diff --git a/doc/fixes36.2 b/doc/fixes36.2
index 480df2705..f293fec72 100644
--- a/doc/fixes36.2
+++ b/doc/fixes36.2
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-$NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.6.2-beta01 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.271 $ $NHDT-Date: 1552254771 2019/03/10 21:52:51 $
+$NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.6.2-beta01 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.272 $ $NHDT-Date: 1552422652 2019/03/12 20:30:52 $
 
 This fixes36.2 file is here to capture information about updates in the 3.6.x
 lineage following the release of 3.6.1 in April 2018. Please note, however,
@@ -566,6 +566,8 @@ X11: text popups on OSX wouldn't accept keyboard input unless the 'autofocus'
 	resource was enabled; most noticeable when trying to dismiss 'things
 	that are here' while walking over object piles
 X11: default to using XPM format tile file and rip screen
+X11: when showing graphical tombstone, would crash if file rip.xpm is missing;
+	revert to text tombstone instead
 
 
 General New Features
diff --git a/win/X11/winX.c b/win/X11/winX.c
index 654e997e4..958625a0d 100644
--- a/win/X11/winX.c
+++ b/win/X11/winX.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* NetHack 3.6	winX.c	$NHDT-Date: 1546081304 2018/12/29 11:01:44 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.6.2-beta01 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.71 $ */
+/* NetHack 3.6	winX.c	$NHDT-Date: 1552422652 2019/03/12 20:30:52 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.6.2-beta01 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.72 $ */
 /* Copyright (c) Dean Luick, 1992                                 */
 /* NetHack may be freely redistributed.  See license for details. */
 
@@ -1355,10 +1355,20 @@ int how;
 time_t when;
 {
     struct xwindow *wp;
+    FILE *rip_fp;
 
     check_winid(window);
     wp = &window_list[window];
 
+    /* make sure the graphic_tombstone is available; it's not easy to
+       revert to ordinary text tombstone once we're past this point... */
+    rip_fp = fopen(appResources.tombstone, "r"); /* "rip.xpm" */
+    if (!rip_fp) {
+        genl_outrip(window, how, when);
+        return;
+    }
+    (void) fclose(rip_fp);
+
     if (wp->type == NHW_TEXT) {
         wp->text_information->is_rip = TRUE;
     } else {
diff --git a/win/X11/wintext.c b/win/X11/wintext.c
index 122ef8e02..61615447c 100644
--- a/win/X11/wintext.c
+++ b/win/X11/wintext.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* NetHack 3.6	wintext.c	$NHDT-Date: 1546081305 2018/12/29 11:01:45 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.6.2-beta01 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.17 $ */
+/* NetHack 3.6	wintext.c	$NHDT-Date: 1552422654 2019/03/12 20:30:54 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.6.2-beta01 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.18 $ */
 /* Copyright (c) Dean Luick, 1992				  */
 /* NetHack may be freely redistributed.  See license for details. */
 
@@ -181,8 +181,7 @@ boolean blocking;
      * _some_ lines.  Finally, use the number of lines in the text if
      * there are fewer than the max.
      */
-    nlines =
-        (XtScreen(wp->w)->height - text_info->extra_height) / font_height;
+    nlines = (XtScreen(wp->w)->height - text_info->extra_height) / font_height;
     nlines -= 4;
 
     if (nlines > text_info->text.num_lines)
@@ -204,13 +203,16 @@ boolean blocking;
 #ifdef GRAPHIC_TOMBSTONE
     if (text_info->is_rip) {
         Widget rip = create_ripout_widget(XtParent(wp->w));
-        XtSetArg(args[num_args], nhStr(XtNfromVert), rip);
-        num_args++;
+
+        if (rip) {
+            XtSetArg(args[num_args], nhStr(XtNfromVert), rip);
+            num_args++;
+        } else
+            text_info->is_rip = FALSE;
     }
 #endif
 
-    if (width
-        > (Dimension) XtScreen(wp->w)->width) { /* too wide for screen */
+    if (width > (Dimension) XtScreen(wp->w)->width) { /* too wide for screen */
         /* Back off some amount - we really need to back off the scrollbar */
         /* width plus some extra.					   */
         width = XtScreen(wp->w)->width - 20;
@@ -420,8 +422,7 @@ boolean concat;
     if (str) {
         (void) memcpy((tb->text + tb->text_last), str, length + 1);
         if (length) {
-            /* Remove all newlines. Otherwise we have a confused line count.
-             */
+            /* Remove all newlines. Otherwise we have a confused line count. */
             copy = (tb->text + tb->text_last);
             while ((copy = index(copy, '\n')) != (char *) 0)
                 *copy = ' ';
@@ -577,6 +578,7 @@ XtPointer widget_data; /* expose event from Window widget */
         int len = strlen(rip_line[i]);
         XFontStruct *font = WindowFontStruct(w);
         int width = XTextWidth(font, rip_line[i], len);
+
         XDrawString(dpy, XtWindow(w), gc, x - width / 2, y, rip_line[i], len);
         x += appResources.tombtext_dx;
         y += appResources.tombtext_dy;
@@ -603,14 +605,16 @@ create_ripout_widget(Widget parent)
 
         attributes.valuemask = XpmCloseness;
         attributes.closeness = 65535; /* Try anything */
-        errorcode =
-            XpmReadFileToImage(XtDisplay(parent), appResources.tombstone,
-                               &rip_image, 0, &attributes);
+        errorcode = XpmReadFileToImage(XtDisplay(parent),
+                                       appResources.tombstone,
+                                       &rip_image, 0, &attributes);
         if (errorcode != XpmSuccess) {
             char buf[BUFSZ];
+
             Sprintf(buf, "Failed to load %s: %s", appResources.tombstone,
                     XpmGetErrorString(errorcode));
             X11_raw_print(buf);
+            return (Widget) 0;
         }
         rip_width = rip_image->width;
         rip_height = rip_image->height;