Lazyguys Presents

The Hunt:

Challenge Series

Couch Quest Challenge #1

3 Points

1 Guess Limit

“Artifacts in the Attic”

You’re sorting through a cedar trunk passed down from a great-uncle who taught Mississippi history and loved to challenge students with puzzles. Inside are five carefully labeled artifacts. One of them is fake — intentionally planted to deceive.

At the bottom of the trunk, a handwritten note reads:

“One of these tells a lie. The rest speak true. Decide which speaks falsely.”

What You Found:

  1. A page from the Mississippi Herald and Natchez Gazette, dated February 19, 1807
    The article describes Aaron Burr’s appearance before the Mississippi Territory grand jury and rumors of his alleged western plot. A scribbled note in the margin reads: “He left town before the ink was dry.”

  2. A certified copy of a U.S. land patent dated March 7, 1836, labeled Pontotoc County
    Issued under the General Land Office following the Treaty of Pontotoc Creek, this document conveys 160 acres to a settler named Elijah M. Carter. It bears the printed name of President Andrew Jackson and includes the signature of land office clerk Jno. M. Moore.

  3. A ticket stub from the Mississippi A&M vs. Ole Miss football game, dated November 30, 1905
    The stub is worn but legible, with seating details and the original school seal printed in maroon ink.

  4. A flyer for the Freedom Rides, labeled Montgomery to Jackson – June 1961
    Printed in bold black ink on thin paper, the flyer reads: “Ride for Justice — End Jim Crow in the South.” Handwritten at the bottom: “We leave from Montgomery at dawn. Bring resolve.”

  5. A newspaper clipping from the Jackson Daily News, dated May 18, 1967, with the headline: “James Meredith Enrolls at Ole Miss”
    The photo shows Meredith walking between U.S. Marshals. A note on the back reads: “We watched from the dorm window. History in motion.”

One of these artifacts doesn’t belong. Can you spot the fake? Enter the number of the item that’s out of place. Only 1 guess for this challenge - choose carefully!

SOLUTION: The James Meredith article is the false artifact because the date is wrong. Meredith enrolled at Ole Miss on October 1, 1962, not May 18, 1967. That mistake — in an otherwise historically consistent set of items — makes this the planted lie.