The Funeral Grifter of North Yakima
An undertaker is conned out of five dollars by a man feigning the grief of a widower.
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.
E. L. Sessions, the undertaker, was bunkoed out of $5 Saturday afternoon, and he did not discover the game until next day. A man giving the name of George A. Miller and claiming to hail from the Naches Valley went to Mr. Sessions' place of business and asked for a coffin and a shroud, saying that his wife had died that afternoon. He gained the confidence of Mr. Sessions by saying that he was referred to him by a certain business man. After selecting the coffin and shroud, Miller went to the bank to get the money to pay for them. He returned shortly and reported that the bank was closed, which was true. He said he would settle with Mr. Sessions on Monday. Mr. Sessions agreed to this arrangement. He also said that he would like to have $5 to buy a few necessaries to take home to his family. Mr. Sessions did not refuse, so he handed Miller $5. Miller then left for home. The coffin and shroud were to be delivered Sunday. Miller disappeared, and has not been seen since.
“He gained the confidence of Mr. Sessions by saying that he was referred to him by a certain business man.”
Scams targeting small business owners under the guise of personal tragedy remain a timeless, if cruel, business risk. The 'bunco' artist has moved from the undertaker's door to the digital realm, but the reliance on social trust in small-town commerce persists.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.