The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-19
ELLEN PECKS HANOIwORK.
LITTLE DOUBT THAT IT Was SINE
WHo cor DIR. LOFTS $4,000.

Posed In Brookiyn as tho Lonely wire or
in the Danish n Little Ready
Money Hccauso Her I~Iusband's eco, 600. 900
was Tied zip In the United states Treasury.
In Mrs. Mary Hansen, u woman who posed in
Brooklyn for more than a year as the vito Of
admiral Johann CARL Hansen OF tho Danish
navy" the police of that city think they havo
discovered Ellen Peck, tho notorious confidence
woman, who has swindled many wealthy men
OF this city and Brooklyn during her long career
Of crime, and who is known throughout this
country and across the Atlantic as one Of the
cleverest OF swindlcrs.
Whether Mrs. Hanson and Ellen Peck are one
and the same person or not. however, the Brook.
lyn police have on their hands one Of the most
interesting Of the swindling cases that have
come to light since Mrs. Peck swindled Bah.
bitt, tho soap manufactures. out OF Sl9 900.
many years ago. Whoever Mrs. Hansen is,
they want her. and Capt. Reynolds of the
Brooklyn Detective Bureau has asked the
police Of the country to assist him in
finding her. The woman Is under Indictment,
and so are MIR. and Mrs. William Simpson. n
young man and woman who lived with Mrs.
Hansen as her son.in.law and daughter, and
who, 1t is alleged. helped along tho woman's
swindling operations. They have been arrested
and are now out on bail, said to have been fur
nishcd by q pawnbrokcr OF this city named
Simpson, whom they claim ns a relative. Once,
tho police say, they had Mrs. Hansen cornered
in Plainteld, n. j.. but, owing to the tardy ac-
ton of Assistant District Attorney William A..
Milcs in securing tho indictments and having
warrants issued. she got away from them.
There were three victims OF Mrs. Hansen's
clever schemes. The principal one. DIR. Christie
pher Lott, a well-known young physician of Reid
avenue and Quincy street. is now dead. He
died on May 10 last, as n direct result, his rela-
tives say, of worry over his losses through Mrs.
Hansen. The other victims are Miss Nellie
Shea, q trained nurse, who was employed at one
time by Mrs. Simpson, and a friend Of DR.. Lott,
whose name is not given. Mrs. Lofts maid is
also alleged to have been mulcted in a small
sum by Mrs. Hansen. 1t was not until after DR..
Lofts death that the full extent of the swindle
was known. Then it was discovered that be-
tween $1,000 and $4,000 had been lent to Mrs.
Hansen by the doctor, on no better security
than q few promissory notes. The full story Of
DR.. Lofts experiences with Mrs. Hansen, or
Ellen Peck. is made public by the Rev. DR.. s.
Gidard Nelson, the pastor of the Bedford Av
enuo Baptist Church. who has been Mrs. Lofts
spiritual adviser for some years, and to whom
she intrusted tho settlement of her husbands
estate.
DR.. Nelson says that for some timo after DR..
Lofts death Mrs. Lott was SO i'll that she was
unable to take any action in the matter of her
husbands losses. Toward the end OF May, how.
ever. she spoke to q friend about the matter,
telling him that the receipts and promissory
notes in her possession showed that DIR. Lott
had lent Mrs. Hansen nearly $4,000. The cir
cumstanccs under which these loans were made
are as follows:
During 1894 DR.. Lott was called to attend
Mrs. William Simpson, who lived with her bus
band in Greene avenue. He became the family
physician. and in that capacity got well &C
quainted with the household. which consisted Of
Mr.. and Mrs. Simpson and their two children, q
white-haired, pleasant-looking woman who rep
resented herself as Mrs. Hansen, the mother o.
Mrs. Simpson. and Miss Shea, who had been EN-
ployed for so long in her professional capacity
that she had practically become one Of thu
family.
BY lar the most attractive member of the fam
fly seemed 10 be Mrs. Hansen. She was a soft
voiced pleasant old lady. and her son-in-law
and daughter seemed deeply attached to her
dent affection they had for her and how Si happy pE,
they all seemed together. As the friendship be
iMssn p Grew no eon ade thi a sidn 1oiS The s psysi ass
a.greaI deal about her own life that interested
him. She had first been the wife Of Admira
beer one ne Of perfect bliss. she said, maTree
III " lac vi |" lie CouulTy
which kept him cruising around the world Ii
warships. when they might be so happy together
She was willing to mako the sacrifice for a yea
longer. however. for then. she said, the Admira
would retire and Join her IN this country. wherl
they would spend the rest OF their days together
This carefully painted picture of a lonely bu
ever cheerful wife, and a husband whose devo
ton to his country WAS such that he sacriicet
all that was dear to him for It,, charmed DR.
Lott: he liked the simpsons, and especially die
he like Mrs. Hansen.
1t was some time after their friendship as
sumed a confidential nature that Mrs. HanseI
told DR.. Lott that her husband was worth some
of riches SO slowly and so clevcrly that when sh
finally burst out with 1t. 1t never occurred U
DR.. Lott to doubt it.. After that the admiral
when the, physician was present The simpson
explained that they had meyer talked about it L
tell 1t herself, they always made it a rule to keel
a knowledge OF the family wealth from out
Gradually DR.. Lott learned more about tn
Hansen fortune. He once told his wife tina
Mrs; Hansen a. htI was 2 neyer-ending source Of in
something fresh about the family every time h
went there. He learned after awhile that owinI
wealth in Denmark the whole Of the admiral
fortune had been deposited in the United state
subject to Mrs. Hansen's control, blu
Mrs.. Hansen frequently told her frien''
t ties a 9o se eyern ti 15 e sbe We lorn % asS SiTaGHi
70 make withdrawals. Secretary Carlisle ha'
70 be seen trsIpentiE: and then Conrad Jordan
~ hea w ~ ofDhbh
In, as no was one of those in whose special car
the Admiral had left his millions. All OF thi
was very inconvenient to a woman who ire
9uently needed $4,000 at once, said Mrs
Hansen in an off-hand way. and unless her hu'
band joined her soon she was afraid that o
account Of a flaw in his orders respecting he
right TO draw all the money she wanted, Cai
Isle might be stupid enough to limit her with
All OF this came gradually to Dr.. Lott ant
clever man though he was. he believed il. Ere
9ucntly when he called at the house and MR.
Hansen was not there, he was told that she wa
In Washington. Then when no saw her agai
she would greet him with a happy smile and to-
him how Secretary Carlisle had agreed to max
an arrangement whereby a million or two OF he
husbands money could be transferred to som
trust company. the income to DO hers until lie
husband returned and made some other plan.
MISS Shea, living in the house all this time a
one OF the amiiy, knew all these things. anc
IKE pr. Lott, WAS an easy victim of Mrs. Han
sGh plausible tongue. She was plucked belor
Mrs. Hansen got to work on the physician. On
gay The old woman called her aside and told he
she was IN difficulties. 1t was really SO small,
matter that she hated TO speak OF 1t, but tn
Aanirals long cruise had put her in an en-
oarrassing situation, and she must have $500 q
once. She wouldn't speak to Mr.. Simpson abou