A con artist with a sweet tooth
Nov. 6, 1910: A young man pulled an age-old scam in downtown Los Angeles, The Times reported under the headline “Old Game Revived, Slick Youth Gets Candy and Cash in Exchange for Paper That Has Color of Money.”
The loser in the deal was George B. Wilson, proprietor of a store at 6th and Figueroa streets.
Wilson took a telephone call from a young man who “asked that a 50-cent box of candy and change for a $5 bill be sent to No. 354 S. Flower St.,” the newspaper said.
“A messenger boy was given the package and $4.50 and told to deliver it and return with the $5 bill. On reaching the address given, the boy was met by a young man who took the package and money and handed him what he supposed was a bank note. The messenger returned to the store, where it was discovered the ‘bill’ was simply a piece of green paper.”
“The slick one,” the newspaper said, “is described as being about 19 years old, about 5 feet, 5 inches in height, and weight about 135 pounds.”
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