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23 stories matching grifter

  1. The Unmasking of a Traveling Grifter

    A persistent con man who preyed on local residents by posing as a member of the 'fraternity' was finally arrested after fleecing a victim in Port Townsend.

    Dec 6, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerPort Townsend, Jefferson CountyTrue Crime

  2. The Logging Camp Grifter

    A teamster is caught by a deputy sheriff after allegedly swindling a saloon owner with a forged time check.

    May 23, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSauk City, Skagit CountyTrue Crime

  3. The Tailor-Made Confidence Man

    A clever grifter leaves a trail of unpaid bills and stolen suits across North Seattle.

    Nov 25, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerNorth Seattle College, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  4. The Pickpocket of South Third Avenue

    A notorious local grifter lands back in jail after a dance invitation turns into an attempted robbery in a downtown Seattle saloon.

    Jul 5, 1899The Seattle StarWashington Street, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  5. The Wandering Grifter’s Free Pass

    A man accused of passing bogus checks across Oregon and Washington walked free after local authorities decided the cost of prosecution wasn't worth the effort.

    Jan 4, 1904The Evening StatesmanWalla Walla, Walla Walla CountyTrue Crime

  6. The Circus Impostor

    A grifter posing as a Ringling Brothers advance man is caught in Astoria after swindling local meat merchants.

    Jun 22, 1903The Evening StatesmanWalla Walla, Walla Walla CountyLocal Legends

  7. The Unraveling of a Grifter

    A well-connected drifter faces consequences after passing bad checks in local saloons.

    Jun 11, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWashington Street, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  8. The Artful Grifter of Walla Walla

    A young woman posing as a disabled orphan solicited funds from sympathetic merchants, leaving local business owners feeling duped.

    Dec 16, 1903The Evening StatesmanWalla Walla, Walla Walla CountyTrue Crime

  9. The Confidence Man of Washington Street

    A grifter exploited local tensions to con Chinese merchants out of $600 under the guise of buying off a prosecutor.

    Jan 27, 1877Puget Sound DispatchWashington Street, Seattle, King CountyExclusion & Resistance · True Crime

  10. The Captain of the South Seas Swindle

    A smooth-talking grifter poses as a wealthy sea captain in Seattle to fleece hotels and merchants, leaving a trail of unpaid bills and fake credentials.

    Jan 16, 1904The Tacoma TimesGrand Hotel, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  11. The Oldest Trick in the Book

    A grifter in Seattle's city jail has a penchant for a classic pocketknife switch that leaves tourists penniless.

    Oct 13, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  12. The Funeral Grifter of North Yakima

    An undertaker is conned out of five dollars by a man feigning the grief of a widower.

    Oct 9, 1903The Evening StatesmanYakima, Yakima CountyTrue Crime

  13. The Great Seattle Straw Hat Swindle

    A smooth-talking grifter fleeced the crowds of Seattle by promising cheap hats, only to leave them holding handfuls of worthless paper.

    Jun 19, 1876The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  14. The Vanishing 'Boy Preacher'

    A notorious young grifter keeps up appearances as a 'star boarder' in Newcastle before skipping town.

    Nov 24, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerNewcastle, King CountyLocal Legends

  15. The Bunko Man's Five-Minute Trial

    A grifter who terrorized two Norwegian women is convicted in record time after a failed attempt to discard incriminating evidence.

    Jun 21, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  16. The Tragic End of a Traveling Grifter

    A notorious card shark is declared insane by the courts after a life spent deceiving folks from British Columbia to Virginia City.

    Jan 20, 1877The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyLocal Legends

  17. The Con Man Who Wore a Partner's Identity

    A clever grifter posed as a prominent Seattle businessman to swindle New York merchants, leaving local partners to clean up the mess.

    Feb 7, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  18. The Great Seattle Manhole Swindle

    A persistent insurance claim agent uncovers a ring of traveling grifters who fooled the city council into paying thousands for imaginary injuries.

    Jun 23, 1903The Evening StatesmanFourth Avenue, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall · True Crime

  19. The Con Artist of the Y.M.C.A.

    A smooth-talking grifter exploited the goodwill of Seattle churchgoers by playing on his 'sick wife's' needs, until an umbrella heist landed him in the city jail.

    Jan 10, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerY.M.C.A., Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  20. The Strange Impostor of the Secret Societies

    A concerned member of a legitimate Victoria-based lodge warns Seattle that a grifter is posing as an I.O.O.F. organizer to swindle local recruits.

    Feb 5, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  21. The Miracle Doctor of Fall City

    A smooth-talking grifter conned the countryside with fake cures and a borrowed horse, only to vanish into thin air.

    Nov 11, 1876The Daily IntelligencerFall City, King CountySnake Oil

  22. The Art of the Con: How a Swindler Sold 'Rare' Books to Seattle’s Elite

    A clever grifter conned prominent Seattle society women into buying ordinary books at exorbitant markups by selling them on a false promise of exclusivity and 'easy' monthly payments.

    Jan 9, 1891The Seattle Post-IntelligencerBallard, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  23. The Unfortunate Travels of an 'Imperial' Grifter

    A self-proclaimed Russian noble finds that Seattle hospitality—and the local church choir—has its limits when his 'aristocratic' habits turn out to be nothing more than petty fraud.

    Mar 23, 1878Puget Sound DispatchSeattle, King CountyLocal Legends

Also about this, in other words

  1. The 'Smart' Grift: A Frontier Romance Scammer

    A Chinese laborer attempts to use the legal system to recover money lost to a romantic swindler who promised marriage but disappeared with his cash.

    May 15, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish

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