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In December 1976, television crew filmed in California amusement park “Pike” episode of the popular at that time show “A man for $ 6 million.” To give the place the necessary atmosphere and attract the public, near the pavilion installed a gallows with “wax model” of the hanged man. In the bustle, one of the crew members the group was accidentally hit by a “mannequin”, and his hand fell off.
A sudden and terrible discovery awaited those present. TO general shock, the “dummy” was bare bone. When they called police, a human corpse was found under a layer of red wax. It turned out that the mummified remains of more than six decades mistaken for a mannequin, using in various carnivals and submissions. The find was handed over to a medical examiner who carefully studied it and helped law enforcement officers identify the dead man. It turned out to be safe cracker and burglar Elmer Mackerdy, widely known in America with its phenomenal bad luck.
America’s most unlucky criminal
Mackerdy was born in 1880. Returning from the army, he decided apply the skills acquired there to commit thefts. Not less because of alcoholism, stupidity and its flagrant incompetence a criminal career did not work out right from the start. It cost Elmer and him an accomplice to purchase tools for breaking safes as soon as they are arrested. However, the men were acquitted in court and after that decided to commit their first robbery.
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The bandits managed to get to the safe, in which lay 4 thousand dollars – a fairly large amount at that time. Nonetheless, Muckerdy in charge of explosives used too big the volume of nitroglycerin, and the metal box literally tore apart, and all the money in it was destroyed. The criminals are gone with empty hands, however, Elmer did not want to leave the game and began develop a new plan for quick enrichment.
But ridiculous failures haunted our hero further. IN September 1911, McKurdy and his accomplices committed an armed Bank robbery. Bank vault was closed, while the key was not left there for security reasons. Bandits the beaten hour tried to blow the notorious nitroglycerin strong steel the door, however, left only a few minor dents on it. As a result, the criminals abandoned the 5 thousand dollars that were inside, and instead took only 150 dollars from the cash register.
On October 4, 1911, Elmer arrived with two new accomplices to Oklahoma. It appeared before the Americans the opportunity to break a really big jackpot – rob a train, carrying 400 thousand dollars. However, fortune turned away again from our hero. His team messed up the date and place of arrival collector, and instead criminals broke into ordinary passenger train. There they took 46 from compatriots dollars, a few inexpensive pocket watches and a couple of bottles whiskey.
A photo from open sources
On October 7, police surrounded the ranch where Mackery was sleeping, and demanded that he surrender. Our hero refused to do this and opened fire on militia from a revolver. The shootout lasted about an hour, after which Sheriff Dick Wallace managed to kill a lawless man shot in the chest. Noteworthy what kind of head order of the annoying police Elmer appointed a reward in the amount of 2 thousand dollars, while the wretched robber never succeeded steal at a time and 200 dollars.
The unusual fate of the corpse of Elmer Mackery
When the body of 31-year-old Mackurdy was transferred to the funeral home, it turned out that the criminal had no relatives, and there was no one to take the remains. Undertaker decided to embalm the dead man and put him on a shop window as an advertisement. When crowds of onlookers tumbled down there, who wanted to see a famous loser criminal, the owner of the bureau I began to take 5 cents from visitors for this. Ironically again that, being a dead man, Elmer earned much more than for all his a life.
A photo from open sources
There were constantly owners of carnivals and booths who wanted to acquire the remains of a robber, however, the undertaker refused every time them. In 1916, a man appeared who called himself brother deceased and demanded to give him the body. Landlord frightened of the lawsuit for the desecration of the corpse, he did so. how it’s not hard to guess, it was not a relative of Mackery, but enterprising businessman who decided to get the mummy of the infamous robber free.
Remains over the next 60 years repeatedly resold, and over time the fact that this is not a mannequin, but a real corpse was completely forgotten. Elmer’s body fell into attractions such as “Haunted Houses”, served as an exhibit in museums decorated movie theater halls during the horror movie boom and even used as a decoration for low-budget horror movies. If 41 years ago, one of the TV people in Long Beach accidentally did not hurt the “dummy”, the remains may still be would be used for such purposes.
A photo from open sources
Time
