Arthur Clarence Probert (1862–1918) was an American swindler and confidence man active from about 1887 to 1918. In the course of his career, he conducted elaborate scams in small towns from the Great Lakes states to the West Coast. His primary activity involved establishing banks, then draining them dry and leaving town, but he also engaged in other ventures, such as posing as a physician and selling shares in nonexistent hospitals and promoting railroads that would never be built. Probert managed to get away with most of these schemes, typically leaving town before being exposed, but was caught and prosecuted twice, resulting in at least one period of incarceration.Larson, Lars Erik. Chequamegon Bay and Its Communities, vol. 2, Washburn—The City To Be: A Historical Memoir, 1883–1947 (Whitewater, Wis., 2008), 643.
Early life
Arthur Clarence Probert was born on October 3, 1862, in Paterson, New Jersey, the son of Arthur Probert, a shoemaker, and Hannah Farrar Probert.The Morning Call (Paterson, N.J.), July 3, 1909. Little is known about his early life, but census records show him residing in Mason, Wisconsin, in 1880. In 1886 he returned to Paterson and married his first wife, Jennie Clarinda Newell. Larson, Chequamegon Bay and Its Communities, 643.
Washburn, Wisconsin (1887–1898)
Probert came to Washburn in 1887, four years after the town’s founding, and immediately took a prominent role in its nascent business community, founding the Bank of Washburn in July of that year. In 1889, Probert began construction of a permanent bank building to replace the firm's temporary quarters in Washburn's town hall. The new bank building opened its doors to the public on January 1, 1890.The Washburn News (Washburn, Wisconsin), December 27, 1890. The three-story Romanesque Revival building, made from locally quarried brownstone, was described at the time as “the finest building in Washburn,” and remains the city's most prominent landmark.National Register of Historic Places nomination, Bank of Washburn, 1979. At the same time, Probert expanded his interests into other spheres of activity, starting a real estate firm, opening Washburn’s first brewery,Larson, Chequamegon Bay and Its Communities, 643. and founding the Washburn Power and Light Company, which began providing electrical power to the city on October 31, 1891.The Washburn News (Washburn, Wisconsin), October 31, 1891. By the early 1890s Probert had extended his banking interests beyond Washburn, and opened new banks in Prescott and Shell Lake, Wisconsin, installing his brother Edwin as cashier at the latter.Minneapolis Star Tribune, October 9, 1890.
In 1892, Probert became a driving force in efforts to move the county seat of Bayfield County from the neighboring village of Bayfield to Washburn. A county-wide election held to resolve the issue resulted in a victory for Washburn, where a public celebration featured a speech by Probert, described in a newspaper report as “one of the prime movers” in securing the transfer.The Washburn News (Washburn, Wisconsin), December 3, 1892.
Disaster struck Probert's network of businesses during the nationwide Panic of 1893. On June 7, Probert announced that the Bank of Washburn had become unable to meet its commitments, forcing him to close the establishment’s doors “for a few days.”The Washburn Times (Washburn, Wisconsin), June 10, 1893. Closures at the banks in Shell Lake and Prescott soon followed. In public statements, Probert blamed the reverses on “stringency of the money market,” but assured depositors that the banks’ assets exceeded their liabilities, and would be reopening soon.The Washburn News (Washburn, Wisconsin), June 17, 1893, p. 1. These assurances apparently failed to convince authorities in Shell Lake, and on July 18, the Washburn County Sheriff arrived from Shell Lake with warrants for A.C. and Edwin Probert's arrest, charging both with embezzlement. Released after arraignment, Probert and his brother returned to Washburn two days later.The Washburn News (Washburn, Wisconsin), July 22, 1893. At the time, Shell Lake’s local newspaper commented, “It commences to look as though Mr. Probert is financially ruined.”The Shell Lake Watchman (Shell Lake, Wisconsin), June 15, 1893, quoted in The Washburn News (Washburn, Wisconsin), June 17, 1893.
Despite these developments, Probert managed to secure agreements from many of his creditors to allow reorganization. The bank in Prescott reopened in January, 1894,The Superior Telegram (Superior, Wisconsin), January 23, 1894. the Shell Lake bank reopened that March,The Milwaukee Sentinel, March 11, 1894. and the Bank of Washburn finally resumed business in April.The Washburn News (Washburn, Wisconsin), April 6, 1894, p. 1.
Despite his widely publicized financial problems, Probert was elected Chairman of the Town Board of Supervisors in April 1895, a position equivalent to mayor at the time. Three months later, he took on an additional role, running successfully for the town’s school board, then being chosen as president.The Washburn Times (Washburn, Wisconsin), July 10, 1895. Washburn's two newspapers quickly took opposing sides in their coverage of the Probert administration. The Washburn News became a determined critic of his banking practices, frequently publishing detailed financial critiques and urging legal accountability. In contrast, the rival Washburn Times defended him vigorously, portraying his troubles as the product of economic conditions, political hostility, or personal animus.Larson, Chequamegon Bay and Its Communities, 89.
A cascade of events that would eventually result in Probert’s downfall began in October 1895, when his bank in Shell Lake was seized by the county sheriff and sold at auction,The Saturday Evening Press (Menasha, Wisconsin), October 5, 1895. and his bank at Prescott went into receivership.The Washburn News (Washburn, Wisconsin), October 10, 1895. Washburn town treasurer Pederson responded by demanding that Probert provide security for the municipal funds held in his Washburn bank, then attempted to withdraw the town funds completely. When Probert refused to comply, Pederson filed criminal charges, resulting in Probert's arrest.Larson, Chequamegon Bay and Its Communities, 82. No sooner than that dispute was resolved, he was arrested again, charged for fraudulent practices uncovered in the management of his Shell Lake bank.St. Paul Daily Globe, October 27, 1895. An additional blow came in December when the Washburn brewery was declared insolvent.The Washburn News (Washburn, Wisconsin), December 13, 1895.
The case that would bring Probert’s final defeat came from an entirely different quarter. In April 1896, a bank in Lodi, Wisconsin, charged Probert with embezzlement in a transaction involving two of his companies. In essence, Probert attempted to repay a short-term loan to the Washburn Electric Light and Power Company with a promissory note from the bankrupt brewery. The Lodi bank refused to accept this and instead filed a formal complaint.The Washburn News (Washburn, Wisconsin), June 26, 1896.
Despite this series of public embarrassments, a substantial portion of Washburn's citizenry retained confidence in Probert’s character, insisting that the charges against him were nothing more than attacks by political foes. Just days after his arrest on the Lodi embezzlement charges, Probert was reelected Town Chairman by a plurality, as two opposing candidates split the anti-Probert votes between them.The Washburn Times (Washburn, Wisconsin), April 8, 1896; The Washburn News (Washburn, Wisconsin), April 8, 1896.
The embezzlement charges finally came to court in late June, but the process did not go smoothly. The case halted when evidence of jury tampering by Probert supporters came to light.The Washburn News (Washburn, Wisconsin), June 26, 1896. A second jury could not agree on a verdict, resulting in a mistrial.The Washburn Times (Washburn, Wisconsin), July 1, 1896. Finally, on July 22, 1896, a third jury found Probert guilty of embezzlement. Judge E.B. Bundy immediately sentenced him to two and a half years of imprisonment, and the county sheriff transported Washburn’s former mayor to the state penitentiary at Waupun the next day.The Washburn News (Washburn, Wisconsin), July 24, 1896; The Washburn Times (Washburn, Wisconsin), July 22, 1896; The Milwaukee Sentinel, July 24, 1896.
Imprisonment (1896–1898)
Contemporary accounts reported that Probert received unusually lenient treatment during his transfer and admission to the state penitentiary. He was reportedly given additional time to settle his affairs, transported without restraints, and permitted to retain his beard despite institutional policy to the contrary.The Washburn Times (Washburn, Wisconsin), July 29, 1896. He was assigned to a desirable job caring for the prison library and assisting the chaplain. The latter role gave him access to other prisoners’ incoming mail. In early 1898, during an investigation into alleged irregularities in the chaplain’s office, it was discovered that Probert had exploited this access for personal gain. In one documented case, he stole a check for $55.00 (equivalent to roughly $2,163.00 in 2025)Halfhill, inflation calculator. from an envelope addressed to one inmate, then had it cashed with the help of the chaplain. As a result, the chaplain lost his job at the prison and Probert was removed from his positions.Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, February 4, 1898.
During his time in prison, Probert wrote several letters to newspapers, some of which were republished. In these letters he reflected on prison life and criminal justice, claiming that many of his fellow inmates had been wrongly convicted, while others, even if guilty of crimes for which they’d been sentenced, were merely victims of circumstance rather than hardened criminals. He suggested that temperament and misfortune played larger roles in criminal behavior than deliberate malice, and he expressed philosophical views on morality, detection, and public judgment. In one of these letters he offered a candid explanation of his outlook on life:
I find it is a great mistake to believe or think good people are the most light-hearted and contented. They are usually bothered by conscience and worried about everlasting damnation. My experience has taught me that this beautiful world is mostly enjoyed by airy sinners, who are clever enough to escape detection, and make money whenever they can get an opportunity or chance.The Ashland News (Ashland, Wisconsin), March 3, 1897.
Throughout his imprisonment, Probert mounted persistent efforts to secure executive clemency, submitting unsuccessful petitions for pardon to Gov. William H. Upham in late 1896, then to his successor Gov. Edward Scofield in 1897 and early 1898.Larson, Chequamegon Bay and Its Communities, 648. Probert was released from the penitentiary in September 1898 after serving more than two years of his sentence. On his way home to Washburn, he stopped first at a newspaper office in Oshkosh to give an interview, claiming that his prosecution had been politically motivated, and falsely asserting that he’d been pardoned by the governor.The Oshkosh Northwestern (Oshkosh, Wisconsin), September 10, 1898. The Oshkosh newspaper reported Probert’s claims without verification, and other Wisconsin papers subsequently reprinted the account.The Chippewa Herald-Telegram (Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin), September 11, 1896.
Probert concluded the interview by explaining that he’d be returning to Washburn to take up the practice of law “for which he studied years ago.”The Oshkosh Northwestern (Oshkosh, Wisconsin), September 10, 1898.
Michigan, Indiana, and Chicago (1899–1903)