133:, on August 6, 1905, the couple had an argument over Farris’ desire to purchase a new hat. The argument led to blows and Farris ended up fatally shooting her husband who died on the floor of the living room. Hearing gun shots, neighbors summoned the police. Upon arriving, Farris fatally shot the three responding officers as well. When a passing deputy sheriff heard the commotion, he decided to investigate. After gaining entry into the Farris home, the deputy tried to restrain Farris. During the scuffle, the deputy tripped on Farris’ husband's body, accidentally discharging his weapon and shooting off the ring finger on Farris’ right hand in the process. Farris eventually broke free and fatally shot the deputy.
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unnamed man who, in some accounts, was a police officer. After they became engaged, Farris either decided to come clean about her past to her fiancé or began imbibing and drunkenly revealed to her fiancé that she was wanted for murder. The man immediately turned Farris in to the police because of his devotion to the law or, most likely, for the reward money. On
December 20, 1906, before she could be captured, Farris took to her room where she began (or continued) drinking heavily. She then committed suicide by drinking whiskey and
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267:. No one showed up to claim her, but the body wasn't decomposing, either—supposedly an effect of the poison. With an endless supply of curious visitors the proprietor started charging 10¢ a gander to see the notorious outlaw. The corpse was later loaned out to various exhibitors, including Adams' brother in
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to begin a new life. It was there that she reportedly began working as a prostitute to support herself and drank heavily. In another version of the story, Farris posed as a schoolmarm and, overcome with guilt over murdering five men, drank in excess in private. She then began a relationship with an
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Bessemer had no embalmers in those days, so any preservation bath would have been done by amateurs using materials at hand. The documentary makers found no archival evidence from newspapers of these events, leading to the assumption that the story was crafted to fit the remains.
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with her husband. Accounts about the marriage vary; some accounts claim neighbors said the couple were both hard drinkers who fought violently, while other accounts claim the couple mostly lived a quiet life and only fought about Farris’ spendthrift ways when her husband drank.
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before bringing her back to
Bessemer, where she became an infamous attraction at the newly formed Hall of History. After a long run, and an appearance in a National Geographic Channel documentary, the owners of Farris’ corpse had it cremated.
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in 1907. He featured the well-preserved remains in his traveling show for 40 years. When he died, Brooks left Farris’ corpse to his nephew, on the condition that any money raised from displaying her be donated to charity.
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Katz, Elaine S. (Winter 1978) "Variation as
Relative Perception in the Legend of Hazel Farris". Mid-South Folklore Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 55–64
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With a $ 500 reward for her capture, Farris fled from
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413:. Division of English, Philosophy, and Languages, Arkansas State University. 1978: 55.
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Modern
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in 1880 and was orphaned as a child. She eventually married and lived near
81:(c. 1880 – December 20, 1906) was an American woman whose purported
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performed for the documentary indicated that the mummified woman died of
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Brooks' nephew used Farris corpse to raise money to build churches in
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Farris’ body was taken to Adams
Vermillion Furniture which also sold
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Abrams, Vivi. (November 1, 2004) "Bessemer mummy legend endures."
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101:. After appearing in a television documentary, her remains were
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Episode 12. National
Geographic Channel (April 1, 2002)
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Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company.
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89:and were displayed for decades at the
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482:Folklore, for the Time of Your Life
34:Poster to promote "Hazel the Mummy"
484:. Oxmoor House. pp. 207–208.
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388:. Arcadia Publishing. p. 5.
585:People from Louisville, Kentucky
575:Deaths from pneumonia in Alabama
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590:People from Birmingham, Alabama
172:needs additional citations for
505:Kazek, Kelly (July 10, 2016).
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533:"HAZEL FARRIS SIDESHOW MUMMY"
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450:Christine, Christine (2006).
335:Quigley, Christine. (1998)
57:December 20, 1906 (aged 26)
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480:Katz, Elaine S. (1978).
384:Crider, Beverly (2014).
324:Claremore Daily Progress
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409:"Mid-South Folklore".
328:"An Unwanted Mummy".
85:remains traveled the
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600:Suicides in Alabama
330:The Mummy Road Show
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293:pneumonia
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