Bunco Artists in Richmond, 1870-1920
Sharpers, Snatchers, Swindlers, Flimflammers and Other Con Men
Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Crimes & Criminals, Criminology, History, Americas, United States
| Author: | Harry M. Ward | ISBN: | 9781476626178 |
| Publisher: | McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers | Publication: | March 3, 2017 |
| Imprint: | Language: | English |
| Author: | Harry M. Ward |
| ISBN: | 9781476626178 |
| Publisher: | McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers |
| Publication: | March 3, 2017 |
| Imprint: | |
| Language: | English |
Richmond in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was home to a lively underworld of tricksters, swindlers, confidence men and thieves. The former Confederate capital’s under-staffed police force and dense population—large numbers of immigrants and the very poor—accommodated the enterprising criminal. Newspaper reports of the day offer a glimpse of a wide variety of crimes and misdemeanors, often with a bit of humor or pathos. Based on reports from the proceedings of the Police Court, this book provides a portrait of Richmond—then the most congested city in the U.S.—during the “Golden Age of the Con,” when gamblers, hustlers and frauds plied their trades across the country.
Richmond in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was home to a lively underworld of tricksters, swindlers, confidence men and thieves. The former Confederate capital’s under-staffed police force and dense population—large numbers of immigrants and the very poor—accommodated the enterprising criminal. Newspaper reports of the day offer a glimpse of a wide variety of crimes and misdemeanors, often with a bit of humor or pathos. Based on reports from the proceedings of the Police Court, this book provides a portrait of Richmond—then the most congested city in the U.S.—during the “Golden Age of the Con,” when gamblers, hustlers and frauds plied their trades across the country.
