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WAUSAU, Wisconsin (AP) -- Who is that mysterious, elegant man? And why is he

sitting on a dead horse?



Such are the questions sparked by a black-and-white photograph taken in Sheboygan,

Wisconsin, between 1876 and 1884 that has led to nationwide curiosity, speculation

and jokes.



It's a picture of a mustachioed man in a suit and top hat who sits rakishly on the side

of an expired horse in the middle of a dusty street.



The picture was included in a newspaper's 2007 calendar and the response from

readers prompted news articles. From there, it took off on the Internet.



"This thing has gotten more mileage than you can shake a stick at," said Scott

Prescher, who has a copy of the dead horse photo in his restaurant in Sheboygan.



"It is just a funny picture," Prescher said. "He is sitting on there with a top hat like he

had somewhere special to go and his horse just croaked in the middle of the road."



No one knows who the gentleman is, exactly what year the picture was taken or the

circumstances surrounding it, said Beth Dipple, director of the Sheboygan County

Historical Research Center, which has had the picture in its collection for at least 20

years.



After writing two stories about the picture, The Sheboygan Press received more than

50 calls and e-mails about it.



Some of the ideas about what the picture depicts include the thoughtful -- it was

staged for a political campaign perhaps related to sanitation issues -- to the bizarre --

the horse is being helped to relieve "excess flatulence."



Dibble said the newspaper published the photo on August 20, 1974, but mainly to

focus attention on the nearby buildings. The caption said the man who provided the

photo to the newspaper received it from a friend who had no idea about its origin.



Dipple said about all that's known about the picture is it was taken at South Eighth

Street and Indiana Avenue in Sheboygan between 1876 and 1884 -- based on the

presence of a bridge over the Sheboygan River in the background and the absence of

the railroad tracks that were installed in 1884.



The city had laws that required people to stay with their dead horses until they were

picked up and disposed of, Dipple said.



"Who knows why somebody would take a picture of it?" she said. "People had weird

senses of humor then just like they do now."

I think its probably professor Moriarty, somewhere on his US tour, which was a flop as people couldn't really get his "man sitting on a dead horse" thing, and is why he decided to become an arch criminal and engage in a battle of wits with Sherlock Holmes in London later on in his career. I could be wrong though.

Makes me proud to be in Wisconsin, that's for sure. :wah:

So the dapper dude's ride broke down and he's waiting for a tow?