Why it worked
The story is a morbidly fascinating historical anecdote that taps into curiosity about unusual deaths and historical oddities. The visual presentation of gravestones and historical context makes the story more engaging and shareable.
Summary
This slideshow tells the story of an unknown man who died in July 1908 after eating an entire jar of library paste, which contained toxic alum. The video explains the composition of early bookbinding glue and details how the man was buried in a potter's field, with his story later researched and marked by a historian.
Structure
- 1Introduction to the gravestone and the story
- 2Explanation of the historical event and the paste's ingredients
- 3Details of the man's death and burial
- 4The role of a historian in marking the grave
- 5The enduring mystery of the man's identity
Product placement
Sanford's Library Paste: This is a brand of bookbinding glue from the early 20th century. It ACTS as the substance that the unknown man consumed, leading to his death. Removing it would change the entire story. The product is incidental to the narrative, but central to the historical event. The video does not demonstrate its use or promote its purchase.
On-screen text
POV you die from eating library paste
The story behind this gravestone
In July 1908, a starving drifter was scrounging through trash and found a discarded jar of library paste
Early 20th-century bookbinding glue was largely made of flour, water, and aluminum sulfate (alum).
It would have smelled sweet and similar to bread
While the alum ingredient is a sweet preservative it is also highly toxic in large doses
He ate the whole jar and poisoned
MAN DIES AFTER
EATING LIBRARY PASTE
GOLDFIELD, Nev., July 20.—A post-mortem examination was performed by Dr. Turner, the county physician, on the remains of the unknown man who died near the automobile garage. A starving, and that he ate the contents of a glass jar of library paste. The digestive and respiratory organs showed a badly run-down condition. The identity of the man has not been determined beyond the fact of his having a letter addressed to the name of Ross.
His death was reported in the local news
POTTERS FIELD
LAST RESTING PLACE FOR
UNKNOWN, UNCLAIMED PEOPLE
INCLUDING MAN THAT ATE
LIBRARY PASTE
GOLDMEIELD CEMETERY
1906
The "Unknown Man" was buried in the potters field section of the Goldfield Pioneer Cemetery in Nevada
Years later, historian Allen Metscher spent decades researching and marking the graves of pioneers in Goldfield
Headstones in the Potters field were made from irregularly cut local stone.
MARTIN ROWHER AGE 45
BORN #BLUEDETTEN GERMANY
SHOT BY DEPUTY SHERIFF
IN COMBINATION IN THE
LINE OF DUTY
AT THE COUNTY HOSPITAL
1866 DIED 1908
BURIED IN THE
POTTERS FIELD
NEBRASKA REGIMENT
CEMETERY IN NEVADA
MARTIN ROWHER
GUNSHOT BY
DEPUTY SHERIFF
JULY 17 1908
Sadly, we still don't know his identity. Likely, he was a prospector who came to Nevada looking for gold