The Strange Tale Of Elmer Mccurdy

Elmer McCurdy died an outlaw, shot dead in 1911 after a string of botched robberies. He became a celebrity in death, a symbol of the free spirit of self-determination in a new age of consumerism. McCurdy was mummified and forgotten, turning up in freak shows and finally in the Laff in the Dark ghost tunnel in Long Beach, California, in 1976. Forensic experts at the Los Angeles Coroner’s office identified his body, and McCurdy became famous all over again. Author Mark Svenvold retraced McCurdy’s footsteps, piecing together the life of an outlaw in the wrong age. Svenvold joins host Larry Mantle to talk about his book, Elmer McCurdy: the Misadventures in Life and Afterlife of an American Outlaw.