1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey Brainstuff 2 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:11,920 Speaker 1: Lauren Vogelbaum here. Politicians are under a lot of scrutiny 3 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:15,720 Speaker 1: these days for everything from their tweets to their fashion choices. 4 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:19,759 Speaker 1: Times sure have changed since the eighteen nineties, when a 5 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:23,400 Speaker 1: new governor could show up to his inauguration proudly sporting 6 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:27,040 Speaker 1: shoes made from the skin of a hanged human felon. 7 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:31,760 Speaker 1: The skin in question belonged to an outlaw known by 8 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:35,240 Speaker 1: the name of George Parrot or Big Nosed George, who 9 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:39,280 Speaker 1: was hanged in Rawlins, Wyoming. In one he had tried 10 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:43,239 Speaker 1: and failed to rob a train and subsequently killed two 11 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:47,320 Speaker 1: of the lamen who came after him. Before this incident, George, 12 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:51,600 Speaker 1: whose nose by all accounts was really remarkably large, was 13 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 1: just as small time horse thief. But after fleeing to 14 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 1: Montana following the murders and botched robbery, he robbed the 15 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:02,279 Speaker 1: military calm boy of a local merchant who was traveling 16 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: back east with a bunch of cash. This successful hall 17 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:10,160 Speaker 1: saw Parrot get cocky. He returned to the town where 18 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:13,160 Speaker 1: the merchant was from, went into a saloon and started 19 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 1: bragging about the robbery and murders back in Wyoming. This 20 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:21,560 Speaker 1: boasting resulted in his eventual capture and returned to Wyoming. There, 21 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:25,120 Speaker 1: he unsuccessfully tried to escape from prison and was then 22 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:27,919 Speaker 1: lynched and hanged on a telegraph poll by an angry 23 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: mob of more than two hundred people. After Parrot's death, 24 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:36,479 Speaker 1: nobody showed up to claim the body, so one John Osborne, 25 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 1: the doctor who had pronounced him dead, took his body 26 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 1: home for medical study. Corpses variously obtained were popular learning 27 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:49,480 Speaker 1: and teaching materials at the time. Osborne extracted Parrot's brain 28 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 1: and gave it to a friend, the surgeon Thomas McGee, 29 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 1: who wanted to study whether signs of criminality show up 30 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: in brain structures. Osbourne also sawed off the top portion 31 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:02,480 Speaker 1: of George's skull and gave it to one Lillian heat, 32 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: a then fifteen year old girl who would go on 33 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:09,240 Speaker 1: to become Wyoming's first female physician. She reportedly kept it 34 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 1: her entire life, using it at different times as an 35 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:15,800 Speaker 1: ash tray and a doorstop. The bottom portion of parrots 36 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: skull Osborne put in a barrel with the rest of 37 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:22,120 Speaker 1: the bones. Not one to waste any part of the 38 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 1: outlaw's corpse Osborne then skinned Parrot's body and had a 39 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:29,000 Speaker 1: pair of shoes and a medical bag made out of 40 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 1: this human skin. Years later, Osborne entered politics and was 41 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 1: elected governor of Wyoming. To his inauguration, he wore the 42 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:41,359 Speaker 1: shoes that a dozen years earlier had been a man 43 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 1: talk about a political statement. That very footwear is now 44 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:49,080 Speaker 1: on display along with the death mask that Osborne cast 45 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: after parent's death, in the Carbon County Museum in Rawlings, Wyoming. 46 00:02:53,919 --> 00:03:02,600 Speaker 1: The bag, however, has never been found. Today's episode was 47 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:05,560 Speaker 1: written by Jesselyn Shields and produced by Tyler Clang. For 48 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:07,600 Speaker 1: more on this and lots of other topics, visit how 49 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:10,119 Speaker 1: Stuff works dot com. If you'd like to hear more 50 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 1: about the story of Big Nose George Parrot, we did 51 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 1: an episode about him over on one of my other podcasts, 52 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 1: American Shadows, look for the episode dead Ends. Brain Stuff 53 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: is production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts in 54 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 55 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:27,920 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.