Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-29
BETRAYED BY A WOMAN.
How Notorious Thief was Caught by
the New York Police.


By the active efforts of a most unex-
pected ally, says a New York special of
the 26th inst. to the Philadelphia Press,
the police to-day recovered bonds worth
sc. 900 out of a pile of $4,000 that were
stolen in 1882 at the residence of Owen
and Hugh McSOrley, near West Brighton,
Staten Island, and arrested their holder,
Julius COlumbain, notorious thief and
eX-conviet. The informant of the police
was Mrs. Ellen Peck, who obtained celeb
rity in connection with the Babbitt-Beck-
with case, and on subsequent occasions
was charged with obtaining large amounts
of money by sharp practices that won for
her the name Of ''the shrewdest woman in
America
Columbian, ignorant of her identity, had
opened negotiations to sell her the stolen
bonds, and she betrayed him into the
hands Of the police. The McSorley man.
sion was plundered by three men during
the absence of the inmates. The robbers
broke open a safe and carried away six
teen $1,000 Richmond county bonds bear
ing per cent. interest, together with
some jewelry. Two of the robbers, a thief
named Jacques and EETom" Gardner, were
arrested for another crime and sent to
MOyamensing Prison in Philadelphia.
Some Of the stolen jewelry was got on
jacques.
Two weeks ago Mrs. Peck advertised
for a loan of money on some jewelry.
Columbian replied to the advertisement
and made an appointment. She met him,
and he said he could not lend her money
on the jewelry, but he would give her
bonds that were just as good. A day or
two after she met him, and he gave her
some of the bonds to ascertain their value.
She took them to a down town broker and
ho a1Frica 1 har
saying they might be stolen. He fur
nished her with the numbers of the stolen
McSorley bonds, and on comparing these
with the bonds she had found that some
of the numbers were identical. She
then communicated with the police and
| detectives Swallowed her and Columbian
at every meeting afterward. Mrs. Peck
endeaVOred, by direction of the police, to
| have Columbian bring all the bonds to her
for purchase, and he promised to do so
| yesterday By appointment she met him
| down town, and then they went to an up
| town saloon, the detectives following.
| Columbian seemed to have some suspi-
| ciOn of Mrs. Peck and showed her a pistol
| and knife, threatening to kill her if she
should betray him; but, nothing daunted,
she told him that she was armed as we'll
as he was, and showed him large re-
volver.
The detectives were outside awaiting a
signal from Mrs. Peck, when they were
''spotted' by thief, who raised an alarm.
| and Columbian ran out the back way and
| escaped. The detectives gave chase, when
he threw away some OF the bonds, $4,000
worth, which were recovered. An alarm
was sent out to all the precincts, and about
! 100 men were set to scour the city after
being furnished with Columbain's descrip-
ton. This morning he was found in a
| downtown hotel and arrested. He was
taken to court and remanded until to-mor-
row, when he will be sent to Staten Island
to answer the charge of bond stealing and
| burglary. Columbian was one of the wit
nesses who gave damaging evidence
against state prison officials in the late
| prison investigation.
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