Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-11-29
SWINDlER AT 80.
Dupes Victimsized by Aged Ellen
Peck

Dupes Victimsized by Aged Ellen
| Peck.
| NEW YORK. Nov. 2S-A little gray.
haired woman. dressed in decent
black and wearing the bCnnet OF our
grandlnOthcrS. was locked up at po'
J lice Headquarters yesterday afternoon
on the charge of getting $1,000 on
false pretcnses from the promoting
| firm Ct Norwood & Wilson. of No. I
| Madison avenue. Only few or inc
older detectives recognized the quiet
| hammered old woman as Ellen r.
Peck. the confidence queen OF
Twenty years ago, about "h"il
columns have been written and 10
whom Inspector Byrn"s devoted
several uagrs in his 'Prof"Ssi"nal
| Criminals of America She gained
liner first notoricty 81 years ago, when
she succeeded in swindling b. 7. Ban
| bi,t the soap manufacturer, out OF
$4,000.
| Mrs Peck now owns 20 -. but
1many who know her d"ciar" that she
| is over 50. Although arrested many
times she has served but one prison
sentence. and little has been h"arn
from her since eleven years ago
when she was arrested for Tobblng
ii jeweler Of 1891.
| From Colonial Times.
! Two weeks ago Assistant District
| Attorneys Kresel and Bosler were
asked to investigate an alleged SWIM
ding scheme, which had been worked
on the firm of Norwood WILSON
lhy a woman calling herself Eliza
Knight. Mrs. Peck's favorite ailas'
The story they unearthed. and when
RESULTED in Mrs. Pecks arrest yesteF-
)day, had it's beginning away BACK III
i1195 when James Monroe. later Presi-
dent of the United States, was gov
ernor Of Virginia.
l. In that wear Gov. Monroe, granted
to Alexander Kalcott 630.ono acres Oh
Hand. then supposed to belong to 'he
State of Virginia. Subsequent 10 thlS
grant the States of Virginia and heh-
lucky appointed a commission 10 NIX
the boundary line between the TWO
States and it was decided that the
Hands eIanted to Walcott lay within
Kentucky. In 1850 the supreme
ICourt of Kentucky declared Waico''
|,irIe to the land invalid. and that per-
sens to whom WalcOtt or his helrs
lhad sold portions Of the tract had 10
title.
/ Conveyed the Lands.
| In spite of this decision the lh'a'iu
deeds to the Walcott tract passei
through the hands of many PeTsohS'
and came at last into the possession
of Amelia o. Schelling. who conveyed
Iher rights to Eliza Knight in 49,
The deed was put on record III hen.
l,uckv by Mrs. knight, who. as II
I,urned out in the investigation. IS
Mrs. Peck.
Between 1892 and the present year
Mrs Peck made conveyance OF pat''
os the walcott tract TO various per
lsons Last September she went 10
1.-The office of E. Normani and W. n
Wilson and proposed that they 10TH
Ia ccrporation to develop r tract VI
ja25 600 acres in Kentucky. She sho"
led Norwood & Wilson what see1he'
N he an abstract of title showing
ltha, the land had been conveyed u
her BY Mrs. SchellinS. .
Mrs. Peck agreed 10 turn over =,
the CORPORATION to be tormed WIZ
her bv Normand & Wilson the III"
If the land and to take the purc1'S'
price in stock. This was as'e'' ~
Makes q Confession.
Il The following day Mrs. Peck re'n'"
eJ 10 Normand & Wilson's ONCE dn'
orsred % mortgage her property -
, q, 600 saving that she was in urseE
- money Representing h.!
SELF as Eliza c. Knight. OF ApalH"'
Rockland county. y Y. she nade
mo,,gage 10 Paul Edward Schuo",
who is in the firm Of Normani 4 W"
60, The mortgage described th'
=, nrorer,;es in detail as being IN ce'
lain c,un;ies Of Kentucky and Iyi''
, between the forks of SANDY hIHt'
II She got the s2.ooo. and later $l'''
, moro on the same representation
? Investigation proved that the 'l''" "
, the land was worthless. District Al
el,orpey Bosler dug out the story W
Inv hit and when Mrs. Peck was Gu
ksron,ed with the evidence today y"
!coufcsscd at once. She ADMIT.
l,ba, she knew that the SUPPOSED VI,
10 the WaIcoti tract was wor'nes'