Ep. 75: Carnival Corpses

Welcome to the as-promised lighter topic of the week: corpses in 1911 that didn’t get buried for 60+ years! Join Hannah and Katy as they talk about two surprisingly related stories: Elmer McCurdy and Cancetto Farmica. If you thought it was uncommon for funeral directors in the early 20th century to hold onto dead bodies until they’ve been paid for the embalming, you’d be wrong! Hear all about the failed criminal career of Elmer McCurdy and his unfortunate journey after death throughout the carnival circuit. Then, hear about Laurinburg, NC’s own local legend: Cancetto Farmica, the carnival worker who’s body was kept at the local funeral home for 61 years because no one would pay the remaining $22 balance on it. 

This one is thankfully a bit more fun (or as fun as a story of corpses can be), so we hope you enjoy! 

Sources: 
https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/news/41427/the-local-legend-of-spaghetti
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmer_McCurdy
https://www.nobelprize.org/alfred-nobel/nitroglycerine-and-dynamite/
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/7849