Wednesday, October 30, 2019

More Famous In Death...!

You know how it seems that some artist are not famous until they die? Well, it turns out that the same can be said for some folks of the Wild West.

Failed bandit Elmer McCurdy’s corpse had a more interesting life than the man did.

In 1911, Elmer McCurdy mistakenly robbed a passenger train he thought contained thousands of dollars. The disappointed outlaw made off with just $46 and was shot by lawmen shortly thereafter. McCurdy’s unclaimed corpse was then embalmed with an arsenic preparation, sold by the undertaker to a traveling carnival and exhibited as a sideshow curiosity. For about 60 years, McCurdy’s body was bought and sold by various haunted houses and wax museums for use as a prop or attraction. His corpse finally wound up in a Long Beach, California, amusement park funhouse. During filming there in 1976 for the television show “The Six Million Dollar Man,” the prop’s finger (or arm, depending on the account) broke off, revealing human tissue. Subsequent testing by the Los Angeles coroner’s office revealed the prop was actually McCurdy. He was buried at the famous Boot Hill cemetery in Dodge City, Kansas, 66 years after his death.

Guess in his chosen field of work, you just took your chances as to the outcome.

Coffee outside at least for one more morning.

7 comments:

Gorges Smythe said...

His body is probably in better shape than his soul.

Rob said...

How would you like to be the one who broke the body part off? That would be a day to remember!

HermitJim said...

Hey Gorges...
You are probably right about that.
Thanks for stopping by this morning!

Hey Rob...
I'll bet they didn't forget anytime soon. That kind of thing seems like it would hang around for a long time.
Thanks for coming by this morning!

Mamahen said...

Oh my! I agree with every you guys about his soul, and one how the truth was discovered. I'm on my way...shall we have some lady fingers with our coffee:)) I'm sorry...sometimes my sense of humor is a little off:))

Mamahen said...

I really need to remember to proof read:((

linda m said...

Ewwwww! How awful to have been the person who broke the finger off. 33 degrees here this morning. Brrrrrrrr!

HermitJim said...

Hey Mamahen...
I think the lady fingers will be fine, thanks.
Thanks also for the visit this morning!

Hey Linda...
Couldn't have been a pleasant experience, that's for sure.
I appreciate the visit this morning!