Online casino buys battered tub linked to Martin Luther King assassin

A flophouse bathtub James Earl Ray stood in to shoot Martin Luther King has been sold to an online casino for $7,600, the tub's owner said Thursday.

The auction on eBay began March 20 and ended Thursday afternoon with Golden Palace Casino placing the winning bid, said D'Army Bailey, a Memphis judge who owned the tub.

Golden Palace has bought numerous historical or noteworthy artifacts for a travelling display. On Thursday, its website touted its purchase of four toilets formerly owned by late Grateful Dead musician Jerry Garcia.

Bailey said he has been assured the casino will treat the tub "with sensitivity for its historical significance."

The tub first went on sale in 2004 and drew a bid of $152,000, but eBay removed it due to concerns the item might be considered offensive, particularly by King's family.

But the website's operators later decided the item met its guidelines for historical artifacts.