Hornswogglers, Fourflushers & Snake-Oil Salesmen: True Tales of the Old West's Sleaziest Swindlers Matthew P. Mayo

Description

CALLING ALL SLEAZY SWINDLERS!Everyone loves a heel, especially one to whom nothing was sacred and who charmed his or her way into the hearts, minds, and wallets of bumpkins and belles alike. Hornswogglers, Fourflushers, and Snake-Oil Salesmen offers dozens of tales of petty bandits, sleazy bunko artists, and conniving conmen (and conwomen!) who traveled West to seek their fortunes by preying on those who went before them to settle and explore.  Hornswogglers, Fourflushers, and Snake-Oil Salesmen tells who these nefarious ne'er-do-wells were, what they did, and why they are remembered, and each chapter is illustrated with engaging historic photos and illustrations of the shady characters at work and play. Caution: Lock up your wallet before reading! Content: Ned Buntline: all-American huckster -- Soapy Smith: Skagway's slippery sultan -- The great diamond hoax of 1872: diamonds are for swindlers -- Doc Baggs: Denver's high-end huckster -- Clark Stanley: the rattlesnake king (and others of the snake-oil set) -- George Devol: king of the riverboat gamblers (and Canada Bill Jones) -- James Addison Peralta-Reavis: Arizona's lord of fraud -- Alexander McKenzie: biggest claim-jumper ever -- Unhelpful guides: untested, untrue, unworthy! -- Death Valley Scotty: that likeable rogue -- The US government: shame, shame, shame -- Al Swearengen: Deadwood's deadbeat -- Pegleg Smith: king of all liars -- Sheriff Henry Plummer and his gang of innocents: killers and thieves -- Land war mongers of Johnson County: death of a champion -- Dr. Samuel Bennett: king of the thimble riggers (and other sleight-of-hand men) -- Lou Blonger: Mr. Fix-It (and more incurable con men) -- Land ho! Oregon's land fraud and the false promise of Mowry City, New Mexico -- Mary Gleim: Missoula's wicked woman (and a pair of gamblin' gals) -- Rustlers galore! Dutch Henry Born and Black Jack Nelson -- Old San Francisco: sink pit of swindlers -- Dr. John Brinkley: goat glands and radio waves (and another conning quack!).