Elmer McCurdy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Elmer J. McCurdy January 1, 1880 Washington, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | October 7, 1911 (aged 31) Osage Hills, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wound |
| Body discovered |
|
| Resting place | Summit View Cemetery 35°53′45″N 97°24′12″W / 35.89583°N 97.40333°W |
| Other names | Frank Curtis[1] Frank Davidson Charles Smith |
| Occupation(s) | Plumber, miner, bank and train robber |
| Military career | |
| Service | US Army |
| Years of service | 1907–1910 |
Elmer J. McCurdy (January 1, 1880 – October 7, 1911) was an American outlaw who was killed in a shoot-out with police after robbing a train in Oklahoma in October 1911. Dubbed "The Bandit Who Wouldn't Give Up", his mummified body was first put on display at an Oklahoma funeral home and then became a fixture on the traveling carnival and sideshow circuit during the 1920s through the 1960s. After changing ownership several times, McCurdy's remains eventually wound up at The Pike amusement zone in Long Beach, California, where they were discovered by crewmembers for the television series The Six Million Dollar Man and positively identified in December 1976.
In April 1977, McCurdy's body was buried at the Summit View Cemetery in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
McCurdy is the subject of the musical Dead Outlaw, which premiered off-Broadway in 2024.[2]
- ^ Tulsa daily world. [volume, October 08, 1911, MORNING EDITION, Image 1}
- ^ Collins-Hughes, Laura (March 10, 2024). "'Dead Outlaw' Review: Not Much of a Bandit, but What a Corpse". The New York Times. Retrieved April 9, 2024.