Elizabeth Bigley - better known as Cassie Chadwick - might be the most successful confidence artist in American history that you've never heard of. She swindled her way across the eastern United States during the height of the Gilded Age, committing fraud at every opportunity. In her greatest con, she posed as the illegitimate daughter of robber baron and steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, bilking banks for millions of dollars in the process.
My guest is Thomas Crowl, and in his book "Queen of the Con: From a Spiritualist to the Carnegie Imposter" he tells the fascinating story of the sensational rise and fall of the incorrigible Cassie Chadwick.
More information about the book can be found here: https://www.kentstateuniversitypress.com/2021/queen-of-the-con/
Become a Most Notorious patron: https://www.patreon.com/mostnotorious
Most Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast