from Emmons the ex clamation ‘Jerusalem, Nichols,it’s a big Injnn!’ As the earth was cleared away, revealing the outlines, several neighbors chancing that way, i were summoned to view the wonder. This was Jthe nucleus of a crowd which, numbered thousands a few hours after. It has been asserted that the earth showed no signs having been excavated so recently as the year previous; but one John Hagan, who was among the first of the sight-seers, in a sworn affidavit says: ‘I took a shovel and got down into to the hole, and as fast as they uncovered the body toward the head I cleared the dirt off about up to the hand on the belly. When we were clearing off from the upper portion of the body, the earth cleaved off from the sod and fell upon the body. I said, ‘Boys this is the spot where he was put down.’ No reply was made, but Mr. Newell stepped around, and, tak ing a shovel, trimmed the sod down square where it came off.’ ‘ The following day, Sunday, four medical men of the neighborhood, of scientific preten sions, investigated the subject, swallowing the hoax without the least difficulty, pronouncing it to be a ‘petrified man.’ Later it was exam ined by Dr. Boynton, of Syracuse, a man pos sessed of some antiquarian knowledge, who de cided it to be a statue ‘made some three hun dred years ago by the Jesuit fathers,’ and at once offered $10,000 for it. This and more tempting offers were declined, as sight-seers at half a dollar per head were apparently unlim ited in number. However, Newell, in compli ance with Hull’s orders, sold a three-fourth’s interest to half a dozen citizens of Syracuse for $30,000. A show-man was now placed in charge, and, in way of advertisement, invita tions were sent to Professor Agassiz, Professor Hull, (Sate Geologist,) S. B. Woolworth, (Sec retary of the University,) etc. November 3d a large delegation of scientific men assembled from different parts of the State for deliberate and thorough inspection, who at once pro nounced it a statue, the State geologist declar ing it to be of great antiquity. Professor Ward, who filled the chair of natural sciences in the Rochester University, said, ‘Although not dat ing back to the stone age, it is nevertheless de serving the attention of archaeologists.’ A giant was modern, because its features were Napoleonic! But a few weeks elapsed ere the proofs of the frauds perpetrated became incontrovertible, and the Cardiff giant was consigned to popular oblivion. The Colorado stone man proves to be a verit- -able brother of the giant, having been begotten by the self-same father. Hull cleared some $30,- 000 by the latter, with waich he embarked in business in Brighampton, New York, oy which every dollar was lost. Of late he has been given to the pursuit of experimental chemistry, and taught by the popular viows of Dorwin, as ex pounded by (he public press , he began planning to again astonish the good people of the United States. This seemed to take hold upon his mind, and throw the religious world into a vor tex of doubt and controversy. Finally his ideas and experiments assumed a definite form, and he proceeded to put them in execution. Forming a partnership with one Case, who possessed the funds requisite for the enterprise an hotel was bought in Elkland, a little mountain-town in Northern Pennsylvania, and, as a blind, it was announced was to be converted into a summer resort, and mountain sanatarium. In the rear of the hotel a brick building was erected, ostensibly as an ice house; but in reality as a kiln and workshop. Here one, after another, two figures were constructed, the principal composition of which was ground stone, pulverized bones, clay, plaster, blood, and dried eggs, the whole when modeled, being baked in the kiln for two weeks- The first was irretrievably broken in removing it from the furnace; but the second proved more successful, greater care having been taken in its construction. In it bones were inserted in dif ferent localities, including fragments of skull in the head. Cox, one of the confidents of the scheme, thus details the parturition of the image, as communicated to him by Huli: ‘ Cox, I would give a hundred dollars if you could have been with Case and me the night we world that the ‘Pine River man’ was no Cardiff giant, but a bonafide ‘creation of God! But even all this evidence tailed to make Ruddock s fo-sil remunerative, and it was sold to a propri etor of a third-rate side-show for a mere trifle. After these attempts, it is safe to assert that no ignorant person will again attempt a ‘pre historic man,'either with or without a caudal appendage. And it is probable that no scien- test will be guilty of such an imposition. The greatest wonder is that no counterfeits of the only true fossil men discovered—those of the Mentone caves in France—have reached this country. With their success in the manufac ture of artificial stone, the Chinese could doubt less produce a figure that would defy any but the most thorough scientific scrutiny. As John is given to such little games, it would not be at all surprising if he should not yet enter the field. My Next Door Neighbors. Mrs. Brown is Aggravated. Mr. Peter Pry, wife and four children, live next door to my little Swiss cottage home. The first day they moved, they sent to bor row five different articles from me. I excused that readily, knowing how everything is mis placed and topsy-turvy on moving day. But that was just the beginning ; not a day has gone by since that Mrs. Pry has not borrowed some thing from me. Every washing day she sends to borrow my tubs; every ironing day she sends to borrow my irons ; every scrubbing, and baking day, she borrows my scouring mops and baking pans. If I refuse them she resents it as an in jury, and goes aronnd the neighborhood talk ing about the meanness and stinginess of “them BrowDS," If I have washing done on Mon day Mrs. Pry accommodatingly puts off until Tuesday before sending for the tubs, but she will send over a few pieces to be washed with mine. If I wait until Tuesday, she will have her laundryiug done on Monday. Every time she has company to dinner, she will send over and borrow my dishes. Very often when they are sent back, they will be somebody else’s, or they will be chipped and cracked. She will send over for white sugar, and will send back brown, and very often not the same quantity. As her dinner hour is different from mine, she often “drops in” when we are eating, and of course sits down and takes dinner with ns ; then she will go off and say what a poor dinner we gave her after inviting her to dine. If we have company she is sure to run over to see who it is. If the postman brings me a letter,Mrs. Pry is certain to come and see who has written. If I have a book to read, she will bor row it to read also. When I lend it to her she will keep it a month, and when it comes back it will be soiled and torn. When she is making a new dress, as she has no machine, she comes over to my house, and makes the whole dress there. If we have a little treat, such as ice cream, or milk and peaches, we are certain to have to share it with our neighbor, who finds out and “drops in,” And her children ! Well, I don’t know how to begin giving you au idea how aggravating they are. They are for ever in my orchard and garden, picking the fruit while it is green, and ruining the vines and trees. At school, the boys are always in a fuss, and always getting whipped. Her eldest daughter is now taking music les sons. As they have no piano, she oomes over to our house, to practice on ours. She also takes singing lessons, and really her screeching and thumping together make the house a bedlam. I feel sometimes as if I could murder the man tiat wrote “Silver Threads Among the Gold,” i- id “ Whisper You 11 be Mine, Love.” There is not a dog in this neighborhood that is not afraid to pass by Mrs. Pry’s house. If he does the boys will throw rocks at him, and send him yelling down the street. It is the fault of the mother, that the children are so ill behaved. If she would stay at home more and attend to them they would be better, for they are not lacking in intelligence. But she is busy attending to other folks business ; prying into their secrets and circulating what she knows and what she guesses at. Viegin'ia Rosalie. Has anybody else a Mrs. Pry for a neighbor ? If so, he or she has my sympathy. Humor. “I will kiss you, Eve,” said the paternal an cestor of us all to his cara sposa, “I don!t care ! Adam if you do,” she replied. One who has realized the fact thus soliloqui zes: “No living wife knows her own value. It is only when a railroad company comes to be sued that a husband begins to learn what a treasure he has lost,” When Mr. Billony went home yesterday, and saw a handsome boquet reposing on one of the parlor chairs, he mentally observed that it was a shame to let such beautiful flowers lie there to wither; so he took them up tenderly, procur ed a basin of water and placed them carefully therein—and the same instant his wife gave a piercing shriek and fainted dead away. But it , was too late, Mrs. Billony’s new spring flower bonnet was utterly ruined. It indicated a want of education in natural history, but it was certainly very funny, when the young lady wrote from the country to say that the cows were all in tbe habit of chewing gum. She had watched them, after their day’s pasturing, lying down in the barnyard with their jaws in constant motion, and very natu rally j umped to a conclusion. A new “humorist,” with a bad temper, has come to the front, and sends a St. Louis pub lisher the following caustic composition: “Der sur—i want yu two stop mi peper i hev pade two mutch alredy, end yu dont give us eny funy ey- tems yu ar all the tyme riting up pollyticks end wat yu no abot pollyticks woodent fil a flees ear. Yur a pritty suker tu edet a peper. P. S. scratch mi neme of yur list yurs trewly John Pots.’ Personal. Looklear, the last of the infamous “Swamp Angels,” has been at last captured. He is said to be guilty of almost innumerable murders and robberies, The cotton spinners of Lawrence, Mass., wiser than their English brethren, have accepted the reduced wages and resolved to wait for better times. The WAthena, Kansas, Advance flies at the head of its columns the name of Benjamin F. Butler for President in 1880. It is a Greenback Labor paper and also believes in “free-trade, free speech, free press, free religion, free men and women.” Talmage thinks peace will only dawn upon the country with the death of some of the poli- oians who want to be President. A Brooklyn man named Livingstone has sued his sister for six hundred dollars for servioes rendered in discovering the character of her husband. George Holland and Miss Nellie Mortimer, the American actors who accompanied Mr. Sothern to England, have been hissed in Lon don. Jay Gould, of New York. rominent clergyman wrote, ‘This is not a thing intrived of man, but is the face of one who ved like all the earth; the very image and lild of God;’ thus confirming the impression mil received from his discussion with the Rev. [r. Turk. Suddenly a series of reverses overtook the iant. Prof. O. C. Marsh, of Yale College, gave a telling blow by stating that gypsum is solu- le in 400 parts of water, yet the surface of the iant was smooth and little dissolved, though irrounded by wet earth, proving that the bu- al must have been of very recent date. He [sc found other indications of fraud, which had scaped the notice of the State geologist, and ther scientists; as recent tool-marks, in places here they could not be easily effaced, and ad- lining water-worn surfaces. This was corrob- rated by Palmer, the sculptor. Soon letters ere received from parties who had observed the mr-horse team and load on its way to Cardiff; len one from Fort Dodge, detailing the opera- ons in that neighborhood; and finally the atement of Markham, one of the stone-cutters, as obtained. Hon. Lewis Baldwin, a gentle- lan well versed in arcbteology, remarked that le giant could neither be a finished statue nor etrifaction, as it had no hair, though complete i other respects. At last the climax was (ached, which connected the person who re- sived the stone from the.neighborhood of Fort odge with the giant, by" Newell drawing the oney received from the Onondaga County ank in a draft payable to Hull’s order. Yet, for a time, all this discussion only Biped to advertise the exhibiton, which had sen removed to Syracuse, where it was visited v such throngs of people as to require special ains on all the railroads. Says Mr. McKenna, i speaking of the pecuniary returns, ‘The giant ielded an income equal to the interest of $3,- )0,000 at seven per cent., and large bids were fared for its purchase, as high as $25,000 be- ig offered for one-eighth interest.’ But the blows given soon began to tell. Bar- nm having in vain attempted to purchase a lare, and obtain the management of the exhi- ition, bargained with a Syracuse sculptor for l unfinished imitation, which, when comple- d, was placed in Wood’s Museum, New York, id extensively advertised and puffed by means • a pamphlet description of the original. He anounced the Syracuse exhibition as a hnm- ae, claiming himself to be possessor of the inly true and original Cardiff giant.’ An ap- lication was made to Judge Barnard, of Erie lilroad fame, for an injunction against Bar- am • but that functionary replied that he had sen’in the ‘injunction business, ’but had ‘closed Soon the giant came to New York, only to nd itself supplanted. After a few days, it was lipped to Boston, where the excitement bade ,ir to break out again, from the furor created „ ^iie learned men of the modern Athens, alpb Waldo Emerson pronounced it beyond s depth, astonishing, and undoubtedly an- ent. Cyrus Cobb, the artist and sculptor, de- ared that any man who called the gianta hum- aa, ‘simply declared himself a fool. On the h of February a number of SolonB visited the iant as an official body. They examined it long idlpatiently; the exterior was tried with acids; le head bored into, and the compass carried -ouad it in search of iron. The conclusion ■rived at was very satisfactory and undoubt- Hy true, as it was decided to be a‘piece of ratified gypsum, probably very old. The sub- ot invaded the Boston clubs, and one whole rening was occupied by the president of the ?hursday Evening Club’ to.prove that the great j took him out. We had a rope aronnd his neck, i and a pulley up there; and how we worked and j tugged at the rope ! I went through torture— ! my whole existence hung by that rope. It seem- ; ed as if I lived a thousand years while we were pulling him out; and when he hung up there by the neck, I tell you, he looked alive; he looked * as if he was going to talk ! Don’t tell me the peo ple won’t be fooled by this !’ (A tail, four inches in length, was one of the appendages of the monstrosity.) ‘ Cox, look at that tail; take hold of it! That tail alone is worth a million ! I made a difference in the toes, because it would not do to have him too perfect. The arms we made proportionately longer than the legs, so as to resemble the ape type. We propose to let the scientific men bore into him, but they must con fine themselves to certain parts of his body, and there we have fixed him up by putting in bones.’ At this time, having exhausted their funds, the worthies applied to Barnum for meins to bury their prodigy, who advanced $2,000 for the purpose. But where to place him was the query! Barnum declared that Connecticut | would not do, for to resurrect him in a State so celebrated for humbugs in the way of ‘basswood hams,’ ‘wooden nutmegs,’ ‘fraudulent clocks,’ and the ‘Great American Show-man’, would at once ruin the enterprise. Finnally Colorado, the ‘Wonder State,’ was decided upon, and the stone man sent thither and buried along with a turtle and salmon trout of like composition. Next one Conant visited the Rocky Mountains as a geologist, and at the proper time discovered the image. Barnum, happening (!) to be lecturing on temperance in Colorado at the time of the discovery, announc ed that he would give $20,000 for the ‘find;’ but his offer, of course, was rejected with scorn. Barnum now gave Prof. Taylor $100 to bore in to the image and report. Hull, who had heard from scientific men that boring into a true foasil would show crystals, adroitly -sabsituted crystal dust for that, obtained while the professor’s at tention was otherwise engaged; and all seemed to be going on swimmingly. Finnally Prof. Marsh was again called upon for an opinion, and at once detected the fraud, calling attention to the fact that the image presented a rotundity of figure incompatible with the theory of one who had died and become fossilized, in which case the abdomen would naturally be sunken and colapsed. Remembering the Cardiff hoax, this decision caused the people to fight shy of the exhibition. Ultimately suspicion was con firmed by the admissions of Cox, Case, Babcock, and others connected with the enterprise, who failing oat among themselves, at once sprerd the facts far and wide, in their desire to injure each other; thus forever blasting all hopes of financial success. Another would-be candidate for archaeological and pecuniary honors was one William Rnddock, of Thornton, St. Clair County, Michigan, who in 1876 manufactured, from water-lime, sand, and gavel, a ‘petrified man,’ which was claimed to have been found in the gravel-pits of Pine River. Ruddock's pecuniary resources being exceedingly limited, he contented himself with a figure less than four feet in highth, with arms folded accross the breast; the model having evidently been taken from an ‘effigy in lava,’ which illustrates one of J. Ross Browne’s sketches of Iceland, as published in Harper's Magazine. This hoax obtained some local ce- lebricy, and even found its way into the gene ral press. Several rural clergymen made it an especial topic in their Sunday discourses; and certain agricultural papers, backed by let ters from these same teachers, assured the STANDING NOTICES TO PAT RONS AND CONTRIBUTORS. Your paper is discontinued by the mailing clerks at the expiration of the time paid for. The clerks have no dis cretion in the matter and the proprietors do not know when your time expires. Always keep the date of your subscrip tion and renew in time to avoid missing a number. In ordering your paper changed from one office to another don’t fail to name both offices. When you write on a postal card don’t forget to write your office on it. We sometimes find it impossible to at tend to orders because no postoffice is given. In writing your own name or the names of others he very particular and write as plainly as possible. Leave off all flourishes and aim only at being plain We have much trouble sometimes in making out names and frequently get them wrong. In sending us MSS., or writing us letters don’t fail to prepay the postage in full, if you wish us to take them from the post office. The Department is very particular in charging and collect ing the extra or unpaid postage on all matter passing through the mails. If you do not hear from your MSS., right away don’t conclude that it is re jected and get mad about it, for we can not keep up with all the MSS., that comes into the office. We have a great number in hand which have not been read. Don’t ask or expect compensation, un less you have good reasons for believing that the public would be pleased to hear from you because of your establish ed popularity as a writer. If you are poor and needy that does not add to the merit of your writings. The public knows nothing of your circumstances and is not at all inclined to make al lowances for an inferior article in a pub lic journal. In sealing your letter or MSS., be particular and do not allow the glue of the envelop to stick to the letter. They are sometimes torn to pieces in getting off the envelop. It would encourage us so much if all the friends of the paper would renew regularly and promptly at the expiration of their time. AVe cannot know wheth er you wish the paper continued unless you notify us in time, and the mailing clerks in addressing the papers skip all names whose times have expired. Bear this in mind. And old subscriber can renew for 12 months for §2.50 : for 6 months for §1.50; 4 mos. for §1.00; 3 mos. for 75 cts. Two new subscribers sending together can get the paper one year for §5.00, or 6 months for §3,00. The Sunny South and Boy’s & Girls of the South will be sent one year for §3.50. Advertisements. A few unobjectionable advertisements will be inserted at 10c. per line. Special contracts made at a lower rate according to the time and quantity of matter. Club Rates. Two subscribers one year, ..§ 5.00 Five, “ “ “ .. 12.00 Eight, “ “ “ .. 18.00 To any one sending us a club of six subscribers at $2.50 each, we will send him or her the paper one year free. How to Procure Agencies. We receive many applications for Agencies from unknown parties which are not noticed unless accompanied with strong and responsible indorsements. Agents must give satisfactory guaran tees for energy, faithfulness and honesty. We have been grossly deceived, cheated and swindled by many whom we thought worthy ot confidence and must exercise rigid precaution in future in appointing Agents. The Wheat.—The Alexandria Gazette says : The wheat harvest this year will be about two weeks earlier than usual. As the time for it approaches it becomes daily more apparent that the injury the crop has sustained is by no means as great as has been reported, and that the harvest will be the most abundant one gath ered in Virginia sinee the war. The indica tions at present, however, are that though the yield will be low, but as the value of every thing else has fallen in proportion, the farmers will have no jnst reason to oomplain. When two girls meet they kiss. When two young men meet they don’t That shows who want kissing the worst. Miss Mary Anderson will sail for Europe this week, to be absent two or three months, and on her return will devote herself to dramatic study. Her season has been very suooessful.