In 1871, an enigmatic man calling himself 'Lord Gordon Gordon' arrived in the United States claiming to be a wealthy Scottish aristocrat looking to invest millions in Western lands. After charming the elite of Minneapolis, he moved to New York and set his sights on Jay Gould, one of the most ruthless robber barons in American history. Gordon Gordon convinced Gould that he controlled enough pooled stock from British investors to help Gould regain control of the Erie Railroad.
Intrigued, Gould handed over nearly one million dollars in stocks and cash to the fake lord. When Gould discovered he had been scammed, he sued. Gordon Gordon skipped bail and fled to Manitoba, Canada, believing he was safe under the British flag.
Unwilling to accept defeat, Gould hired a party of Minnesota bounty hunters—including a future U. S. Congressman and a future Minnesota governor—who illegally crossed the border, captured Gordon Gordon at gunpoint, and attempted to spirit him back to the states.
However, Canadian police intercepted the kidnappers before they reached the border and arrested them. The arrest created a massive political backlash in Minnesota, where angry citizens demanded an invasion of Manitoba to rescue their countryment. Tensions escalated so severely that Minnesota's governor mobilized the state militia while Canadian forces prepared for battle.
President Ulysses S. Grant and Prime Minister John A. Macdonald were forced to intervene directly to diffuse the situation.
Ultimately, the bounty hunters were released, and Gordon Gordon shot himself in 1874 when Canadian police finally came to arrest him on separate European fraud warrants.