The Washington herald., 1916-03-19


times, who made a million
dollars in her early criminal
career and lost it at Monte Carlo, who
has robbed banks, who has worked every
confidence game known to criminals
either alone or with other noted crooks,
who spent many years IN prisons, who
later reformed and accumulated half a
million dollars in honorable business en-
terprises, is about to establish a curative
home in Detroit for children Of criminal
tendencies.
This retired Queen OF Confidence
Women is Sophie Lyons Burke. Of De-
troit Mich, the author OF the startling
autobiography, Why Crime Does Not
Pay" She has offered property in her
city worth $4,000 for character
building" home The Pathfnders' Club,
to which she has made the offer. is
Detroit organization that extends help
ing hand to men and women who have
gone wrong" and need only a little
sympathy or other aid to straighten
them out. Character building" is their
chief work.
1T should not be difficult for the
Pathhnders to whom l offered the site,
to collect 100000 or so for the erection
OF a building Of 100 or 200 rooms for
such a purpose as to lead the faItering
footsteps Of little children Alright. and
also to extend a helping hand to men
who have gone wrong and need only a
little aid to stralghten them out" says
Mrs. Burke.
Il have made $1,000 a week income
myself. and I am a woman si1ty-seven
years old so Il seems 10 me- that an or
EaniZation OF active men should have lit
tie difficulty In raising 100000 for such
a purpose.
ct want to see that home built II
they ask me to, I will do whatever 7 Can
TO help them raise that fund. I will also
give them a little money toward the
building, say $4,000. and I will give my
efforts in whatever way they may ask "
The home II erected, will be Sophie
Lyons Burke's first substantial memorial
in her home city. Tor during her Grim
inal career when she bafed the police
Of the world. she was "Sophie Lyons Of
Detroit" but there are other memorials
TO the reformed Sophie Lyons - little
inches in the hearts Of children who have
received Christmas visits from feminine
Santa Claus, But Mrs. Burke never
speaks Of these little incidents. They are
known to but few
Il feel that charity begins at hOmo'
vs. Mrs Burke. MY heart bIeeds for
'he sufferers from the war in Europe.
and have contributed to various relief
funds. But We have our own problems
TO face. and one OF them that is Darticu-
lsrly close to me is the work Of giving a
real chance to the children who have had
a wrong start
1T seems TO me that there are enough
wealthy men in Detroit 70 build such a
home as is desired. But il there are not
enough OF them, then there are enough
others whose money will quickly roll up
into an astonishing total. am ready to
help them claim my offer Of a site. l
hone they will claim it soon"
Sophie Lyons was the wife of a bank
burglar. Ned Lyons. and during the
many years OF her close connection with
the more important robberies of America
and Europe knew intimately the EXPERT
burglars Of the world
Her reputation was so we'll established
IN the underworld that she was sought
by many criminals who were not bank
burglars but who wanted a reliable part
ner IN their own field. Among these
were several women crooks extremely re-
markable IN their own special work.
She was caught frequently, escaped
from several prisons and aided her pals
to do the same. She escaped from the
stone walls and steel bars Of Sing Sing
feat thought impossible She helped
oheeuE Mike, the store burglar. escape
from the great Charlestown prison. near
Boston. Also she helped Eddy Guerin to
escape from Devils island. the French
penal colony With the famous Harry
Raymond and Mark Shinburn she labored
patiently tunneling into the White
Plains prison, in New York, to release
the noted burglar, Billiard
From time to time were associated
with Sophie Lyons some OF the clever
est women criminals OF the world. Car
RE Morse, who had a reputation as great
as that Of Sophie Lyons herself. once
made her a bank president
Carrie Morse meeting her on the street
one day invited her into a fashiona able
restaurant. Carrie bore every mark of
prosperity and opulence. She wore a
Partisan hat from which dropped a long
ostrich plume. A large diamond brooch
was at her throat and there was a queen
ly array Of jewels on her fingers
Sophie" she said, I'm going to
show you how you can make a lot Of
money. Together we will start a bank
1t will be a bank for ladies only. We
will give advice to any woman who has
saved up a little money. We will take
her money and invest 1t for her so she
can get bigger returns on it than she
can from any other bank.
You don't have to kn0- ~7vthing
about banking business at ali for the