By Rob Tranchin, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-942849.mp3
Dallas, TX – When the TCU Horned Frogs play tomorrow in the Rose Bowl, it's a safe bet that many folks in Eastland, Texas, a town of about 4,000 people 90 miles west of Fort Worth, will be watching. After all, perhaps the most famous horned frog of all time comes from Eastland. KERA's Rob Tranchin has the story.
Rob: West beyond the Clear Fork of the Trinity River, beyond the Brazos, beyond even the reach of this radio signal lives the tale of Old Rip.
In 1897, a live Texas horned lizard was placed in a time capsule in the cornerstone of the Eastland County Courthouse along with a Bible, some newspapers and a few coins.
31 years later, the courthouse was demolished to make way for a new one. A crowd said to number in the thousands attended a ceremonial opening of the old cornerstone.
Eastland resident Ed Allcorn continues the story.
Allcorn: And one of them pulled the horned toad out of the cornerstone. And it twitched a leg, and the yell went up, "It's alive!"
Rob: Do you believe the story of Old Rip?
Allcorn: Yes, I do believe the story. I have met eyewitnesses who were there February 18, 1928 and saw old Rip taken out of the cornerstone, and of course they all believe.
Rob: Ron Vaughn is another Eastland resident who believes the story is true.
Vaughn: I first heard about Old Rip in 1935, and I've been a believer ever since.
I grew up with horned toads, and if you lay them on their back and tickle their stomach, they'll more or less go into suspended animation, which is I'm sure what he did when he was inside the cornerstone.
Rob: In 1928 there were enough people who believed in Old Rip, he was sent on a national tour, eventually obtaining an audience with President Calvin Coolidge.
Allcorn: He was taken around in a fishbowl, so President Coolidge tapped him with his eyeglasses. It was a slow day, I guess, news-wise. President Coolidge might not have had too much on his plate that day.
Rob: Today, an embalmed body said to be Old Rip's lies in state in the Eastland County courthouse, resting inside a small, glass-covered casket where the faithful and the curious come to pay their respects.
Near the courthouse, over at the Maverick Barbershop, customers hold a variety of opinions about the horned lizard across the square.
Rob: Do you believe in Old Rip?
Woman: Not really.
Man: I believe in Old Rip. Sure.
Man: I've heard too many stories.
Rob: So that's a no?
Man: That's probably a no.
Man: Yeah I believe in him. I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I guess I'll have to believe it.
Rob: Do you believe in Old Rip?
Child: Yes.
Rob: Why?
Child: I just do.
Man: I believe in Old Rip. I believe in Santa Clause, too!
Rob: For Ed Allcorn, however, it's all a matter of faith. And a belief in the creative power of a tale well told.
Allcorn: It's like a lot of other things. Some people believe in the Bible, some don't. For those who do, it's real. And it's the same way with old Rip.
Rob: Does the story of Old Rip give you hope?
Allcorn: Yes, and the story of a lot of the people who brought this part of the country to life. Even a horned lizard has brought people to Eastland from other countries to see the area where he lived and died, and to talk to people who saw him taken out of the cornerstone and to record the event as you are doing.
I always say he's our most famous citizen of all time.