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Tag Archives: Fraud

Early American Criminals: William Linsey and the Telltale Candle

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Even though William Linsey was orphaned at a young age, this rough start did not appear to have any negative impact on him. Linsey was originally born in Palmer, MA in 1746, but at the age of two he went to live with Phinehas Mixture in Dudley, MA. By Linsey’s own account, Mixture raised him [...]

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The American Malefactor’s Dictionary: ambush

Monday, December 7, 2009

ambush
– fraudulent weights and measures used by grocers, coal-dealers, etc.
The term is a pun on the formal definition of the word: to lie in wait (lying weight).
Sources:

Barrère, Albert and Charles G. Leland. A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon, and Cant. [London]: The Ballantyne Press, 1889.
Partridge, Eric. A Dictionary of the Underworld. New York: Bonanza [...]

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