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Monthly Archives: April 2010

Early American Criminals: Isaac Frasier’s Strike Out

Isaac Frasier was colonial America’s most prolific burglar. In his Brief Account of the Life, and Abominable Thefts, of the Notorious Isaac Frasier, he recorded over 50 acts of burglary and theft and stated that he committed many more that he could not specifically remember. He toured all over New England and into New York, […]

The American Malefactor’s Dictionary: badger and its variants

badger – 1. someone who robs a man after he has been caught in bed with a woman or in some other compromising position; 2. a panel thief; 3. to torment. badger-crib or badger’s crib, also badger house – a room that is fitted to carry out a badger game, usually with a sliding panel […]

Crime and Prison Songs: Jason’s Jail Mix

My brother-in-law recently created a CD-mix of songs about jails, prisons, and crime for me. I enjoyed listening to it so much that I thought I would reproduce it for Early American Crime. “In The Jail House Now” – Soggy Bottom Boys “Jailhouse Rock” – Elvis Presley (See the video from Last.fm.) “I Shot the […]

The American Malefactor’s Dictionary: backer

backer – the person who supplies the genuine dollar bills that are shown to a prospective victim in a greengoods con-game. The greengoods con-game entails the sale of a large quantity of counterfeit money at a steep discount from its face value. In a show of demonstrating the high quality of the counterfeit bills to […]

Early American Criminals: The Fate of Joseph Atwood, Levi Ames’s Accomplice

Note: This post continues “Advice from a Condemned Burglar.” Joseph Atwood and Levi Ames both participated in the burglary of Martin Bicker’s house in 1773, although the extent to which each one was involved was a matter of debate. Both said that the other was the mastermind of the burglary, and Atwood claimed that he […]