Cassie Chadwick

Cassie L. Chadwick (10 October 1857–10 October 1907) is the infamous name used by a Canadian woman who defrauded several U.S. banks out of millions of dollars by claiming to be an illegitimate daughter and heiress of Andrew Carnegie.

Early life

She was born Elizabeth Bigley on 10 October 1857 in Eastwood, Ontario Her parents, Dan and Annie, owned a small farm in Eastwood. She had three sisters: Alice, Mary, and Emily, and a brother, Bill. Her father worked for the Grand Trunk Railway as a section boss and was often away from the homestead.

“Betsy”, as she was known to her family, was known to daydream and tell fibs as a child.

At the age of 14, Chadwick went to Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. There she opened a bank account with a dubious letter of inheritance from an "unknown" uncle in England and a small amount of cash. While there, Chadwick passed several worthless cheques to various merchants. In 1870, she was arrested in Woodstock for forgery. She was released due to her age and on the grounds of insanity.