Home > Back to Search Results >
Ol' Rip the Horned Toad... Chicago gangland wars...
Ol' Rip the Horned Toad... Chicago gangland wars...
Item # 681360
January 20, 1929
THE NEW YORK TIMES, January 20, 1929
* Ol' Rip the Horned Toad death - lizard
* Eastland, Texas Courthouse - entombed animal
* Chicago gangland wars - gangsters - underworld
The front page has a small one column heading within inset: "Toad That Set Scientists By the Ears Dies in Texas" (see)
Page 16 has a one column heading: "CHICAGO GANG WARS KILL 125 IN 9 YEARS" with subheads. (see) This was less than a month away from the infamous St. Valentine's Day massacre.
Complete 1st section only with all 30 pages, light toning and a little wear at the margins, irregular along the spine, generally good.
wikipedia notes: Ol' Rip (died January 19, 1929) was a horned lizard (commonly referred to as a "horned toad") whose supposed 31-year hibernation as an entombed animal is believed by some and doubted by others. His name is a reference to the fictional character Rip Van Winkle. In 1897, a horned lizard was placed in a cornerstone of the Eastland County Courthouse in Eastland, Texas along with other time capsule memorabilia. When the courthouse was torn down 31 years later, the cornerstone was opened on February 18, 1928, a live horned lizard was produced, allegedly from within the time capsule. The lizard became a celebrity, and went on tour, even being taken to Washington, D.C. to meet President Calvin Coolidge.
Category: The 20th Century
Add to Cart
