In 1817 a young woman of exotic appearance was found wandering near
Bristol. She spoke in a language that no one could understand
except, seemingly, a Portuguese sailor. He claimed that she was a
Sumatran princess from the island of Javasu. Princess Caraboo, as
she was known, became a national celebrity and lived in a grand
style, entertaining many distinguished visitors. But, a few weeks
later, she was exposed as Mary Baker, the daughter of a cobbler
from Devonshire. Mary's deception is one of several intriguing
stories of nineteenth-century fraudsters brought to light in Linda
Stratmann's new book. While 'Princess Caraboo' was a relatively
harmless hoax, The Crooks who Conned Millions also exposes darker
tales. Dickens based unscrupulous banker Mr Merdle in Little
Dorritt on John Sadleir. Sadleir was a director of the Tipperary
Joint Stock Bank who had sold forged share certificates to his own
family and falsified balance sheets. When the bank finally
collapsed, ruining hundreds of small investors, Sadlier committed
suicide. While Sadleir's guilt was obvious, in the Stock Exchange
fraud of 1814 - when a false rumour that Napoleon had died was
circulated to drive up share prices - opinion was divided. The
suspected culprit, naval hero Lord Cochrane, consistently declared
his innocence. In contrast, Ernest Terah Hooley, one of the
greatest fraudsters of the century, wrote his memoirs in a jolly
and unblushing style, quite openly admitting the corruption. From
the tall tales of 'Louis de Rougemont' to the 'Earl' who claimed to
own Canada, from the mystery of the 'Double Duke' to the
unscrupulous Marquis de Bourbel, these riveting tales of true
crime, told in a lively and anecdotal style, expose the steamier
side of life in which corruption, avarice and scandal hold sway.
General
Imprint: |
The History Press Ltd
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Release date: |
November 2006 |
Authors: |
Linda Stratmann
|
Dimensions: |
235 x 165 x 10mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
320 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-7509-4243-0 |
Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
True stories >
Crime
|
LSN: |
0-7509-4243-6 |
Barcode: |
9780750942430 |
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