The Irrigation Land Swindle
A confidence man posing as a land agent scams thirty-five laborers out of their hard-earned wages.
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.
Colfax, June 14 — A good many country men and laborers about Colfax have been victimized the past few days by a land cruiser who came here representing himself to be an agent for Baker & Boyer, of Walla Walla, and offering to locate parties on irrigable land along the new Hooper ditch on payment of a small fee, agreeing at the same time that when the land was proved up on, he would buy it at good prices. These agreements were given to thirty-five men, and each was bilked in sums of from $1 to $10. The name of the swindler is Charles Reed, who was formerly a confederate of the notorious McLean, now serving a sentence at McNeil's Island for fraud. Reed disappeared before he could be arrested.
“A good many country men and laborers about Colfax have been victimized the past few days by a land cruiser.”
Scams preying on migrant laborers or those seeking land and agricultural opportunity have a long history in Washington. This story highlights the vulnerability of the working class to 'get rich quick' schemes during economic downturns.
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