May 19, 2008

Wanna Buy a Bridge?

As part of a special section on the Brooklyn Bridge's 125th anniversary, the Daily News has a fun story about the great huckster practice of "selling" the Brooklyn Bridge. The con man most famous for fooling people into paying for the bridge was a guy named George C. Parker, who is said to have also made some bucks off selling Grant's Tomb and the original Madison Square Garden. Parker was sentenced to a life term at Sing Sing in 1928. A historian who wrote a book about the landmark says Brooklyn Bridge sales scams may have been rooted in the jostling that occurred between Manhattan and Brooklyn for ownership rights to the roadway. Brooklyn Bridge pranks haven't been relegated to selling the structure. A bookie named Steve Brodie became the toast of the town after fooling a bartender into believing he had survived a jump off the bridge in 1886. You gotta wonder if Parker, Brodie, and co. would feel right at home in today's city.
Brooklyn Bridge Brings Out the Gullible [NY Daily News]
Photo by Prof. Jas. Mundie.

Posted by Gabby at 10:00 AM | Comments (1)
Categories: Transportation

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