Old West Swindlers

True stories of nineteenth-century crooks, con artists, and quacks—including the man who "sold" the Brooklyn Bridge.

Gunslingers and outlaws weren't the only ones who made the West wild. The nineteenth century was the golden era of riverboat gamblers, crooked railroad contractors, and filthy-rich medical quacks. These crooks made a living deceiving people who took a stranger at face value and left their doors unlocked. Throw in some get-rich-quick schemes and a generous mixture of whiske...