Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-03-28
By DAVID {. THORNHILL
CHAPTER VIII
Sophie Lyons, JekylI-Hyde of CrOOkdom.
(PART III

~OPHIE LYONS brief visits to police stations
as a baby pckpocket had been pleasant eX-
~ periences, but her five-year stretch in Sing
Sing was horror that could not be endured.
She was now the mother of two children who
supposed her to be woman OF high society ana
their father Ned Lyons, to be a business man. Now
both Ned and Sophie were in the same prison for
the same length Of time.
Never, in all her career had Sophie been so de-
termined to turn over a new leaf and go straight,
but never had it been impossible. She and Ned
must break the law Just once more, in order to
break out of prison before their children learned
what had happened to their parents. The good IN
this strange double personality was destined to
triumph but not until her heart had been broken.
The tragic moment in her life had been when
Ned Lyons had caught that flash of affection be-
tween his pretty wife and his trusted bank robber
assistant, Handbook He had knocked Handbook
down and Just for that Handbook had betrayed
them both.
The really curious part of it all was, however
that Sophie was one of the most chaste wives alive
despite all her other crookedness, which is
another odd sde-lght on her strangely mixed
character. Unfathfulncss was to her the sin
of sins.
The matron of Sing Sing was no fool, which is
the very reason Sophie able TO fool her. The
women prisoners generally put on an act OF re-
pentance as matter of policy Much OF this act
ing was first-cass but the Tratron had learned to
tell the false from the occasional genuine remorse,
perhaps as much from intuition as anything.
Sophie made no protestations at first, merely
going around in a sort of stunned reticence, until
she bcheld the matron with her two children only
a little Younger than her own. At the sight tears
poured out of the prisoners eyes and she went into
long paroXysns Of sobbng When these subsidized
she poured out her story 10 the fairly hardboled
woman
Experience and intuition told the matron that
this mother-prsoncr was speeding straight from
the heart meaning every word she said about re-
morse and reform. In that her judgment was alb
soutely correct and so was her decision that here
was the best woman in the prison 10 act as nurse
for her two Youngsters
But when she went further and trusted Sophie
not 20 plan escape she made sad mistake
AS soon as Sophie had learned the underground
methods OF communication which exist IN every
prison, she sent word 10 Red Leary TO visit her.
Red was member Of Lyons bank-burglar gang,
whose specially was Impersonaton. He appeared
al the prison in black clerical garb, sombcr mien
and correct ministerial infection
Sophie introduced him 10 the matron Rev
erend Dies the man 20 whom ] turn for aid and
comfort in times Of trouble.
UNDERSTANDABLE enough. Sophie and her Rev
erend' caller were permitted to talk IN privacy. As
the matron slowly closed the door she heard the
prisoner say brokenly:
IF you are going 10 tell me ! told you this
would happen ] Just can't bear it
MY child, l have come not TO scod but to Offer
March Or 1914