The Persistent Barber Who Conned the City
A petty swindler known as 'Clark' or 'Rieff' spent weeks running up tabs at local drugstores and shops by impersonating city employees and prominent businessmen.
A pestiferous, persistent but coarse petty swindler, who has been bothering Front street merchants for some time past, was gotten out of the way last evening when Detective James Wells arrested him. The prisoner is R. O. Rieff, a barber, who recently spent time in jail for robbing Jacob Schlatter. Rieff works under the name of Clark and usually represents himself as working for some prominent business concern, promising to settle his bills on the coming Saturday. A few weeks ago, he rushed into the Korn-Rumsey Drug Company store on Pioneer place, claiming to be Clark from the county auditor's office, and secured a $4 shaving outfit. Later, he tried to borrow 75 cents from the Quick Drug Company by claiming to work for Hyams Pauson Co. He even attempted to purchase a gold ring from Houghton's jewelry store, claiming to work for Moran Bros. His spree ended when he tried to buy cards from Lowman & Hanford while claiming to work for the Post-Intelligencer. As the laws of this state are not explicit on the subject of getting goods under false pretenses, there is a question as to what will be done with the prisoner.
“He mopped his brow with a dirty handkerchief and said to the clerk that it was a pretty tough walk up the hill to the county auditor's office.”
This story captures the early, freewheeling days of Seattle's commercial district, where social trust was the primary currency for small transactions. Today, the area around Pioneer Square remains a hub of commerce, though the 'con' has moved from the physical storefront to the digital realm.
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