Con Men Target Ranch Owner With Locked-Box Poker
A Spokane County farmer loses his life savings in a classic confidence scheme involving a locked box and a mysterious stranger.
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.
Of all the 'E. Z. Marks' who ever parted with their money, C. Harrington, of Trent, is, according to his own story, about the easiest that ever happened. Harrington owns a ranch near Trent. Last week, a well-dressed stranger appeared at the farm to propose buying it. While he was there, another stranger arrived, and the two began discussing gambling and eventually started a poker game. Harrington watched, then joined in. The strangers eventually suggested that each man place $5,000 in a box and lock it, to be held by Harrington until the following Sunday. If the others did not return, Harrington would keep the contents. Harrington, having only $800, borrowed $1,500 more to join the pot. The men locked the box and handed him the key. When the men failed to return and Harrington opened the box on Sunday, it was empty save for a little shot wrapped in a newspaper. The con men had three days' head start and have vanished.
“It did not even require a shrewd scheme to separate him from his money, and he cannot explain how he came to bite at the game.”
This 1903 story reflects the timeless nature of the 'confidence game,' where the promise of an easy windfall blinds the target to the absurdity of the mechanism. While the specific ruse of the 'locked box' has evolved into modern digital phishing and investment scams, the psychology of the 'mark' remains a constant in American life.
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