The story of Rudolph Fentz is a really great example of urban legends at work. I came across it being perpetuated on a website as recently 23/07/2015, and being attributed as sourced from: TheGuardian.com. However I could find nothing for the story. In fact all they seemed worried about was whether The X Files was islamophobic and transphobic ..... which is about par for the course, for that particular neo-liberal news organ.
The basic story, although there are versions that differ slightly, is that in 1950 in Times Square, New York, a man dressed in Victoria-era clothes and with mutton-chop sideburns, suddenly appears out of nowhere. Before he can speak to anybody he is hit by a car and instantly killed. The police search his pockets, and find various antique objects. Some mint condition currency from the 1870s (or old banknotes - depending which version you read), a business card for an address on Fifth Avenue, a copper beer token, and a letter dated June 1876 from Philadelphia. All the documents looked fresh and un-aged, and showed his name was Rudolph Fentz.
 |
| Source Of the Urban Legend ... |
The basic story, although there are versions that differ slightly, is that in 1950 in Times Square, New York, a man dressed in Victoria-era clothes and with mutton-chop sideburns, suddenly appears out of nowhere. Before he can speak to anybody he is hit by a car and instantly killed. The police search his pockets, and find various antique objects. Some mint condition currency from the 1870s (or old banknotes - depending which version you read), a business card for an address on Fifth Avenue, a copper beer token, and a letter dated June 1876 from Philadelphia. All the documents looked fresh and un-aged, and showed his name was Rudolph Fentz.
