The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1908-12-04
SWINDLED
On Old Walcott Claim.
Aged Female Professional Land.
Another Victim in New York.

4 once more the Olu-ume WhlcOtl
claim has serenely bobbed up TO
tie surface. 1t was thought to be
drowned In the waters OF forgetful-
ness and oblivion, but like Banquo's
ghost II win not down. Nobody
knows or ever will known howmany
suckers have bitten at that old bait
nobody knows or ever will know.
Some have told their woes. 9TH
ers have discreetly kept silent. The
latest victims-not the last--are Nor
mand G. Wilson, a promoting firm, Of
New York. These men not only nib
bed but they swallowed the hook.
This is the story.
New York. Nov. 27.--A little gray
haired woman, dressed In decent black
and wearing the bonnet Of our
gIandmothers, was locked up at po-
Ice headquarters this afternoon on
the charge OF getting $1,000 on
false pretenses from the promoting
firm of Normand & Wilson, of No.
Madison avenue.
only a few Of the older detec-
tlyes recognized the quiet hammered
Old woman as Ellen K. Pack, the
confidence queen" Of twenty years
ago. about whom columns have been
written and to whom Inspector
Byrnes devoted several pages in his
Professional Criminals Of America
She gained her first notoriety 30
years ago when she succeeded In
swindling B, T. BabbIt. the soap man
ufacturer, out OF $4,000.
Mrs, Peck now owns to 70 years,
but many who know her declare that
she Is over so. Although arrested
many times she has served but one
prison term and little has been
heard from her since eleven years
ego when she was arrested for rob-
bing a jeweler Of 1891.
Two weeks ago Assistant District
Attorneys Kresel and Bowler were
asked to investigate an alleged
swindling scheme which had been
worked on the firm of Normand G
Wilson by a woman calling herself
Eliza knight, Mrs. Pecks favorite
alias.
The story they unearthed and
which resulted In Mrs. Pecks arrest
today, had its beginning away back
in 1895 when James Monroe, later
President OF the United States. was
governor of Virginia. In that year
Governor Monroe granted TO Aiexan.
der Walcott, $4,000 acres OF land
tfen supposed to belong to the State
OF Virginia. subsequently, to
tGat grant the States Of Virginia
and Kentucky appointed a com.
mission to fix the boundary line be.
tween the two States, and it was de.
cided that the lands granted to Wal.
cott lay within Kentucky. In 1850
the Supreme Court Of Kentucky de.
clareG Walcott's title to the land
invalid and that persons to whom
Walcott or his heirs had Sold por.
tions of the tract that had no IT,
tie.
In spite Of this decision the inval-
Id deeds to the Walcott tract passed
through the hands of many persons
ard came at last into the hands OF
Amelia o. Scheling who conveyed
her rights to E. Eliza knight in
1892. The deed was put on record
in Kentucky by Mrs. Knight, who
as 1t turned out In the investigation
is Mrs, Peck.
Between 1892 and the present year
Mrs. Peck had made conveyances of
the Walcott tract to various people.
Last September she went to the Cf-
flee Of ]. Il. Normand and w. r.
Wilson and proposed that they form
corporation to develop a tract Of
225,0O0 acres in Kentucky. She, show
ed Normand and Wilson what seem-
ed to be an abstract of title show
ing that the land had been con-
veyed to her by Mrs. Schelling. Mrs.
Peck agreed to turn over the corpor-
alton to be formed by Normand &
Wilson, the title to the land and
to take the purchase price in stock.
This was agreed to, Mrs. Peck mort