The Afterdeath Life of Elmer McCurdy
12/19/24 • 19 min
In this episode of The Wild Wild Death, we explore the hilariously tragic saga of Elmer McCurdy, the outlaw who was better at botching robberies than being a criminal mastermind. But Elmer’s story didn’t end with his final, drunken shootout. Instead, his mummified body embarked on a posthumous career more successful than anything he managed while alive. From sideshows to movie sets, and even a stint as a funhouse prop, Elmer’s corpse had a more eventful afterlife than anyone could’ve imagined. Tune in for the strange, darkly funny journey of the outlaw who became famous in death after failing spectacularly at life.
If you'd like more information about the history behind this episode of The Wild Wild Death , check out these links:
- https://www.cowboysindians.com/2018/10/25-mysteries-of-the-west/
- https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2018/07/elmer-mccurdy-traveling-corpse/
- https://www.npr.org/2015/01/09/376097471/the-long-strange-60-year-trip-of-elmer-mccurdy
- https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/greater-la/halloween/elmer-mccurdy
- https://www.okterritorialmuseum.org/ELMERMC.html
- The Misadventures in Life and Afterlife of an American Outlaw (Svenvold, 2002)
In this episode of The Wild Wild Death, we explore the hilariously tragic saga of Elmer McCurdy, the outlaw who was better at botching robberies than being a criminal mastermind. But Elmer’s story didn’t end with his final, drunken shootout. Instead, his mummified body embarked on a posthumous career more successful than anything he managed while alive. From sideshows to movie sets, and even a stint as a funhouse prop, Elmer’s corpse had a more eventful afterlife than anyone could’ve imagined. Tune in for the strange, darkly funny journey of the outlaw who became famous in death after failing spectacularly at life.
If you'd like more information about the history behind this episode of The Wild Wild Death , check out these links:
- https://www.cowboysindians.com/2018/10/25-mysteries-of-the-west/
- https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2018/07/elmer-mccurdy-traveling-corpse/
- https://www.npr.org/2015/01/09/376097471/the-long-strange-60-year-trip-of-elmer-mccurdy
- https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/greater-la/halloween/elmer-mccurdy
- https://www.okterritorialmuseum.org/ELMERMC.html
- The Misadventures in Life and Afterlife of an American Outlaw (Svenvold, 2002)
Previous Episode
The Bullet and the Sponge
In this episode of The Wild Wild Death, we explore the strange and tragic story of James King of William, a crusading newspaper editor who was shot in broad daylight. When a group of esteemed doctors race to save his life, their medical choice led to his doom. Tune in to hear how a sponge became the most lethal weapon in San Francisco.
Interested in the history behind this episode of The Wild Wild Death ? Check out the links below:
- https://history.library.ucsf.edu/sponge_case.html
- history.library.ucsf.edu/toland.html
- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12715059/james-king
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/42656511
- https://hdl.huntington.org/digital/collection/p9539coll1/id/23425/
- https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2019/07/02/dice-roll-civilization-dawns-in-san-francisco/
- https://web.archive.org/web/20131231005303/http://www.norcalmediamuseum.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=73&Itemid=139
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/23990-subclavian-artery
- https://sfmuseum.org/hist6/hang.html
KEYWORDS:
James King of William shooting
Newspaper editor killed in San Francisco
19th-century true crime
Medical malpractice tragedy
San Francisco historical crime
Lethal sponge mishap
Wild West murder mystery
James King of William assassination
Medical choice leads to death
Crime and medical error
Strange historical murder
True crime in San Francisco
Next Episode
Fort Worth Five Photo Fiasco
In this episode of The Wild, Wild Death, we unravel how the Wild Bunch gang went from pulling off million-dollar heists to accidentally sabotaging their own careers with one ill-advised glamour shot. It’s a story of hubris, high fashion, and the dangers of being too photogenic when you’re on the run from the law.
If you'd like more information about the history behind this episode of The Wild Wild Death , check out these links:
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