The Miracle Cure Con Man
A visiting 'philanthropist' who claimed to cure alcoholism was feted by city officials before being unmasked as a fraud.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A. E. Disbrow has been arrested at his home in Creighton, Nebraska, on the charge of obtaining money under false pretenses from J. A. Hannah of Whatcom, Washington. Disbrow had visited Whatcom in January, claiming to be the sole owner of a secret chemical compound that could cure alcoholism and the morphine habit. He treated several people in the city jail and was so lauded by the local authorities that the city council passed a resolution expressing gratitude for his self-sacrificing labors. Hannah, the proprietor of the Commercial House, paid Disbrow $3,000 for a one-third interest in the cure. After Disbrow returned to Nebraska, Hannah discovered the drugs listed in the 'secret' formula were common knowledge to the medical profession. Hannah and his wife filed affidavits for fraud, and Disbrow now awaits trial.
“He was lauded by the local force as a philanthropist and benefactor to humanity and even succeeded in having a resolution introduced by an admiring member of the city council.”
This story highlights the perennial vulnerability of small-town leaders to charismatic grifters, a dynamic that remains common in modern civic life where self-proclaimed 'innovators' often find support before their claims are scrutinized.
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