Hornswogglers Fourflushers Snakeoil Salesmen True Tales Of The Old Wests Sleaziest Swindlers Matthew P Mayo by Matthew P. Mayo 9781493018048, 1493018043 instant download after payment.

Everyone loves a heel, especially one to whom nothing was sacred and who charmed his or her way into the hearts, minds, and wallets of bumpkins and belles alike. This collection offers twenty-four tales of petty bandits, sleazy bunko artists, and conniving conmen and –women who traveled West to seek their fortunes by preying on the men and women who went before them to settle and explore. These stories of who they were, what they did, and why they are remembered for their deeds include ample and engaging historic illustrations of the shady characters at work and at play.

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Watch your wallets and keep an eye on your keys! It's a slippery collection of tales of the Old West's sleaziest Swindlers ... and they're all true! No, really.... From the raw, paint-peeling alcohol of cure-all elixirs to con-artist carpetbaggers with satchels full of shoddy goods to sleight-of-hand card sharps whose wasted outward appearance belied nimble minds and adroit fingers, the Old West teemed with shady characters out for a quick buck and a good time before disappearing to another cow town ripe for the plucking. Like everyone who headed out West, these rascals sought a better life--without having to work too hard for it. The true tales of their cunning and larceny, and their eventual comeuppance, make for riveting reading.... Read about: - Death Valley Scotty, who conned millionaires into investing in his imaginary gold mines! - Ned Buntline, best-selling author, womanizer, inebriated Temperance leader, and lynching survivor! - James Addison Peralta-Reavis who claimed 12-million acres of Arizona and New Mexico under his Old Spanish Land Grant! - Mary Gleim, Missoula's Wickedest Woman, who murdered rivals, attacked priests, and cheated her prostitutes out of their wages! - Clark Stanley, self-proclaimed "Rattle-Snake King," whose Snake Oil was nothing more than mineral oil! - George H. Devol, King of the Riverboat Gamblers, who liked a good fight as much as he liked a stacked deck! - And many, many more! Matthew P. Mayo is a Spur Award-winning writer whose many books include the novels Winters' War; Wrong Town; Hot Lead, Cold Heart; Dead Man's Ranch; Tucker's Reckoning; The Hunted, and many others. His non-fiction works include Cowboys, Mountain Men & Grizzly Bears; Bootleggers, Lobstermen & Lumberjacks; Sourdoughs, Claim Jumpers & Dry Gulchers; Haunted Old West; Jerks in New England History, and more. He roves the highways and byways of North America with his wife, photographer Jennifer Smith-Mayo, in search of high adventure, hot coffee, and tasty whiskey. Visit him on the Web at www.matthewmayo.com.

Matthew P. Mayo is a Spur Award-winning and Peacemaker Award-nominated writer whose novels include the Westerns Winters' War; Wrong Town; Hot Lead, Cold Heart; and Dead Man's Ranch. His critically acclaimed non-fiction books include Cowboys, Mountain Men & Grizzly Bears; Bootleggers, Lobstermen & Lumberjacks; and Sourdoughs, Claim Jumpers & Dry Gulchers (all Globe Pequot Press). He travels the west researching and writing with his photographer wife, Jennifer Smith-Mayo. Their home base is Box Elder, South Dakota.