It’s not often we combine a traveling circus, a mummy, and a funeral home to weave a staggering – yet absolutely true – tale of North Carolina that may drop your jaw to the floor. But just wait…
In 1911, a traveling circus was in McColl, a tiny town over the border into South Carolina. While there, a fight broke out between two of the performers. One of them, a musician, was struck in the head with a tent stake and transported to the nearest hospital — which happened to be less than ten miles away in Laurinburg, North Carolina.
The circus performer, whose name was Cancetto Farmica — but who came to be known by everyone in Laurinburg as "Spaghetti" — died within hours. His body was taken to the McDougald Funeral Home in Laurinburg where he was embalmed. Some days later, Spaghetti's father showed up and put a deposit on his son's funeral expenses, claiming he would return with the rest of the money. The funeral home held onto Spaghetti and waited for the man to return.
A surprising 61 years went by, but Spaghetti's father didn't return; yet, the funeral home still held Spaghetti's remains. Reportedly the fact that a bona fide mummy was to be found in the funeral home's garage was a bit of a tourist attraction. Nearly everyone in the town had at least heard of the Italian mummy named Spaghetti.
And then in 1972, a politician of Italian descent decided enough was enough. Afterall, Spaghetti had lived the life of a carny long enough, both in life and in death. Stings were pulled, and soon Spaghetti, the Italian mummy, was laid to rest in the Hillside Cemetery in Laurinburg.
For a carny who was more famous and popular in death then he probably was in life, Spaghetti is still the talk of the town 47 years after he was moved from his perch as a spectacle in a funeral home garage.
Now Cancetto Farmica (a.k.a. Spaghetti) has a more quiet life, er.. death, in a sweet spot with green grass surrounding his lovely footstone in Laurinburg.
