The Rope Walker
12/05/24 • 24 min
In this episode of The Wild Wild Death, we journey back to 1884 in Corsicana, Texas, when the grand opening of a Dry Goods Emporium turned into a day of tragedy. A tightrope walker, known only as “The Rope Walker,” attempts a daring feat—crossing a high wire with a 300-pound cast iron stove strapped to his back. But gravity had other plans. Over a century later, his true identity and the life that led him to that fateful day are finally uncovered. Join us as we explore the life, death, and mystery of the enigmatic Rope Walker.
Want to know more? Check out the links below:
- https://www.shapell.org/civil-war-soldier-database/soldier/3630
- https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/fort-worth/article249868098.html
- https://travsd.wordpress.com/2022/02/06/step-right-up-and-pay-your-respects-to-the-one-legged-jewish-tightrope-walker-of-texas/
- https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2021/april/corsicana-mysterious-one-legged-jewish-rope-walker/
- https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-grave-of-rope-walker-corsicana-texas
- https://texascooppower.com/the-rope-walker-of-corsicana/
- https://synagogues-360.anumuseum.org.il/the-last-jew-and-the-rope-walker/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tightrope_walking
KEYWORDS:
The Rope Walker identity
Tightrope walker fatal accident
1884 Corsicana tragedy
Dry Goods Emporium grand opening disaster
High wire act gone wrong
Cast iron stove tightrope disaster
Forgotten performers of history
Tragic high wire accident story
Historical crime and mystery podcast
Gravity-defying stunt turned deadly
Uncovering the Rope Walker's life and death
Corsicana Texas historical tragedy
In this episode of The Wild Wild Death, we journey back to 1884 in Corsicana, Texas, when the grand opening of a Dry Goods Emporium turned into a day of tragedy. A tightrope walker, known only as “The Rope Walker,” attempts a daring feat—crossing a high wire with a 300-pound cast iron stove strapped to his back. But gravity had other plans. Over a century later, his true identity and the life that led him to that fateful day are finally uncovered. Join us as we explore the life, death, and mystery of the enigmatic Rope Walker.
Want to know more? Check out the links below:
- https://www.shapell.org/civil-war-soldier-database/soldier/3630
- https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/fort-worth/article249868098.html
- https://travsd.wordpress.com/2022/02/06/step-right-up-and-pay-your-respects-to-the-one-legged-jewish-tightrope-walker-of-texas/
- https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2021/april/corsicana-mysterious-one-legged-jewish-rope-walker/
- https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-grave-of-rope-walker-corsicana-texas
- https://texascooppower.com/the-rope-walker-of-corsicana/
- https://synagogues-360.anumuseum.org.il/the-last-jew-and-the-rope-walker/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tightrope_walking
KEYWORDS:
The Rope Walker identity
Tightrope walker fatal accident
1884 Corsicana tragedy
Dry Goods Emporium grand opening disaster
High wire act gone wrong
Cast iron stove tightrope disaster
Forgotten performers of history
Tragic high wire accident story
Historical crime and mystery podcast
Gravity-defying stunt turned deadly
Uncovering the Rope Walker's life and death
Corsicana Texas historical tragedy
Previous Episode
Getting Away with Murder
In this episode of The Wild Wild Death, we dive into the twisted tale of Eadweard Muybridge, the photography pioneer who didn’t just invent motion pictures—he also made sure his wife’s lover never moved again. Fueled by jealousy and muddled by a head injury, Muybridge took matters into his own hands, leading to a courtroom showdown that was as dramatic as any film. Tune in to learn how the Father of Motion Pictures turned a love triangle into a deadly snapshot of revenge and got away with it.
If you'd like to know more of the history behind this episode of The Wild Wild Death , click the links below:
- https://www.mcalesternews.com/news/local_news/cathey-butterfield-route-incident-led-to-moving-motion-pictures-and-murder/article_81676afb-2d31-5ee2-bcdc-c296c1756317.html
- https://www.thebetterangelssociety.org/films/exposing-muybridge/#:~:text=Born%20Edward%20Muggeridge%20in%201830,publisher%2C%20investor%2C%20and%20banker
- https://www.wicaonline.org/blog/2020/2/2/biography-eadweard-muybridge
- https://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2012/11/27/eadweard-muybridge-the-photographic-pioneer-who-froze-time-and-nature
- https://americanart.si.edu/artist/eadweard-muybridge-3475
- https://moreorlessbunk.wordpress.com/2008/04/02/the-fate-of-flora-muybridge-or-why-i-want-to-be-cremated-when-im-gone/
KEYWORDS:
Eadweard Muybridge murder
Father of motion pictures crime
Love triangle murder story
Muybridge courtroom drama
Crime podcast historical murder
Photography pioneer turned murderer
Motion picture inventor's dark history
Jealousy-fueled revenge killing
Victorian love triangle crime
Muybridge's deadly love triangle
Crime of passion true story
Historical crime and photography
Next Episode
The Wild Wild Death: Trailer
The history of the Wild Wild West is a saga of grit, glory, endurance and independence; of the people who faced the challenge of the West head-on and survived.
We’re here to tell the stories of those who did not.
2222 Media presents The Wild Wild Death, a history podcast about the fatal side of the Old West. Join us as we share true stories of appalling ignorance, questionable medical practices, and ridiculously poor choices.
The Wild Wild Death: so many ways to die, its a miracle anyone survived.
KEYWORDS:
- Wild West fatalities
- True stories of Old West deaths
- 2222 Media history podcast
- Appalling ignorance in the Old West
- Old West medical mishaps
- Wild West survival and death
- Fatal mistakes in frontier history
- History of Old West tragedy
- Old West survival odds
- Ridiculous choices in history
- Frontier death stories
- The Wild Wild Death podcast series
- Fatal side of the Wild West
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