A Slippery Con Woman
Most people didn’t know that Julia Lyons, a woman draped in diamonds and furs, wasn’t who she claimed to be. But in September 1918, Julia’s conning scheme went bust after she was arrested for posing as a Department of Justice representative in order to cash stolen checks in Chicago. Julia, however, was smarter than the authorities thought she was. When they weren’t looking, she escaped from custody and disappeared.
A flu ward circa 1918. Photo by Granger / Shutterstock
Julia knew that she needed a way to blend into the crowd, and she found the perfect way to do so. As she walked around Chicago, she noticed that everyone was panicked about the flu. Julia realized that this was her chance to scam more people out of money.