Men of No Reputation is the first account to explore the life of Robert Boatright, one of Middle America\'s most gifted, but forgotten, confidence men.
Like the works of Sinclair Lewis, Boatright\'s story exposes a rift in the wholesome Midwestern stereotype and furthers our understanding of nineteenth- and twentieth-century American society..
Mabray, and his cronies, many of whom had been in the Buckfoot Gang, preyed upon victims across North America in one of the largest Midwestern criminal syndicates in history before they were brought to heel.
Boatright\'s successor, John C.
And yet, the con continued.
A series of missteps, however, led to a string of court cases across the country that brought his criminal enterprise to an end.
Working in concert with a local bank and an influential Democratic boss, Boatright seemed untouchable.
With the assistance of a talented coterie of confederates known as the Buckfoot Gang, this dean of modern confidence men fleeced the gentry of the Midwest on fixed athletic contests in the turn-of-the-century Ozarks.
Boatright took the preexisting big-store confidence scheme and perfected it.
Boatright\'s story provides a rare window into the secret world of Missouri\'s criminal past, which influenced the methods of confidence men across the country.
Men of No Reputation is the first account to explore the life of Robert Boatright, one of Middle America\'s most gifted, but forgotten, confidence men
