George Parrott: Turned into a Pair of Shoes
George Parrott was one of the most dangerous criminals in the United States during the 19th century. His history of robbing and terrorizing the public incited widespread hatred and led to urgent demands for his immediate arrest. He was eventually captured, dragged, and hanged from a telegraph pole; however, the events that followed were truly the most gruesome aspect of his story.
George Parrott’s Notorious Criminal Record:
In August 1878, George Parrott became one of Wyoming’s most wanted fugitives following a train robbery during which he killed two law enforcement officers. This incident galvanized authorities, who sought him out—dead or alive—and placed a $10,000 bounty on his head; within just a few months, that reward had doubled to $20,000.
Parrott remained a fugitive until February 1879, when he traveled with a group of accomplices to Miles Town in neighboring Montana. There, aided by other outlaws, he attacked a train and stole a substantial sum of money from a prominent local merchant. This act proved to be the final nail in his coffin, marking the last robbery in the career of the era's most dangerous American criminal. Parrott's Capture:
In 1880, while at a saloon, Parrott consumed a large amount of alcohol and became heavily intoxicated. In this drunken state, he revealed his true identity and confessed to the 1879 robbery, describing how he had stolen money from a merchant on a train. A patron recognized him and reported the criminal; he was subsequently arrested and handed over to Wyoming law enforcement authorities.
Death Sentence:
George Parrott appeared before the Wyoming courts. Following a thorough investigation, he was charged with the murder of two law enforcement officers during a robbery in 1878. In 1881, he was sentenced to death by hanging,a move intended to appease public opinion. However, Parrott refused to accept the sentence and attempted to escape from the Rawlins, Wyoming, jail. The attempt failed; he was recaptured and returned to prison. Yet, news of the escape attempt incited hundreds of Rawlins residents on March 22, 1881, to storm the local jail, drag Parrott from his cell, and hang him from a telegraph pole. A Gruesome Aftermath:
George Parrott’s story captivated the public, especially following the locals' act of vigilante justice against him. A physician named Thomas Maghee, assisted by his colleague Dr. John Eugene Osborne, took possession of Parrott’s body to conduct research on the criminal's brain, hoping to understand the hostile behavior of outlaws. However, the process took a macabre turn; the doctors flayed Parrott and sent his skin to a shoemaker to craft a pair of shoes and a medical bag, while the top of the criminal's skull was fashioned into an ashtray. Although Dr. Thomas Maghee was later appointed Governor of Wyoming in 1893, the ultimate fate of Parrott’s remains stayed unknown for decades.
Uncovering the Truth:
The details of the autopsy and flaying remained obscure,few cared about the fate of such a criminal or his remains. Dr. Maghee believed he had gotten away with his actions until 1950, when construction workers discovered a barrel filled with an alcoholic beverage. Inside, they found human bones and a shoe made from human skin. Forensic analysts examined the remains and identified them as belonging to the American criminal George Parrott. The revelation shocked and horrified the American public as the media reported every detail of the story. To this day, the city of Rawlins preserves the remains of Parrott’s skull and the shoe made from his skin in the local museum, where authorities allow them to be displayed as a city landmark.
Historical source:
1. WyoHistory.org ,Big Nose George: A Grisly Frontier Tale
https://wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/big-nose-george-grisly-frontier-tale
2. Wyoming State Historical Society — Official Website
3. Wyoming State Museum — Official Website
4. Encyclopedia of the Great Plains — University of Nebraska–Lincoln
https://plainshumanities.unl.edu/
5. Atlas Obscura — The Story of Big Nose George and His Skin Shoes
6. HistoryNet , American History Articles and Historical Research