No one's beating down the doors to share their final resting place with a legendary gangster.
The Paragould City Beautiful Commission said Wednesday it hasn't received any bids on two crypts at the Linwood Cemetery, but officials say people are interested in buying a piece of the decades-old mausoleum that contains the remains of gangster Frank "Jelly" Nash, as well as other local notables.
Nash was killed June 17, 1933, in Kansas City, Mo.'s "Union Station Massacre." Nash and three police officers were killed in a failed attempt by gangsters such as Pretty Boy Floyd to free Nash, who was being transported to the federal prison in Leavenworth, Kan.
The commission is auctioning off the crypts at the mausoleum to raise money to beautify the local landmark.
Jackie Branch, a member of the Paragould City Beautiful Commission, said an open house was planned for interested bidders. She said she expects the crypts to go for $3,000 to $10,000.
"It's very unique," Branch said Wednesday. "It's the only public mausoleum of its size that we know of in the state."
The mausoleum, built in the 1920s, cost about $30,000 to build, Branch said. The commission is trying to have the structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Bids on the crypts may be made in the city clerk's office at City Hall.
The commission last year added lights around the mausoleum, at the intersection of U.S. 412 and U.S. 49. Kaut White, a member of the commission, donated two crypts as the panel sought ways to fund improvements that will include a landscape design.
Three trustees had maintained the mausoleum before it was turned over to the city to ensure its maintenance. The mausoleum was built from Bedford stone and white marble, with brass and copper features. It holds 160 crypts.
