How to sell a bridge

Many Europeans were leaving their homes.

We are talking of the late 1800s and early 1900s.

They were getting on ships and traveling across the Atlantic Ocean – to America.

Back then, many parts of Europe were poor and affected by conflict. Political and religious freedom was limited.

The idea of America sounded tempting.

America was vast and less populated.

New cities were being built. New companies were being established. New jobs were being created.

European migrants often came with little money.

They would be optimistic. They would look forward to a country they had heard so much about.

George Parker was waiting where the ships landed in New York.

He offered a job – a toll booth operator.

Operate a toll booth on the Brooklyn Bridge, and earn a salary.

Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883.

It connected New York to Brooklyn.

Around 10,000 people used it every day. These people lived on one side and worked on the other.

They had to cross it two times a day.

The toll charge: 1 penny for those walking, 5 pennies for people on horses, 10 pennies for horse-drawn carriages.

In 1891, the toll charge on people walking across the bridge was removed. People could walk across the bridge for free.

The Brooklyn Bridge still stands and is now an iconic symbol of the city.

It is very much in use even today.

For someone new to the country, finding an income source is of top priority.

So getting a job offer was great news.

George and the migrant(s) would then walk to the Brooklyn Bridge while George explained the job to them.

He was planning to set up toll booths to collect toll fees from the people walking across the bridge.

He needed someone to sit at the booths.

In one such case, the job seeker noticed something – a sign that said, ‘For Sale’ hanging on the bridge.

He was curious. So he asked about the sign.

George told him that the bridge was for sale.

It was good business – because toll collection was a business that would last forever.

The job seeker got curious and asked more questions.

George told him whatever he wanted to know – no problem.

The job seeker got even more curious – and asked to see the bridge’s paperwork.

On seeing the bridge’s papers, the job seeker changed his mind.

He did not want the job.

Instead, he wanted to buy the bridge.

He paid $5,000.

The ‘For Sale’ sign was taken off. George Parker walked away with the money.

And the bridge’s new owner walked away with the bridge’s papers in his hands.

Sometime later, the owner went to the bridge to set up the toll booth – to collect fees from those walking on it.

He was met by the police. They would not let him set up a toll booth.

The Brooklyn Bridge was public property, they informed him.

It was at this point that the bridge owner realized something – that he was not a bridge owner; and that he had been scammed.

George Parker is considered one of the greatest con artists in history.

He played out many scams – but selling the Brooklyn Bridge was his most famous trick.

This was not a one-time scam.

George was famous for ‘selling’ this bridge to migrants as many as two times a week – for around 40 years!

Eventually, he was caught and put in jail.

Optimism and Caution

When people are excited and optimistic, alertness can go down.

The migrants who came to America had been told of a new life and great riches.

When the first opportunity presented itself – they did not check thoroughly.

The Bridge’s paperwork that George shared was fake.

But the new migrants did not know how to check it. They had never seen what a bridge’s ownership papers looked like.

So they just assumed everything was okay.

George Parker did not even have a fixed price.

He quoted the price based on how rich the migrants seemed to be.

George had sold the bridge for as low as $75 to some and as high as $50,000 to some others!

This kind of scam is not rare. It happens all the time, in some form or another.

Whenever there are opportunistic people with money, there are people trying to sell them worthless things.

There is absolutely nothing wrong in wanting to make money; or in wanting to make money faster.

The problem comes when people let their guard down.

This is why it is so necessary to inspect and research before investing – in anything.

And also, to not invest when you do not understand the offer clearly.

The illustrations used above are made using an AI tool (DALL-E).?