19th century spam came by post, prefigured modern spam in so many ways

boing
11

You call H.G.C. Hallock’s letter a con. Looks to me like he was an actual missionary running a church at that address. I’d be more careful about defaming people’s legacies.

Sources:

https://books.google.com/books?id=hRNbAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR32&lpg=PR32&dq=Endeavourers’+Church+hallock&source=bl&ots=-R4tX8EdUs&sig=lFbZ6eQPeVpcisY7bUM-L5EIt7E&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwivl87vl47LAhXHVD4KHfITDe8Q6AEIHzAB#v=onepage&q=Endeavourers’%20Church%20hallock&f=false

http://divinity-adhoc.library.yale.edu/HKBU/CLSC/0689_dopca.pdf