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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Che Guevara hair sold at auction | Che Guevara hair sold at auction |
| (about 12 hours later) | |
| Strands of hair said to have been taken from the corpse of Ernesto Che Guevara by a former CIA operative have sold for $119,000 (£58,000) at auction. | |
| It sold to the only bidder, who runs a bookshop near Houston, for the reserve price, plus a buyer's premium. | It sold to the only bidder, who runs a bookshop near Houston, for the reserve price, plus a buyer's premium. |
| The Dallas sale prompted protests from Che's widow and his supporters. | The Dallas sale prompted protests from Che's widow and his supporters. |
| The sale is not a first for Heritage Auction Galleries, which has sold locks from the heads of Abraham Lincoln, Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. | The sale is not a first for Heritage Auction Galleries, which has sold locks from the heads of Abraham Lincoln, Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. |
| Bill Butler, 61, placed his bid by telephone for the 3-inch (8cm) strand of Che Guevara's hair. | Bill Butler, 61, placed his bid by telephone for the 3-inch (8cm) strand of Che Guevara's hair. |
| In the same lot were photographs of the dead revolutionary's body and fingerprints taken after he was shot in Bolivia in 1967. | In the same lot were photographs of the dead revolutionary's body and fingerprints taken after he was shot in Bolivia in 1967. |
| Mr Butler says he plans to display the hair at his bookshop. | Mr Butler says he plans to display the hair at his bookshop. |
| Political icon | Political icon |
| Heritage Auction Galleries had tightened security for the sale, because of fears of protests from socialists unhappy that profits were being made from the revolutionary's death. | Heritage Auction Galleries had tightened security for the sale, because of fears of protests from socialists unhappy that profits were being made from the revolutionary's death. |
| Che Guevara was trying to foment a revolution in Bolivia when he died | Che Guevara was trying to foment a revolution in Bolivia when he died |
| Che is considered an icon by left-wing movements, but critics accuse him of brutally executing his opponents. | Che is considered an icon by left-wing movements, but critics accuse him of brutally executing his opponents. |
| An Argentine who became a Cuban guerrilla leader, the 39-year-old was tracked down and killed in the Bolivian jungle by a group of CIA-backed Bolivian soldiers on 9 October 1967. | An Argentine who became a Cuban guerrilla leader, the 39-year-old was tracked down and killed in the Bolivian jungle by a group of CIA-backed Bolivian soldiers on 9 October 1967. |
| A former CIA agent, Cuban-born Gustavo Villoldo, who oversaw Che's burial, said he removed the lock of hair and took photos and fingerprints as proof that the mission was completed. | |
| It is these items which have now been auctioned. | It is these items which have now been auctioned. |
| Auctioneer Tom Slater said that Mr Villoldo was unhappy with the iconic status Che now has. | Auctioneer Tom Slater said that Mr Villoldo was unhappy with the iconic status Che now has. |
| "He doesn't like the way Che has become a political icon, so he's anxious to get the whole story out," Mr Slater told the AFP news agency. | "He doesn't like the way Che has become a political icon, so he's anxious to get the whole story out," Mr Slater told the AFP news agency. |
| "He feels that Che was a murderer and a bandit and it was appropriate to hunt him down." | "He feels that Che was a murderer and a bandit and it was appropriate to hunt him down." |