Category:
Crime
Crime
The Escorts
You've heard of MUSIC FROM BIG PINK? Well, here's MUSIC FROM THE BIG HOUSE.
Full story here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Nov 24, 2015 -
Comments (2)
Category: Crime, Music, 1970s
Frozen Turkeys As Deadly Weapons
According to my research, the first case of assault with a frozen turkey occurred in the 1940s. But by the end of the 20th Century, the use of frozen turkeys as deadly weapons had become fairly common. More details over at about.com.
Posted By: Alex - Tue Nov 17, 2015 -
Comments (7)
Category: Crime, Alex, Weapons, Thanksgiving
Get rid of that man — he’s a homicidal maniac!
Sounds like Norman White had a good scheme going. I wonder how he got busted.
The Southeast Missourian - July 5, 1955
Man Gets Self Fired To Collect Week's Pay
LONDON — The voice on the phone said: "Get rid of that man White — he's a homicidal maniac." Norman White, 29, lost the job he started only an hour before.
The same thing had happened four times in three weeks. Each time Norman was fired within two hours of starting a new job, and each time he collected a week's pay.
Today he started another new job. This one — sewing mail bags — will last longer. The voice on the phone, a City Court was told Monday, was White himself posing as a police officer. The court gave him eight months in jail for obtaining money by false pretenses.
LONDON — The voice on the phone said: "Get rid of that man White — he's a homicidal maniac." Norman White, 29, lost the job he started only an hour before.
The same thing had happened four times in three weeks. Each time Norman was fired within two hours of starting a new job, and each time he collected a week's pay.
Today he started another new job. This one — sewing mail bags — will last longer. The voice on the phone, a City Court was told Monday, was White himself posing as a police officer. The court gave him eight months in jail for obtaining money by false pretenses.
Posted By: Alex - Mon Nov 02, 2015 -
Comments (3)
Category: Crime, Jobs and Occupations, 1950s
Mystery Illustration 12
I have smudged out the relevant information, so now you have to guess. What crime did all these folks have in common?
The answer is here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Nov 01, 2015 -
Comments (10)
Category: Crime, 1940s
George Graham Rice
A new book about a legendary con man seems like an intriguing read for all WU-vies. Maybe one for your Xmas wish list.You can learn quickly about this rascal at the Scripophily page where you can buy an actual stock certificate signed by the scammer, as seen below.
George Graham Rice, a famous stock promoter, capitalized the stocks of Goldfield, Greenwater and Rawhide mines, listed them on the national exchanges, and reaped the profits until convicted of mail fraud in 1911. In 1907 when investors nation-wide were delirious over the stupendous rise in the market value of securities of Goldfield mining companies, the public clamored for opportunities to buy into Nevada mining stocks. With childlike faith they invested in Death Valley's Greenwater and also the Rawhide district, where several companies capitalized stocks, listed them on the national exchanges and had them underwritten by prominent brokerage houses. In Rice's own words: "I make a conservative statement when I say that the American public sank $30 million in Greenwater in less than four months . . . yet the suckers, . . were crying for more."
You can read his original 1913 memoir here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Oct 15, 2015 -
Comments (4)
Category: Crime, Frauds, Cons and Scams, 1900s, 1910s
Sober Desperados
Robbers broke into a store in Germany and took 1200 Koenig beer caps. That's right, just the caps, the bottles of untouched beer were left in the crates. Apparently the company is running a promotion giving away prizes on certain caps. The company also says there is no way to trace where the winning caps were delivered so if the criminals are careful in how they redeem the winners they are home free.
Posted By: Alex - Tue Aug 18, 2015 -
Comments (3)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Crime, Alcohol
Won’t happen again
Sources: The Daily Standard (Sikeston, Missouri) - Feb 11, 1956; Bridgeport Telegram (Connecticut) - Apr 4, 1955.
More in extended >>
Posted By: Alex - Sun Jul 19, 2015 -
Comments (5)
Category: Crime, Prisons, 1950s
How the Bank Sneak Works
After a lifetime of crime, Harry Schindler was thoughtful enough to divulge all his tricks for the edification of bankers and other monied types.
Read the whole thing here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jul 07, 2015 -
Comments (6)
Category: Crime, Books, 1910s
Sparkling Nibbler
Mrs. Marie Marks Schor, wealthy Miamian, charged with shoplifting because she liked to eat stuff from the shelves as she did her grocery shopping. Sounds like she was having quite a meal: ham, candy, strawberries, bananas, and string beans.
Source: The Bristol Daily Courier - Dec 19, 1959
Posted By: Alex - Sun Jun 14, 2015 -
Comments (4)
Category: Crime, 1950s
Robert Baudin, Aerial Counterfeiter
Although he seems generally forgotten today, counterfeiter and pilot Robert Baudin was quite notorious while alive, and seems to have had quite a remarkable career, as detailed in the review of his autobiography Fake (see sidebar) quoted below.
Kirkus review.
More details of his life here.
Posted By: Paul - Sat May 16, 2015 -
Comments (2)
Category: Crime, Money, 1960s, 1970s, Australia
| Who We Are |
|---|
| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |