"The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg" is a satirical short story by Mark Twain. Hadleyburg, a small town famous for its unblemished honesty, becomes the target of a vengeful stranger who was once wronged by one of its residents. He leaves a sack of "gold" with the Richards couple, promising it to whoever can recite the exact words of advice he once received. Nineteen prominent citizens, each secretly greedy, fraudulently claim the reward using identical phrases. At a public gathering, their hypocrisy is exposed and the sack is revealed to contain lead. The town's reputation collapses, and guilt ultimately destroys the Richardses.
