I remember reading somebody’s life story (I think one of my relatives), who mentioned that a strange man showed up on his doorstep when he was a little kid in t

I remember reading somebody’s life story (I think one of my relatives), who mentioned that a strange man showed up on his doorstep when he was a little kid in the early 1900s. His father talked with the man, gave him some money, and sent him away. Years later, the father explained that the man was the father’s brother, who had committed some crime before the turn of the century, and would occasionally show up saying he was down on his luck. Whether the story was true, what stuck with me was the fact that there was once a time that somebody could leave town and largely create a brand-new identity. I guess it’s possible today, but it’s not easy. For starters, you need a social security number, and businesses are able to check whether those are valid better than they could a few years ago.