Ol' Rip was an old lizard that allegedly hibernated for 31 years with no ill effects. In 1897 a live lizard was put into the cornerstone time capsule of the eastern Texas courthouse. In 1928 the courthouse was being rebuilt and the time capsule was opened in front of a large crowd. The lizard awoke after 20 minutes and then went on a short tour around the US before its death. The body was displayed in the courthouse but was stolen in 1961 and held ransom before being found. In 1962 the future governor John Connally picked up the body and accidentally broke off one of its legs. In 1972 the body was stolen again but the recovered body had four legs. The thief, angry that the town cared so much about a dead lizard wrote an anonymous letter in 1976 saying that he still has the original Ol' Rip and that the one in the courthouse is a fake.
