391: Civil War Era & Gilded Age Con Artist Charles Cowlam w/ Frank W. Garmon Jr.

Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast

Erik Rivenes

True Crime, History, Education

4.7 • 2.8K Ratings

🗓️ 27 May 2025

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Charles Cowlam stands out as one of the most remarkable con artists of nineteenth-century America. He talked his way into receiving pardons from both President Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis. Through deception, he secured a role investigating Lincoln’s assassination. He preyed on lonely widows, attempted to manipulate a Florida election, and created a secret society to steal money. His cons were as bold as they were relentless. My guest, Frank W. Garmon Jr., has written the definitive book on this colorful charlatan. It's called A Wonderful Career in Crime: Charles Cowlam’s Masquerades in the Civil War Era and Gilded Age. The author's website: https://www.frankgarmon.com/ The author's publisher page: https://lsupress.org/9780807182161/a-wonderful-career-in-crime/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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1:10.3	Music The
1:13.6	The Welcome all to the most notorious podcast. I'm Eric Rivenis. Thanks a bunch for joining me today. It really means a lot. Well, it is so great to have Frank
1:45.8	Garman Jr. as my guest today. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Leadership
1:52.8	and American Studies at Christopher Newport University. He has published articles in numerous
1:59.1	academic journals, including Economist History Review,
2:04.1	the Journal of the Early Republic, and Social Science Journal.
2:08.3	His first book, called A Wonderful Career in Crime, Charles Cowlum's Masquerade in the Civil War era and Gilded Age.
2:17.4	Published in July of 2024 is the subject of today's show.
2:22.0	Welcome to the podcast.
2:24.1	I so appreciate you coming on.
2:26.6	Well, thank you, Eric.
	...

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