Manchester
15 September 1907
Special Archive Edition · Case EC-024
Fraud
The Man Who Sold Tomorrow
A confidence trickster sold investors advance knowledge of tomorrow's stock prices—until Cryer discovered how the predictions were being altered.
A man calling himself Mr Vale promised wealthy clients tomorrow's market prices.
His first predictions were always correct.
Cryer obtained one of the sealed prediction envelopes.
The ink was soluble.
After the market closed, Vale's assistant exposed the paper to steam and replaced the original figures.
Cryer marked an envelope before delivery.
The next day the mark had shifted with the writing.
Vale's predictions ended at the police station.