Author KL Adams

The Wild West gave us Jesse James, Wyatt Earp, and Billy the Kid — outlaws whose names became legends. But one man, Elmer J. McCurdy, failed so badly at crime that his real fame only came after death.

McCurdy’s story is one of the strangest in American history: a failed train robber whose embalmed corpse spent more than sixty years traveling carnivals, wax museums, and funhouses — even ending up on a Hollywood set, mistaken for a mannequin.

💀 Curious how an outlaw turned into a sideshow mummy?
👉 Read the full bizarre story here: The Mummy Outlaw Who Fooled Hollywood

Why This Story Matters

Elmer McCurdy’s tale reminds us how spectacle can outlast memory — and how history sometimes turns the forgotten into something unforgettable.

📚 Sources & Further Reading

For those who want to explore further, this story draws from resources like the Library of Congress, History.com, The New Yorker, and even a BBC documentary — all linked in the full Substack post.

👉 Don’t miss it: The Mummy Outlaw Who Fooled Hollywood