WEBVTT - Short Stuff: Selling the Brooklyn Bridge

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, and welcome to the Short Stuff. I'm Josh and

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<v Speaker 1>that's Chuck and we're flying solo today and that's okay

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<v Speaker 1>because we've got something to say. Mostly this is short stuff.

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<v Speaker 1>You really bailed on that one, didn't you. Uh. This

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<v Speaker 1>is about selling the Brooklyn Bridge, which I I think

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<v Speaker 1>I had heard that this was a thing in history

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<v Speaker 1>at some point, but big thanks to the New York Times,

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<v Speaker 1>How Stuff Works dot com and n y C Walks

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<v Speaker 1>dot com to bring it's the story of George C. Parker,

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<v Speaker 1>a man who sold the brook the Brooklyn Bledge many

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<v Speaker 1>times over, as well as some other notable New York

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<v Speaker 1>places you know yet see would be okay with mo Man,

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<v Speaker 1>oh man, He's gonna become a regular part of the show,

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<v Speaker 1>I think so. Yeah. George C. Parker was like a

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<v Speaker 1>con man extraordinaire, like this guy. Supposedly he at least

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<v Speaker 1>he claimed to have sold the Brooklyn Bridge multiple times

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<v Speaker 1>a week, every week for years. That's how good he was,

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<v Speaker 1>which is probably no, that is almost certainly not true.

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<v Speaker 1>But it is documented that he did sell successfully sell

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<v Speaker 1>the Brooklyn Bridge to a number of suckers over the years.

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<v Speaker 1>Like it wasn't just a one time thing just once

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<v Speaker 1>would have made a legion, but the fact that this

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<v Speaker 1>guy did it over and over again is really something. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>and apparently this used to be a thing, and not

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<v Speaker 1>just the Brooklyn Bridge. But you were in a situation

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<v Speaker 1>in the you know, sort of latest eighteen hundreds in

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<v Speaker 1>New York City where you had millions of immigrants coming

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<v Speaker 1>through uh Ellis Island who were hopeful. Many of them

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<v Speaker 1>were poor, but not all of them because you have

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<v Speaker 1>to have some money to buy the Brooklyn Bridge, although

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes they sold these things for like not very much money,

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<v Speaker 1>which is even sadder. Uh. So they were they were targets.

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<v Speaker 1>They were sort of greenhorn targets. And some of them

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<v Speaker 1>did have money though, and they would use I think

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<v Speaker 1>like um, I guess scouts or something. What would you

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<v Speaker 1>call that, someone to kind of like informant informants at

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<v Speaker 1>Ellis Island that could maybe be paid off to pass

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<v Speaker 1>along information like, Hey, this immigrant came in. They think

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<v Speaker 1>America is the land of opportunity. They're really excited and

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<v Speaker 1>they got a little cash in their pocket. Right. So

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<v Speaker 1>the whole jam was with Parker's Brooklyn Bridge scam was

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<v Speaker 1>he would find one of these people a well, healed

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<v Speaker 1>immigrant who just thought of America as the land of opportunity,

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<v Speaker 1>and um, I thought that this was a golden opportunity.

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<v Speaker 1>He would find them and show them, you know, some

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<v Speaker 1>sort of deed that said that he owned the Brooklyn

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<v Speaker 1>Bridge and he wanted to unload it, so he would

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<v Speaker 1>sell it to somebody and and just basically tell them like,

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<v Speaker 1>it's not just sown in the Brooklyn Bridge, which is

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<v Speaker 1>amazing enough. You can charge a toll and you could

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<v Speaker 1>make your money back in like a month and then

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<v Speaker 1>just get rich from air. And that was how apparently

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<v Speaker 1>he actually attracted people. Yeah, and all this stuff is

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<v Speaker 1>so it's very easy in two to say, well, why

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<v Speaker 1>didn't they say, well, why aren't you doing this? Weren't

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<v Speaker 1>you making this money? Why aren't there tolls and things

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<v Speaker 1>like that? And who knows the answer. I think it

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<v Speaker 1>was just a different time period. Um. As far as

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<v Speaker 1>tolls on the bridge, uh, they did used to charge

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<v Speaker 1>when it first opened. It cost a penny to cross

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<v Speaker 1>by to to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge by foot,

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<v Speaker 1>uh and nicol if you had a horse uh and

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<v Speaker 1>a rider ten cents for a horse and wagon and

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<v Speaker 1>then uh extra money for farm animals if you were,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, toting your farm animals, which is very funny

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<v Speaker 1>to think about now, Uh, across across the brick, it's

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<v Speaker 1>pretty funny. So there was there was at least a

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<v Speaker 1>history where an immigrant may have heard that this was

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<v Speaker 1>the case. Uh, they stopped doing this in and I

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<v Speaker 1>think even the roadway tolls went away in nineteen eleven,

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<v Speaker 1>so you know, they didn't stop it until eighteen ninety one.

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<v Speaker 1>So if it's EWO or three, then you could sort

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<v Speaker 1>of forgive someone for believing it. Yeah. Plus they were

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<v Speaker 1>still charging those roadway tolls for for decades longer. So yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I think the very presence of tolls on the Brooklyn

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<v Speaker 1>Bridge made people think like, Okay, yeah, this is the thing.

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<v Speaker 1>This guy owns this bridge. I'm going to take over

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<v Speaker 1>this enterprise from it. Yeah. And another thing you have

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<v Speaker 1>to think about is the Brooklyn Bridge is very large,

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<v Speaker 1>and it would be very easy to walk someone up

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<v Speaker 1>there and maybe even show them a toll booth without

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<v Speaker 1>arousing suspicion, without getting caught, without uh you know, them

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<v Speaker 1>necessarily thinking they needed to go over and verify anything

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<v Speaker 1>with the toll bridge. Yeah. Imagine also if you had

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<v Speaker 1>an inn with one of the toll booth operators you

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<v Speaker 1>can introduce as your employee. You know, I'm bringing in money.

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<v Speaker 1>Hand about fist here right. The other thing about the

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<v Speaker 1>Brooklyn Bridge too, And and like you said, people sold

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<v Speaker 1>other stuff, monuments, plots of land and parks in New

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<v Speaker 1>York City, basically anything you can imagine that they didn't own.

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<v Speaker 1>But the Brooklyn Bridge in particular was like the scam

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<v Speaker 1>because it was such a monument in America at the

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<v Speaker 1>time of the turn of the twentieth century. Like there

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<v Speaker 1>was the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge, and

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<v Speaker 1>that was like the two big symbols of America. So

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<v Speaker 1>people wanted to own it as well. The idea of

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<v Speaker 1>owning this huge symbol of America. I just got off

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<v Speaker 1>the boat from Croatia and now I'm I own one

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<v Speaker 1>of two symbols of America. Um, you could imagine how

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<v Speaker 1>somebody would jump at that opportunity if they if they

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<v Speaker 1>really thought that this guy was legit. Sure, and I

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<v Speaker 1>think a lot of times he would just do it

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<v Speaker 1>to make a few hundred bucks at a time to

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<v Speaker 1>some real greenhorn. But apparently it's legend, has it he

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<v Speaker 1>got up to fifty tho dollars, which I did not

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<v Speaker 1>fail to do the calculation. Did you happen to do that? Shamefully? Now,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know why we didn't do that. Let's let's

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<v Speaker 1>just say it's ten million dollar. Yeah, it's a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of money today. Yeah, I'll bet I'm right. Should we

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<v Speaker 1>take a break, Yes, let's take a break and figure

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<v Speaker 1>out how much they are? If you want to know,

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<v Speaker 1>then you're in luck. Just Chuck Shore. So we're back, Chuck,

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<v Speaker 1>And I was essentially right, Oh well, how much was it? Uh?

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<v Speaker 1>So I said ten million? Right, you said ten million. Uh,

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<v Speaker 1>it turns out it's um, it looks like it's about

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<v Speaker 1>fifty million. Now no, no, I'm sorry. Let's see one,

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<v Speaker 1>two three, it's five million zero five million. That's a jeez.

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<v Speaker 1>He really took somebody then. Yeah, imagine Lucy five million

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<v Speaker 1>dollars buying the Brooklyn Bridge. Because again, like you're an immigrant,

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<v Speaker 1>you're not really kind of hip to how things work here.

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<v Speaker 1>Yet imagine going to the cops and then being like

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<v Speaker 1>you're you're joking, like you just gave somebody five million

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<v Speaker 1>dollars to buy the Brooklyn Bridge. Like that had to hurt.

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<v Speaker 1>Like to add insult to injury. Yeah, and you know

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<v Speaker 1>there was some wife in that decision that was going,

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<v Speaker 1>you idiot, that's every penny we have, and some husband

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<v Speaker 1>going it'll be worth it, right. I also just bought

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<v Speaker 1>some magic beans. Right. Uh. Here's one thing that's pretty

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<v Speaker 1>interesting is this became so common because it wasn't just

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<v Speaker 1>George Parker doing this. Um. There's one story that we

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<v Speaker 1>couldn't quite get to the bottom of that there was

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<v Speaker 1>someone named William mcclownde a k a I O U

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<v Speaker 1>O'Brien who did this. But then other people have said no,

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<v Speaker 1>that was actually an alias Parker. But there were definitely people.

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<v Speaker 1>This was a not the most common thing, but it

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<v Speaker 1>was a grift that other people did to the extent

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<v Speaker 1>that eventually on Ellis Island they had signage up and

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<v Speaker 1>pamphlets that said, like, these things are not for sale.

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to America, do not try and buy the Statue

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<v Speaker 1>of Liberty. Yeah. The thing I've seen bandied about is

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<v Speaker 1>you can't buy public buildings or streets. And I was like,

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<v Speaker 1>is it is that true? And I looked it up

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<v Speaker 1>and I don't know if it's true. Chuck, Well, what

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<v Speaker 1>do you mean? But which one. Public buildings are streets

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<v Speaker 1>that they handed out pamphlets Llis Island. Don't you think

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<v Speaker 1>that somebody would have saved that pamphlet and there'd be

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<v Speaker 1>an image of it on the internet somewhere. I don't know.

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<v Speaker 1>That's your reasoning, that's part of it. It also appears

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<v Speaker 1>in one book in one New York Times article. In

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<v Speaker 1>the New York Times article prints it from a quote

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<v Speaker 1>from somebody else who also wrote a book about But

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<v Speaker 1>did the Paper of Record? Yeah, but I mean New

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<v Speaker 1>York Times. It's also Friday at five the New York Times. Sometimes. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>all right, well, who knows it makes for a good story,

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<v Speaker 1>though it is a good story. But aren't those the

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<v Speaker 1>most fun? To just be sure? I know that it

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<v Speaker 1>did get harder to sell these public buildings. I think

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<v Speaker 1>they were trying to do that up through like the

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen twenties. But um, you know, people became a little

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<v Speaker 1>more wise to this thing over the years. Even though

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<v Speaker 1>Parker I believe, in his day sold uh the Statue

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<v Speaker 1>of Liberty, Madison Square, Garden, Grant's tomb Uh in the

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<v Speaker 1>met not bad amazing. No, imagine buying the met too.

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<v Speaker 1>You get all the art inside too, you're not going

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<v Speaker 1>to move the art no arts included. Oh no. What

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<v Speaker 1>I would have said is no, you know, you don't

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<v Speaker 1>own the art, but you can you get a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of money for charging for the art to be there. Right,

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<v Speaker 1>that's true. What happened to him though he got caught right, Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>he finally didn't. Apparently there was a four strikes in

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<v Speaker 1>your out law in New York at the time called

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<v Speaker 1>the Bomb's Law, and um, they said that if you

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<v Speaker 1>were convicted of a fourth felony, that judge had no

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<v Speaker 1>choice but to give you life in prison. And that's

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<v Speaker 1>what happened to uh to mr Parker. He passed a

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<v Speaker 1>hundred and fifty dollar check that bounced supposedly, the only

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<v Speaker 1>in Evening Times said that it bounced back with startling elasticity,

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<v Speaker 1>which is hilarious. Um, and he served the rest of

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<v Speaker 1>his life in Sing Sing Sings prison as a result.

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<v Speaker 1>After all of those griffs and scams, he got life

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<v Speaker 1>in jail for a hundred and fifty dollar bounced check.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, there are four strikes in baseball at the time,

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<v Speaker 1>so that all makes sense. Okay, now it makes sense.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm just kidding. Wait a minute, is that true? Wouldn't

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<v Speaker 1>that be funny if that's how the judicial system worked? Like, Wow,

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<v Speaker 1>what's baseball doing? Right? What's baseball I have to say about?

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<v Speaker 1>Is the three strikes or four? That's what we'll do. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>you can steal first I guess. Oh wait, you couldn't

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<v Speaker 1>steal figures. I think this one ended, uh in just

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<v Speaker 1>the best way possible. I think it ended about thirty

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<v Speaker 1>seconds too late. Uh as short stuff is out, everybody.

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff you Should Know is a production of I Heart Radio.

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