World Of Graft The

by Josiah Flynt

CONTENTS Introductory Metropolitan Grafting: "Chi" -- An Honest City York -- A Dishonest City Boston -- "A Plain-Clothes Man's Town" By Word of Mouth: From One Who Has "Squared It" Down the Line Inside Wisdom: The Mouth-Piece System The Known Thief's Expense Account -- What it Costs to be a Professional Criminal The Tax-payer's Bill Recommendations of Certain Dead Ones: What the Dead Ones Say Should be Done Glossary The World of Graft was originally published in 1901.

232 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 2004

About the author

Josiah Flynt (properly Josiah Flynt Willard) was an American sociologist and author.

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the stammering century of kooks and cranks to the 20th century where capitalism and graft centralize their power over America. This one reads like a beat investigating graft. Except it’s 1901. Possibly controversial at the time, it now seems quaint in its analysis and comic in its characters. Nevertheless, it’s interesting to read about Jay Gould, Shang Draper, and Red Leary and his wife. And Flynt really lets loose with Wyoming Slivers whom he describes as an ex-grifter who “achieved considerable notoriety in the tramp world by marrying a well-to-do widow in Minnesota. When she died she left him $10k to do as he liked with, and he elected to invest it in a six months spree in which all Hoboland was invited to take part. Slivers came out of the adventure minus three fingers and an ear, but before it was over ten of his pals lay down and died in different parts of the West.” Also entertaining are the old-timey criminal professions: porch-climbers, slough-workers, prop-getters, shovers of the queer, moll-buzzers. Noteworthy also that the conmen were known at the time by their bright red ties. In the end, though, and without saying it explicitly, his only answer to the question of crime is your run of the mill strong-arm fascism.