86:. The city turned over his body for a pauper's burial to his friend A.Z. Hamock, the only African-American undertaker in town. Hamock preserved Atkins' body in an experiment with preservatives, and occasionally displayed it after his death. Hamock's wife had custody of the remains for 45 years, during which Atkins' mummy acquired increasing notoriety. His body was finally buried in 1994, 66 years after he drowned. The event was covered by national media and TV.
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After Hamock died in 1949, his wife Velma took over custody of Atkins' body. She kept it for another 45 years before burial. During the 66 years that Atkins' body was preserved, awareness of the mummified corpse became more widespread.
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Hamock put the preserved body of Atkins on occasional display at the funeral home; he mostly stored it in a closet. He did not charge a fee for viewers. Washed away by waters of the
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in 1991 on her late husband's 100th birthday, but waited until May 1994. About 200 people attended Atkins' 1994 funeral and burial in
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Because of his body's unique condition, "Speedy" Atkins' mummy was featured in national media as well as
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125:, where he drowned. The city transferred his body to Hamock's Funeral Home for a
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110:. He gained the nickname "Speedy" at work because of his speed with handling
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to find work. Not much is known about his life. He settled in downtown
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In May 1928, Atkins went fishing and fell with his line into the
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266:"66-year-old corpse to be laid to rest in Paducah",
293:"Black man who died 66 years ago is finally buried"
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106:as an hourly employee at a plant with ties to the
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312:, Sterling Publishing Company, 2008. P. 220.
78:(1875–1928) was an American tobacco worker in
236:"Embalmed 'Speedy' Is Laid to Rest – Finally"
82:. A pauper at his death, he drowned in the
347:Deaths by drowning in the United States
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279:"TV show to feature Paducah corpse",
118:for blacks in the segregated city.
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189:. His story was also told on the
155:Mrs. Hamock planned to bury the
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362:Accidental deaths in Kentucky
357:People from Paducah, Kentucky
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167:Representation in other media
23:Charles Henry "Speedy" Atkins
16:Embalming subject (1875–1928)
129:. Having created a powerful
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253:"Man to be buried in '91",
223:. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
98:and, as an adult, moved to
94:Charles Atkins was born in
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174:Ripley's Believe It or Not
320:Retrieved April 17, 2009.
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210:Quigley, Christine.
144:during the Paducah
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240:Chicago Sun-Times
191:Discovery Channel
186:National Enquirer
180:That's Incredible
177:, the TV program
80:Paducah, Kentucky
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56:Paducah, Kentucky
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308:Sceurman, Mark,
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281:Lexington Herald
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108:tobacco industry
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310:Weird Kentucky
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212:Modern Mummies
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53:(aged 53)
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51:(1928-05-27)
49:May 27, 1928
342:1928 deaths
337:1875 births
331:Categories
197:References
183:, and the
142:Ohio River
123:Ohio River
84:Ohio River
96:Tennessee
90:Biography
40:Tennessee
100:Kentucky
352:Mummies
112:tobacco
104:Paducah
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135:statue
76:Atkins
72:Speedy
157:mummy
314:ISBN
217:ISBN
46:Died
37:1875
34:Born
297:Jet
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