Haymarket Riot gallows sold

The Chicago History Museum has lost in its bid to get the old Cook County gallows.

The gallows was auctioned off Wednesday night, and the Chicago museum lost out to Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum, a San Francisco company that operates around the country.

Oddity-loving Ripley's bid $68,300 for the device that put 86 convicts to death. . .

The gallows was built in 1887 for the hanging of some of the eight men convicted in the May 4, 1886, fatal bombing in Chicago's Haymarket Square -- even though none of them was responsible for throwing the bomb.

Posted by David on December 10, 2006 4:46 PM