Newspaper Page Text
WOMEN
ons
de a
and
CRIMINALS OF
Have Accomplished Astonishing
Robberies Which the Most Skil
ful Men th e Underworld Would
Never Think of Attempting
EXTRAORDINARY ABILITY, Who
How the Big London and Paris Jewellers Were Robbed*
rises
s securities. I
the contractor
ding, the man
rniture, a col
and numerous
•ere closed and
svealed no sign
he doors stood
n vainly trying
back.
lost was two
who mingled
get some in-
erical women,
lor the women
re than repeat
d refrain: ''My,
sight of those
me the wisdom
iefore they had
he cause of all
le had hurst,
suspicious apd
le or her hue-
emolished the
e’s vivid imagi-
■rie’s treachery
if warning she
le and almost
y now she was
to Europe or
ey in which I
red.
% for me to do
avenue house
, Investors re
covered enough of their senses to put
the police on my trail. Hurriedly throwing
a few of my possession into a trunk, I
shipped it to my friend, Mr. Rowe's hotel
and followed there myself on foot.
To Mr. Rowe I pouted out the whole
story of my troubles and asked his help.
He was very willing to do all in his power
to aid me.
"It looks bad for you, Sopnie,” he said.
"A detective was here less than fifteen
minutes ago inquiring for you and the
<*ances are that he’ll be back again be-
fors long. But I can easily hide yon until
night and then we’ll try to find some way
of smuggling you to the station I’ll loan
»yon whatever money you need and will
ship your trunk to you when you get to
Detroit.” * »
Mr. Rowe was right—the detectivp re
turned and posted himself at the front
door of .the hotel. With him came an
other headquarter's man to guard the side
entrance. They were evidently convinced
that Sophie Lyons was in the hotel or
that she would soon return there.
How I Escaped Arrest
Night came and the two sleuths showed
no signs of leaving. The only avenue of
escape from the upper room where I had
been hiding all day, was by the window
'With Mr. Rowe’s kind help I secured
fastened to the window frame one end of
a long rope which was kept for use in
case of fire. Down this I slid in the
darkness to the roof of a one-story build
ing adjoining the hotel. From there it
was an easy drop to a little alley which
finally brought me out on Broadway.
After an agonizing wait of several
minutes at the station, I got safely on
board a train and was soon Speeding
toward Detroit. Then 1 drew the first
long 'breath I had taken since morning
when I had seen that tearful crowd of
investors and creditors in front of the
closed bank.
Carrie Morse was never caught or pun
ished for the ladies’ bank swindle, which
the newspapers later said must have net
ted her at least $50,000. Years after I
met her in Chicago where she was oper
ating r. matrimonial agency which was
almost as crooked as the bank had been.
She never mentioned our banking venture,
nor offered me my share pf the profits,
and as I wa3 prosperous then, I never
asked her for it.
She was a swindler to her dying day
and served many long prison terms. As
she grew old it took all the money she
.could 'make to keep out of jail and she
finally died in poverty. With all her
cleverness she never seemed able to see
what expensive folly it was to waste her
really brilliant abilities in a life of crime.
This was my first experience with clever
women swindlers. I was surprised to
learn to my sorrow that the standards of
good faith which are maintained among
men of the Underworld do not hold good
among most women criminals. 1 fully de
termined to have no more dealings with
criminals of my own sex.
B”‘ this wise resolve was broken quite
a Distinguished Physician.
by accident a few years later, while I was
travelling in the south of Europe and be
came acquainted with Mrs. Helen Gard
ner, an English swindler and confidence
operator. Mrs. Gardner was a woman of
fine presence, a finely modulated voice,
all the manners, graces and charms of a
well-bred English woman and an amaz
ingly inspiring and persuasive conver
sationalist.
In daring and ingenuity this remarkable
woman surpassed any man I ever knew.
Crimes which the cleverest men in the
underworld would have declared impossi
ble or too foolhardy, to undertake she not
only attempted, but carried through to
success.
For years the boldest schemes followed
one another in rapid succession from
Mrs. Gardner’s fertile brain. Swindling
was as natural to her as breathing is to
normal persons. She was the most suc
cessful confidence woman who ever oper
ated in England or on the Continent, and
no rich man was safe once she got her
traps set for him.
I first met Mrs. Gardner in Nice, where
I was enjoying a little vacation after a
long, arduous bank-robbing campaign in
America. She was then traveling under
the name of Lady Temple.
To make a long story short, we soon be
came great friends. We went everywhere
together and she generously shared with
me the luxuries with which she was so
plentifully supplied. She finally even in
duced me to take rooms in tile hotel ad
joining her own suite.
I did not know at that time that she was
Airs. Gardner, the famous English confi
dence swindler.
She told me little of her personal af
fairs except that her husband. Sir Ed
ward Temple, had been a prominent
physician in London and that she was in
Nice to recover from the shock incident
to his sudden death; The deep mourning
she habitually wore and the heavy black
band on her visiting cards bore out this
story, but, to tell the truth, 1 didn’t bother
my- head much about its truth or falsity.
I did not at that time happen to know
that it is the custom in England for a doc
tor’s practice to be sold when he retires
from business or dies
There was no doubt that she had money
and that she was giving me a liberal
share of its benefits—why should I worry
about where It came from or how long it
would last?
I in turn kept her in equal ignorance of
my own past life and of my means of
support.
But there was -one thing about which
1 couldn’t help being very curious—the
number of doctors who were calling at
the hotel to see Lady Temple. Every
day there was at least one and some days
there were three or four—each came
alone and the same one seldom appeared
a second time.
Mrs. Gardner’s Clever Scheme
Lady Temple invariably saw all of them.
When a physician’s card came up she
would ask me to retire to my own rooms
and then would be closeted for a long time
with the visitor. It could not be pro
fessional calls these doctors were mak
ing, for there was nothing about her lady
ship's health to call for such a varied as
sortment of medical attention
What could be the meaning of all these
visits from physicians? My curiosity got
the better of me, and I determined to do
a little eavesdropping.
My opportunity came when the maid
brought in the card of "Dr. Robert Mac
kenzie, of Edinburgh, Scotland.” As
usual, Lady Temple said, "Show him up,”
and asked me if I would be good enough
to retire. Instead of closing the door
which led from Lady Temple's sitting
itiom to my own, I left it open a triile
and stood there with my ear to the crack,
where I could hear every word that was
said and also get an occasional peep at
the lady and her visitor
Dr. Mackenzie was a grave, pompous
appearing man, slightly under middle age.
He was dressed in the conventional garb
of the old school physician and carried a
small medicine case.
"1 have come to see you, Lady Temple,”
he said, after the usual polite prelim
inaries, "in relation to your advertisement
In the current number of Lancet. Your
late husband’s practise seems to offer just
the opportunity I have long been seeking
to establish myself in London. 'May I
ask if it is still for sale?”
"My husband was a very distinguished
man and had a very lucrative practice,”
the bogus Lady Temple replied. “You
must read these notices in the papers
which were printed when he died. Here
is one from the London •Times—oh! my
poor dear husband!”
At this point Mrs. Gardner burst into
tears. She covered her face with her
black-bordered handkerchief and her
charming figure shook convulsively with
her sobs. Her visitor. Dr. Mackenzie,
stood with head bowed in silent respect.
Presently Mrs. Gardner recovered her
self with an effort and, gazing appealingly
at her visitor through her tear-stained
eyes, said:
"Will you pardon me? I know it is very
weak of me to give way to my grief like
this.
"As 1 was saying.” she finally resumed,
"my husband was so’ dear to me that 1
cannot bear to think of living in London
now he is gone That Is why 1 am anxious
to dispose of my interests there at once.
Did you know the late Sir Edward, doc
tor?”
L “I never had the honor of his ac
quaintance, but I have often heard him
ilecture.-andJ have in my. library all the
books he ever published, i was always
a great admirer of his abilities. His dis
coveries about the circulation of the blood
seem to me the most valuable recent con
tribution to medical science."
“It pleases me to have you say that.”
said Lady Temple, warming into cordial
ity at this tribute to her late husband
"I have had many good offers for the
practise, but none so far from a man such
as my husband would have wished to see
succeed him. You are a man after Sir
Edward's own heart, and if you can furn :
ish satisfactory references I feel confident
matters can be arranged to our mutual
satisfaction."
From an inner pocket the doctor pro
duced a packet of letters which he care
fully unfolded and handed to Lady Tem
ple.
"Very, very satisfactory." she mur
mured after studying them intently "If
my husband were here he. would be so
gratified to see what an able successor
I have found for him. And now as to
terms."
The doctor did not seem at all disturbed
by this abrupt introduction of monetary
considerations. Indeed he was growing
quite merry under the warming influence
of her ladyship's bright smiles. These
smiles, by the way. were all the more
effective because of their background of
widow’s weeds and tear-stained cheeks
“Then I may really have the practice?”
he asked eagerly.
"Indeed you may,” Lady Temple re
plied. “The price is $25,000, 'but I do not
want to accept that amount or sign the
final papers until I get back to London.
My solicitors, however, say it will be •
perfectly satisfactory to give you an op
tion now provided you are willing to pay
just a small amount on the purchase
price—say $1,000. Is that agreeable, doc
tor?”
Agreeable? Indeed it was!
Swindling One Doctor a Day
The doctor counted out $1,000 in crisp
bank notes. Her ladyship produced two
copies of an agreement which, she said,
her solicitors had prepared and these they
both signed. Then she bade the departing
doctor an almost affectionate farewell
and gave him the most minute directions
about meeting her in London a month
later
The next day I overheard an almost
similar interview with a doctor from
Glasgow! The only point of difference
was that he paid $1,200 for the option in
stead.of $1,000
There was no necessity for further
eavesdropping. I understood now why
Lady Temple read all the medical papers
and why so many doctors came to see
her. No wonder we lived in luxury with
some ambitious doctor contributing at
least $1,000 every day to our support!
I said nothing of what I had seen or
heard and, although I continued td live
with Lady Temple for several months, she
never explained her affairs with the doc
tors. This seems to be a characteristic
of all women swindlers—to deceive even
their closest friends and never to tell
any one the whole truth about their
nefarious schemes
It was from-others that I later learned
the complete details of this swindle.
There really had been a Sir Edward Tem
ple, who was a great London physician.
Mrs. Gardner, learning of his death
from the newspapers, familiarized her
self with his career from the obituary
notices, secured some photographs of him
and began posing as his widow.
Her advertisements in the medical jour
nals did not mention Sir Edward by name
but it was to be inferred that the prac
tice offered for sale was his because of
his recent death and because the an
nouncements were signed “Lady Temple.”
Doctors interested were invited to write
her at a post office box address. She re
plied from Nice, where sne had "gone for
her health," and invited them to come
there and see her. What happened to the
unfortunate doctors who made the trip
I have already told you.
The supply of physicians willing to pay
for an option on a London practice
seemed inexhaustible and in a few weeks
my friend must easily have cleared $20,-
000. But she began to tire of Nice and
invited me to accompany her to London.
When we reached there we went to
Clarldge's, In Mayfair, and took one of the
finest suites in that exclusive hotel. The
morning after our arrival she suggested
a shopping expedition.
To my amazement there stood at the
hotel door waiting for us a splendid car
riage drawn by a prancing pair of horses
in heavy silver-plated harness.
On the doors of the carriage was em
blazoned a brilliant coat of arms. On.the
box sat a pompous coachman in livery
A ' liveried footman stood at attention
ready to assist us.
I had hard work to believe it wasn't
all a dream as I settled back against the
soft silken cushions and heard my friend
order us driven to Bond street
We stopped in front of a famous jewelry
store—I made ready tp alight but that, it
seems, was not the plan. Instead her
ladyship whispered a message to the foot
man and he went into the store.
Out came the proprietor, a dignified old
Englishman. At sight of this splendid
equipage with its crests on the door and
the two fine ladies inside, he was all
bows and smiles.
"It is not customary,” he said rubbing
his hands in gleeful anticipation of big
sales to come, "to let our trays of dia
monds go out of the store, but I shall be
glad to arrange it for your ladyship.”
ly husband was a very distinguished man, and had
y lucrative practice. You must read these notices
5 papers wh.ch were printed when he died. Here
5 from the London Times—oh! my poor dear hue-
It
this point Mrs. Gardner burst into tears- She
ed her face with her black-bordered handkerchief,
ter charming figure shook convulsively with her
Her visitor. Dr. Mackenzie, stood with head
i in silent respect. (
l
> one of her
customer* who called she
With her pocket fattened by the proceeds of her
swindles in Nice and Monte Carlo, Mrs. Gardner planned
a campaign against the big jewelry shops of Paris and
London. I was elaborately gowned, hatted and bejew
elled to play the part of her enormously rich American
aunt.
iMrs. Gardner engaged the best suite of rooms at the
most fashionable hotel in London and hired a two-horse
brougham, a coupe and a landau, on all of which vehi
cles she had a crest and monogram painted. She hired
a footman and a groom and togged them out in livery.
The horses’ harnesses were silver-mounted, with cost*
of-arms.
To Inspire confidence and to impress the poor clerks
we day after day drove to the shops in our various
equipages, but did not often enter them, ft was our
habit to send in our liveried groom to say that the ladies
would like to see that diamond necklace once more-—
would the clerk bring it out to the carriage just a mo
ment? Our scheme was to impress the jewellers with
Our evidences of great wealth; and soon we had the shops
sending their most valuable Jewels by wholesale to our
hotel apartments and begging permission to leave them
for us “to consider."
A clerk appeared carrying two trays
full of diamond necklaces, rings and other
jewelry which Lady Temple had asked to
see.
"Have you nothing better than these?”
said Lady Temple, rather contemptuously,
after a casual glance at them.
The eager clerk hurried back to the
store and returned with a tray of more
elaborate specimens of the jeweler’s art.
Lady Temple leisurely selected a neck
lace, two rings and a locket—worth in all
more than $5,000
"Send these to Lady Temple’s apart
ments at Claridge’s,” she said, "and in
clude them in my bill the first -of ,next
month. Doubtless you knew my 'dear
husband, the late Sir Edward”—her voice
caught as it always did when she spoke
his name—"he had an account here for
years.”
Our Experience in London
The clerk smirked his gratitude, prom
ised prompt delivery and we drove on
to a fashionable dressmaker’s. There we
secured on credit, which had nothing more
substantial for its basis than the stolen *
crest our hired carriage bore, several
costly gowns.
This sort of thing went on for two
weeks. The magic of my friend’s methods
opened-to us all the treasures of London’s
finest shops A never-ending line of
messengers brought to Claridge’s the most
expensive goods of every description—
and not a penny of real money was in
volved in any of the transactions.
I discarded all my old gowns and had
to get additional trunks lo hold the new
ones. Soon I had accumulated three or
four times as much jewelry as I could
wear at one time. With the prudence
for which I was always famous, 1 put the
surplus rings and brooches in a safe de
posit box.
All this time you may be sure T felt
considerable apprehension. Although I
took no active part in these swindling
operations, I shared in the plunder and
knew I would be held as an accomplice in
case there was trouble.
The trouble came sooner than I ex
pected. We had been "buying” some
linens—making our selections as usual
without leaving our carriage. Just as we
were about to drive away the clerk who
bad taken our order came rushing out.
"Your ladyship’s pardon,” he stam
mered, "but would you please step, inside
the store. The manager thinks there's
some mistake—that is, he thought Lady
Tcmople was in Egypt.”
I gave a gasp—now we’d be arrested!
But my friend showed not the slightest
emotion except a little annoyance such as
was quite natural, under the ctrcum-
stances to a lady of rank. She calmly
walked into the store—and I have never
laid eyes on her since.
After waiting an hour I decided she
must have escaped by a side entranse I
returned to Claridge’s and found she had
been there before me. She was gone, bag
and baggage—and in a great hurry, as the
disorder of the rooms showed.
I lost no time in arranging my own
departure and I did not fee! safe until I
was well on my way to New York with
my trunks full of more finery than I
had ever /possessed.
Two or three years later Helen Gard
ner, alias I-ady Temple, was convicted in
France for obtaining money under false
pretenses. Her prison term brought her
to her senses—showed her how foolish
it was to waste her life in crime. When
she was released, she settled down to an
honest career and later became the wife
of a prosperous merchant.
The account of my experiences with
famous women swindlers would not be
complete ' without some mention of the
greatest of them all—the notorious Ellen
Peck, long known as the ’Confidence
Queen.”
Mrs. Peck’s exploits during the many
years when she defrauded everybody who
came within her reach, would fill a book.
One swindle would hardly be finished be
fore another would be begun, and often
she would have several entirely different
schemes under way at once.
She paid her lawyers several fortunes
in her persistent efforts to keep out of
jail and to retain possession of the prop
erty she-had stolen. At one time, when
she was in her prime, she was defendant
in twenty-eight civil and criminal suits.
One of Ellen Peck’s many peculiarities
was her fondness for practicing her skil
ful arts on her fellow criminals. She
found more satisfaction in cheating a
thief out of a ten dollar hill than in de
frauding some banker of $1,000.
Even I, trained in crime from child
hood, was not proof against Ellen's wiles.
Several times I became her victim as
completely as I did Carrie Morse’s—and
I can vouch for the fact that no shrewder
fox ever lived.
Each time she tricked me I would make
a solemh vow never to have anything to
do with her again. Then along she would
come with some story, oh, so plausible! —
and I would swallow it as readily as I
had the previous one and as much to my
sorrow
Once she actually cheated me out of the
very shawl on my back. It was a fine
cashmere shawl—one I had secured in
Europe at a great bargain.
“Come,” said Ellen, “let me have that
shawl. I know a rich woman who will
give you $500 for it.”
"No,” I said, firmly, “I don’t want to
sell it.” But Ellen turned her hypnotic
eye on me, began her irresistible flow of
smooth argument and—got the shawl.
That was the last I saw of her for
six months. When I did succeed in run
ning her down she said she had been able
to get only $100 for the shawl—and she
had left that at home on the sldebcard!
Grabbing her by the arm 1 told her 1
would not let her go until she gave me
what money she had. After considerable
argument she emptied $37.50 out of her
purse—which was all I ever got for tny
$500 shawl.
Ellen Peck conceived a very slmpl*
scheme of piano swindling, and 1 was 10
partnership with her in it. She had been
working this swindle alone until she had
become known to all the piano dealers.
Then she Invited me to Join her. Here 1*
how we managed It:
I would go to a store and buy a piano
on the Installment plan, paying five or
ten dollars down. The Instrument would
be delivered at some one of the twenty
furnished rooms which Ellen had en
gaged for just this purpose in various
parts of the city.
As soon as the piano was Installed SI
one of these rooms we- would promptly
advertise it for sale at a greatly reduced
price, if the first purchaser did not move
the piano at once we would sometimes be
able to sell the same instrument to five
or six different persons. When we had
squeezed as much money as we could out
of a piano we would disappear—only to
repeat the same trick at another fur
nished room and with a piano from an
other store.
It sometimes happened that when the sev
eral persons to whom we had sold a single
piano came to claim it the merchant from
whom we had secured it and to whom it '
still belonged would also put in an ap
pearance. Then there would be the live
liest kind of a squabble, which would have
to be settled in the courts.
Crafty Ellen Peck supplied the brains
for this enterprise but made me do most
of the hard work and gave me only a
meagre share of the profits. It was a
despicable swindle, for the loss did not
fall on the dealer but on the poor fami
lies to whom we sold the pianos aDd who
could ill afford the money we took from
them. I am thankful to say that I did
not long make my living in this mean
way,
I hope that Ellen Peck may be alive
to read these lines. In her declining
years wisdom and charity have doubtless
come to her just as they have to me. I
feel sure that she shares my sincere re
pentance for past errors, and that she
will give me her hearty indorsement when
I say, as I constantly do, that under no
circumstances does crimp pay.
SOPHIE LYONS.
Copyright. Itnn. by the Star Oocnpaof.
NEXT SUNDAY SOPHIE LYONS WILL WRITE ON OES-
PERATE RISKS CRIMINALS TAKE How I Have Faced Death,
How Ned Lyons, My Hiniband, Was Shot and Many Narrow Escapes of
My Companions.
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