The Persistent Con-Artist of Jackson Street
A former hack driver and theater waiter uses elaborate stories and forged checks to swindle local merchants, only to be caught by a vigilant detective.
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.
Frank Duffy, alias Renolds, a former hack driver and waiter at the People's Theater, was arrested Saturday afternoon by Detective Cudihee for forgery. Duffy's modus operandi involved approaching local merchants, spinning a 'cock and bull' story about needing household goods, and presenting a forged check for a much larger amount than the goods cost to collect the difference in cash. He directed deliveries to the Fountain House on Jackson Street, where no one was ever there to receive them. Police believe he has been active for weeks, victimizing various local businesses, including cigar dealers and harness makers. Capt. Sims notes that Renolds had previously served time in the penitentiary and was notorious for overcharging immigrant passengers.
“Duffy's mode of operation was to go to a reliable house and give some cock and bull story about some business he was going into or that he needed household goods.”
While the specific 'check racket' has evolved into modern digital fraud, the story highlights the vulnerability of small business owners and the persistence of 'grifter' culture in a rapidly growing city, a theme that persists in news reports of urban crime.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.