Newspapers were 'real'? Maybe, but hucksters and snake oil salesmen were numerous. I suspect that "Kinkaid" for reasons of his own used this "news" report to gain temporary fame in far away Phoenix, likely to sell some of those "ancient artifacts" to gullible collector/buyers and skip town before the truth caught up with him.
He should have run for office as a democrat. Could have stolen even more, and legally.