.                                    {a parable of celebrity}                                 .

Ol' Rip [died January 19, 1929];    was a horned lizard
commonly referred to as a horned toad,  or ***** 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.

Ol' Rip died eleven months later,
and his remains are on display in the new Eastland County Courthouse.
           In 1973 the body was stolen
and an anonymous letter explained
that the finding of Ol' Rip alive had been a hoax
and demanded other unnamed co-conspirators come forth.
When no one did,                     another letter was received
saying the coffin and body could be found in the county fairgrounds.
The coffin was found there and returned to the courthouse.
Some speculate that the body in the coffin was a substitute,  
the real lizard
                              | now held in a private collection. |