The Con Artist of the Y.M.C.A.
A smooth-talking grifter exploited the goodwill of Seattle churchgoers by playing on his 'sick wife's' needs, until an umbrella heist landed him in the city jail.
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.
For some weeks, a worthless fellow has been bamboozling the charitably disposed people of this community. His mode of operations is about as follows: He would go to church on Sunday and occupy a front seat. After the service, he would approach the minister or some other person whom he had seen in church and introduce himself. He would then speak of his helpless condition on account of the serious illness of his wife and would incidentally remark that he had been refused medicines the doctor had prescribed for her on account of not having the money to pay for it, and being a stranger did not know what to do. By this time, the person to whom he was talking would go down into his pocket and loan the unfortunate fellow four or five dollars. The bill finally turned his attention to the Young Men's Christian Association, and started out by asking the Secretary, Mr. Davis, to buy him a suit of clothes, so that he could join the church. Failing to procure the new suit, he commenced to rig himself out by stealing different articles from the members of the association. First, an overcoat would disappear, then a hat, then a pair of rubbers, and so on. Police officer Boss got on the fellow's track, and finally caught him in the act of stealing an umbrella from the Y.M.C.A. room. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and on being taken before Justice Hill, he confessed stealing the umbrella, and was accordingly sent to jail for twenty-five days. He gave his name as Charles Reynolds, and was a very smooth talker.
“He would go to church on Sunday and occupy a front seat. After the service, he would approach the minister... and introduce himself.”
This story highlights the perennial tension between Seattle’s charitable spirit and the anxiety over public safety and 'vagrants.' Much like the turn-of-the-century struggle to reconcile Christian charity with the fear of being 'bamboozled,' Seattle continues to navigate the complex ethics of mutual aid and personal accountability in public spaces.
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