Rascal Behavior

Dayton Daily Empire, Sept. 2, 1859

Washington D.C. was home to a rascal. Hiram P. Leslie almost succeeded in his crime before being arrested in his home town. A swindler whose acts were described as, “One of the most successful efforts at rascality ever heard of,” found himself in jail. Rascality is not a word used today in everyday speech, and after reading the one word title, “Rascality,” I wanted to know what was considered rascal behavior in 1859.

An article in the Dayton Daily Empire reports how Leslie swindled over a dozen women. The rascal placed an ad in the newspaper, calling for women to teach music in the South. Fifteen accepted the position and traveled to New York to meet the advertiser. After arriving in the city, Leslie collected their luggage and the $150 steamboat fare, then left the women at the hotel to arrange for their transportation. The women never saw him again. However, the next day’s paper included an article about this conman’s arrest in Washington D.C. He swindled a large number of people, even his neighbors.

Apparently, rascality is a common crime in this era, and can still be found today. I think people are far more skeptical now than they were in the past. Those fifteen women may not have had any reason to believe the advertisement was a ruse. Today, we have heard about all the cases of fraud and are constantly wary of being played. Of course, how could anyone in 1859 confirm quickly whether or not the advertisement was true?

Leslie was a rascal who swindled many people. He must have been good at it considering his ability to gain the trust of those women who left their belongings with him. After his arrest, he had several letters on him from all over the country, so he might have had a sizable network spanning multiple states. The citizens of Washington D.C. probably celebrated the arrest of this rascal, maybe hoping for retribution.

Dayton Daily Empire, Sept. 3, 1859

By Julie Hale

Sources:

"Rascality." The Dayton Daily Empire. Sept. 02, 1859. Chronicling America: Historic American 

       Newspapers. Library of Congress.

"A Swindler Arrested." The Dayton Daily Empire. Sept. 03, 1859. Chronicling America: Historic 

       American Newspapers. Library of Congress.