The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-13
From the New York Times.

MIGHTY Y-TWO-YEAR-OLD ELLEN
 PECK, many times photographed A for the Rogues Gallery. and whom Inspector Thomas A. Byrnes called the queen of confidence women.' will be released from Auburn prison soon. She has served about two years of her 10 year sentence for swindling, and Gov ernor Dix, in committing sentence yester- day, said that he thought Ellen Peck was now too old to be any longer a menace to society.
 Robert J. Haire, the lawyer. and others in New York have been seeking commu- tation of sentence since Mrs. Peck's com- initial. When a petition for her release reached Governor Hughes in 1909, he re- fused to grant it, saying "old age is no excuse for clime."
 Mrs. Peck was born in Woodville, N. H., and was formerly Nellie Crosby. As young school teacher in New York and Connecticut she was once, described as "demure in manner and faultless in face and form" She married Richard w. Peck of this city, and is the mother Of three children.
 
 Pecks swin6les brought her S,0O00Oo. Mrs Peek was first heard of in lSSo, when she was accused of swinding B. T.
 Babbitt, the soap manufacturer. of about s20OOO in cash. MT. Rabbit had lost package of bonds and Mrs. Peck per- suaded him that she was good detective MT. Babbitt's good money did not bring back the had, however. In 1887 she was accused of proving upon the easy nature l of Dr. Jason Marks of this city, and was believed to shave relieved him of $2O.Oo0 in money and jewels. An attempt was made at the same time to connect her with
 swindle concerning Jay Gould.
 l In 1894 Mrs. Peck posed as Mrs. Mary
 Hansen, the wife of Admiral Johann Carl
 Hansen, of the Danish navy. She lived | luxuriously in Brooklyn, and borrowed money freely on the unsuspeoting Ad- miral's good name. Shortly after, by like system, Mrs. Peck swindled Dr. Christopher Lott, physician of Reid aye
 nue, Brooklyn, out of $10000 in various 1 installmenrs. Miss Nellie Shea, trained
 nurse with a bank account, was another
 easy victim.
 | sions, sent her to Auburn prison for five
 years, but still people trusted her John | D. Grady, diamond merchant, lost $2l,0 QUO | to Mrs. Peck. He had given her diamonds to keep Tor him. Twenty-Five indictments
 were found against her. but she escaped punishment. Another jeweler, Cuban, was victim in the sum of $12,0C0. Fur niture dealers, money lenders and other extenders of credit fell into the same net
 shrewdly cast by Mrs. Peck,
 l She met Julius Columbani, who-~ had served time in prison in 1884. Mrs. Peck inserted an advertisement in the news papers for loan on diamonds. Colum-
 bani answered her advertisement. but in lieu of cash offered Richmond county bonds in payment. Mrs. Peck accepted l the offer and discovered subsequently, that the bonds were those which had only pre- i viously been stolen. She told her tale to Inspector Byrnes and set trap for Col umbani in room over Sixth avenue
 saloon. When the detectives made their appearance Columbani drew a gun and
 refused to be taken alive. Mrs. Peck also
 dyeu a revolver and Columbani jumped
 through an open window and was later
 captured.
 | Between 1885 and 1905 Mrs Peck was
 unusually active. Age seemed to sharper
 her wits She used names of men of un-
 disputed ,eputtaion to despoi other men
 who knew these men personally.
 Her last offense was in 1909, when she
 was convicted of swindling Normand
 Wilson X Schubert. a real estate firm of l this city, cut of $2400 in a land transac-
 ton, and sentenced to 10 years. She ob- l tained money on false titles of land in Kentucky. The family home was at