The Vanishing Tailor
A charismatic salesman bilks local businesses out of hundreds of dollars before fleeing the city, leaving his manager and creditors in the lurch.
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.
Janet McKinnon, a salesman for the Scotch Plaid Tailoring Company, has left Tacoma under a cloud of suspicion. Hired six months ago, McKinnon was well-dressed and seemed trustworthy enough that his manager, E.J. Forsyth, gave him keys to the office and cash drawer. It was recently discovered that McKinnon had been selling clothes and pocketing the money, along with taking out loans from local business owners. When Forsyth prepared to swear out a warrant, he found McKinnon had already fled via an interurban car toward Seattle. The loss is estimated between $200 and $250. Forsyth noted that he only realized the extent of the betrayal when a cigar salesman stopped by to inquire about a transaction, only to realize he had been spared by a day.
“He managed to do up confiding acquaintances to the tune of several hundred dollars.”
This reflects the recurring 'confidence man' narrative that plagued early 20th-century urban economies. Just as today's businesses worry about digital fraud, Tacoma merchants in 1904 were constantly vulnerable to the 'good appearance' of the itinerant grifter.
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