1. McCurdy’s Body Was So Well-preserved He Was Basically a Mummy
It is well documented that McCurdy’s biography tells a more exciting tale after death than before death. In fact, there is very little information about McCurdy when he was alive. There is tons of information about McCurdy after death. When it comes to all of McCurdy’s after-death experiences, we have one man to thank. This man is the original coroner who embalmed Elmer McCurdy. For if this man had not done such a good job, McCurdy could have quickly turned to dust.
The original coroner who took care of McCurdy embalmed him with too much arsenic that he really mummified McCurdy. However, without this much arsenic, there would have been no way McCurdy would have lasted through his travels or being painted for the funhouse. Furthermore, McCurdy’s corpse had barely decomposed during his nearly 66 years of traveling. After all, McCurdy was not only set up as a sideshow attraction and used as a movie prop. He was also shipped around the United States, hung from a noose, and painted orange so he could be seen better at the funhouse.
Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
“The Strange Story of Elmer McCurdy – The Outlaw Whose Body Became a film Prop.” Rachel Saverby, Ranker. 2018.
“Elmer McCurdy: Did a Dummy ‘Dead Man’ on a TV Set Turn Out to be the Real Thing?” David Mikkelson, Snoopes. August 2008.
“The Strangest Afterlife of Elmer McCurdy.” J. Mark Powell, jmarkpowell. February 2017.
“Elmer McCurdy.” Wikipedia.
“Elmer McCurdy- The Wondering Dead.” Candyguy, Human Marvels.
“Real Corpse Found in California Funhouse: The Bizarre Life and Death of Elmer McCurdy.” David Ian McKendry. The 13th Floor. March 2016.
“Why Elmer McCurdy Will Never Be a Dead Loss.” Evening Chronicle, Chronicle Live. February 2013.
“The Long Beach Pike.” Blogger, Modern Day Ruins. January 2000.
“How the Corpse of an All-Time Loser Became a Money-Making Sensation”. Barbara Stepko. Vintage News.
“Elmer McCurdy, From Maine Plumber to Dumbest Outlaw to Traveling Corpse”. New England Historical Society.
“The Strange Odyssey of an Oklahoma Outlaw’s Long-Lost, Long-Dead Mummy”. The Lineup Staff. Gizmodo.
“Inept Train Robber Had an Unimpressive Life but A Celebrated Afterlife.” STEVE HARVEY. Los Angeles Times.
Also Read: “19th Century Woman Mummified Inside the Airtight Metallic Case”. Trista. History Collection.