Omaha daily bee., 1906-09-30
QUEEN OF CROOKS CACED
Sophie LysnL wOrld-KnOvH Criminal
Gets late Trouble Again.
LOCKED UP ON CHARGE or PETTY THEFT
Woman who Associated with Nest
Desperate Crowd OF Thieves
Ever Known and Her
Family History.

Sophie Lyons, for many years the pos
SCISSOR Of the title Of "oueen Of Crooks"
who has figured IN more daring criminal
exploits than any woman living, and who
Vas twice arrested in 81. Louis. is in jail
~ Manchester. N. H., upon charge Of
STEALING a dozen pairs OF trousers.
.For years Sophie Lyons remained In OBJ
scurlty. Police in the big cities had not
seen her for so long that most Of them
thought her dead.
Then suddenly Sophie Lyons emerged
from obscurIty and returned to her old
tricks. She was caught red-handed by the
Manchester police and IL awaiting trial,
which will be called in October.
BY tha arrest Of Sophie Lyons the law
again takes charge Of the woman known
throughout the continent the Queen OF
American Criminals" That the world
famous shoplifter pickpocket and black
mailer should be again in the tolls on so
petty a charge is typical OF the strain In
Sophie Lyons nature, which drives her
to steal whether there be any necessity for
the th.ft or net. The woman comes OF a
line of criminals. All her life she has
breathed the atmosphere OF crime, and II
she has been true to one human instinct,
Il is steadfast loyal TO a pal. To read
the story Of her life is 20 obtain an insight
into the highest realms OF criminal prac-
tices, for Sophie Lyons was not only tho
friend of notorious criminals. but operated
with some of the biggest who ever looted
n bank OF separted a wealthy man from
his money.
Jimmy fer n Crest.
The Jimmy" might we'll. be the crest Of
the Elkins' family, from which Sophie
comes. Her grandfather burglar In Lon
don, Eng. her mother shoplifter. her
father a fugitive from justice. her sister
at Blackwell's island for keeping dis
orderly house-such was the handicap I'M
der which the girl started life. At Is sho
was arrested for picking a pocket in New
York That was A years ago. When
Sophie was II she met Nine. Mandclbaum,
q woman who dealt with high-class thieves.
and so found her way into the inner circle,
of set that included the most expert
criminals In the world.
At that time Sophie was young slender.
dainty. eyes large and gray. with the trick
Of tears. a trick that she has not lost to
this day. She made valuable addition to
Mrs Mandelbaums band of experts. And
then she married Nanny Harris. pick
pocket, but left him after the honeymoon.
1t was few months later, Harris being
in prison. that she met Med" Lyons. son
of an honest Manchester weaver, who.
drifting to New York in 1850, fell In with
thieves, and rapidly led them all In the
daring and magnitude OF his operations.
one OF the greatest bounty jumpers Of the
war period. a robber Of dead soldiers, Lyons
was an exile in the west, knowing capture
...seant death, until 1896 when he returned to
the cast, worth about $4,000. When the
faro banks had got that, Lyons Joined the
Mandelbaum OUTFIT and there he met with
We 20 hat
her mother Ann Levy. was in Sing Sing.
and her father housebreaker, but en-
HANGED her other accomplishments in
Lyons eyes. They were married and she
then learned OF the desperate robbery he
was PLANNING that the world learned OF
some weeks later.
Mingled with Notorious Robbers.
Lyons, Jimmy Hope Mark shinburn and
CHARLEY Bullard, all famous bank robbers,
hired y basement under the Ocean bank IN
New York and proceeded to establish an
exchange" business. This was blind to
cover up their cutting through the ceiling
of their place to get at the bank vaults
above. When the Waterman OF the bank
closed up on a Saturday night In 1863 the
task Of cutting through was half done On
Monday the bank was poorer by u,OOeoOo
in gold and notes. The robbers had not
been disturbed by the fact that police
man tried the door several times while they
were at work.
The Lyons had now a snug home on
Long Island and when a son was born the
father urced that the wife give up stealing.
as thew had now ample means But she
could not and was soon caught red-handed
In a Now York jewelry store. II was only
by the expenditure of large sums that Lyons
saved her from Sing Sing. AS II was, she
was scrt TO the island for six months and
their home was broken up.
Lyors in 1870 looted a Waterford N. Y,
hank ~ $4,000 and got seven years m
Sing Sing his wife after her release from
the island. following him to the same place
for five years for robbery Of a jeweiry
store OF $500 worth Of goods, Only wan
separated the husband wife and in 1871
Lyons made a sensational escape from the
prison by smuggling himself out in a
grocer's wagon. year later. In the midst
OF a terrific snow storm, he drove up to
the prison with a confederate and when the
guard at the entrance responded to his
ring, Sophie Lyons. who had been warned
Mt That time to be there, spran~ past him
and the trio Rslloped away. vainly pursued
by guards from the prison
Lover shoots Husband.
Sophie had other admirers than her dar-
Ing husband Once. when Lyons was in
prison. SonhIe took up with a man named
Hamilton Brock. gambler and burglar
Lyons. on his release. purchased a young
cannon ard went cunning for Brock. The
two mot IN gambling place: Brock saw
his ran first and when the smoke cleared
the hank robh~r was down with bullet
IN his law aud another In his body
Lyons recovered, hut Sophie never for
ssavc Brock for his treachery. Loyalty TO
~ nal was her only religion. So she took
" with "Jern" Brady. then the handsonest
OF crooks. ard tried blsclxmaii I'm Michigan
with him. once she sat on the lawn OF
wealthy lawyer for hours until driven away
with 'he hose. Her next exnioit was in
rssistins Brady TO lift sAno from a bank
depositor In Peoria. for which Brady got
two years. with Burke. ''Rfly the Kid &"
she managed 20 giean $40 on in Jackson
Mich. and later spent three uneventful but
Industrious years in the county TAIL OF Ann
Arbor. Mich. Posing as Nine. de varney