The person charging this material is re- sponsible for its return to the library from which it was withdrawn on or before the Latest Date stamped below. Theft, mutilation, and underlining of books are reasons for disciplinary action and may result in dismissal from the University. To renew call Telephone Center, 333-8400 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN SEP 2 9 ^4 mR 2 mi L161— O-1096 THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OP SOPHIE LYONS Queen of the Burglars OR WHY CRIME DOES NOT PAY WRITTEN BY SOPHIE LYONS The most famous and successful criminal of modern times, who made a million dollars !n he? , early criminal career and lost it at Monte Carlo, and who has now accumulated half a million dollars in honorable business enterprise. NEW YORK S. OGILVIE PUBLISHING COMPANY 57 Rose Street CONTENTS Chapter Page I. How I Began My Career of Crime i ' # « .11 n. The Secret of the Stolen Gainsborough — ^And the Lesson of the Career of Eaymond, the ^'Prince of Safe Blowers, ' ^ Who Built a Millionaire 's Eesidence in a Fashionable London Suburb and Kept a Yacht with a Crew of 20 Men in the Mediterranean • . 37 IIL How I Escaped from Sing Sing, and Other Daring Escapes from Prison That Profited Us Nothing . 62 IV. Women Criminals of Extraordinary Ability with Whom I Was in Partnership 89 V. How I Paced Death, How My Husband Was Shot, and Some ISTarrow Escapes of My Companions . . 118 VL Behind the Scenes at a $3,000,000 Burglary— the Eobbery of the Manhattan Bank of New York . 146 VII. Bank Burglars Who Disguised Themselves as Police- men and Other Ingenious Schemes Used by Thieves in Bold Attempts to Get Out Their Plunder . . 173 yin. Promoters of Crime — ^People Who Plan Bobberies and Act as '^Backers'' for Professional Criminals — ^The Extraordinary '^Mother'' Mandelbaum, Queen of the Thieves, and Grady, Who Had Half a Dozen Gangs of Cractsmen Working for Him . . 186 IX. Surprising Methods of the Thieves Who Work Only During Business Hours and Walk Away with Thou- sands of Dollars Under the Very Eyes of the Bank . Officials M . . m • 212 96208 1 6 CONTENTS Chapter ^^2® X Startling Surprises That Confront Criminals— How Unexpected Happenings Suddenly Develop and Up- set Carefully Laid Plans and Cause the Burglars Ar- rest or Prevent His Getting Expected Plunder . . 223 XI. Thrilling Events Which Crowded One Short Week of My Life— How I Profited Nothing from All the Bisks I Faced .238 Sn. Good Deeds Which Criminals Do and Which Show That Even the Worst Thief Is Never Wholly Bad . 250 MTEODUCTION The pnblisliers believe that a picture of life sketched by a master hand— somebody who stands in the world of crime as Edison does in his field or as Morgan and Rockefeller do in theirs — could not fail to be impressive and valuable and prove the oft repeated statement that crime does not pay. Such a person is Sophie Lyons, the most remark- able and the greatest criminal of modern times. This extraordinary woman is herself a striking evi- dence that crime does not pay and that the same en- ergy and brains exerted in honest endeavor win en- during wealth and respectability. She has aban- doned her earlier career and has lately accumulated a fortune of half a million dollars, honestly acquired by her own unaided business ability. Sophie Lyons was a ' 'thief from the cradle/' as one Chief of Police said; at the early age of six years she had already been trained by her step- mother to be a pickpocket and a shoplifter. A beau- tiful child with engaging manners, she was sent out every day into the stores and among the crowds of shoppers, and was soundly whipped if she came out of a shop with less than three pocketbooks. ^'I did not know it was wrong to steal ; nobody every taught me that/' Sophie Lyons writes. '^What I was told 7 8 INTKODUCTION was wrong and what I was punished for was when I came home with only one pocketbook instead of many." As the child grew into womanhood she was con- spicuously beautiful, and soon became known as Pretty Sophie." Then romance entered her life and she married Ned Lyons, the famous bank burg- lar. Her husband was a member of the great gang of expert safe-blowers who were the terror of the police and the big banks of some years ago. Women are regarded as dangerous and are sel- dom taken into the confidence of such criminals as these. But Sophie Lyons was not only welcomed to their councils, but was taken along with them to the actual scenes of their operations. Many of the most daring bank robberies were, indeed, planned by her and to her quick brain and resourcefulness the burg- lars often owed their success. Sophie Lyons becaige famous not only among the burglars who work with dark lantern and jinuny but also among those specialists who are called ^^bank sneaks" — the daring men who walk into banks in broad daylight, in the midst of business, and get away with great bundles of money. Her fame spread, too, among other specialists — ^the shoplift- ers, pickpockets, confidence women, jewelry rob- bers, importers of forbidden opium, and the men engaged in bringing Chinamen iijto the country (a very profitable and hazardous field). For twenty-five years Sophie Lyons was ''The Queen of the Bank Burglars," the active leader of INTEODUCTION many expeditions in various parts of the world, anS with, her were associated about all of the great criminals of Europe and America. It has been said that she has been arrested in nearly every large city in America, and in every country in Europe ex- cept Turkey. She has served sentences in several prisons, and, on one occasion, her husband, Ned Lyons, was in Sing Sing while she herself was con- fined in the women's wing of the prison across the road. Ned Lyons managed to make his escape and very soon drove up to the women's prison and ef- fected the escape of his wife, Sophie Lyons. But all this belongs to the past. Sophie Lyons has learned that her new life as a respected woman is the only one that is really worth while. The com- fortable fortune she has now honestly accumulated has proved that it is not true that ^'once a thief always a thief.'' The actual happenings in her career have been more extraordinary than the imagination of any novelist has dreamed ; more surprising than any scene on the stage. Yet nearly every one of those whose exploits she has recounted here is now an outcast, has served a good share of life in prison, is in poverty, or has died poor. Surely, as she has asserted again and again — and hopes to abundantly prove — -CEIME DOES NOT PAY. This great truth forced itself upon her after many, many years of profitless life in the Under- world. And her own life experience and her pres- 10 INTEODUCTION ent fortune of half a million dollars, all honestly ac- quired, have demonstrated that half the industry and ability that great criminals expend will return them richer and more enduring success in honest fields of endeavor. SOPHIE LYONS SOPHIE LYONS QUEEN OF THE BURGLARS CHAPTEE I HOW I BEGAl*5r MY CAEEER OF CRIME I was not quite six years old when I stole my first pocketbook. I was very happy because I was petted and rewarded; my wretched stepmother patted my curly head, gave me a bag of candy, and said I was a '^good girl.'' My stepmother was a thief. My good father n^ver J^new this. He went to the war at President Lincoln's call for troops and left me with his second wife, my stepmother. Scarcely had my father's regiment left New York than my stepmother began to busy herself with my education — ^not for a useful career, but for a career of crime. Patiently she instructed me, beginning with the very rudiments of thieving— how to help myself to things that lay unprotected in candy shops, drug stores and grocery stores. I was made to practice at home until my childish fingers had ac- quired considerable dexterity. Finally, I was told that money was the really valu- 11 12 SOPHIE LYONS able thing to possess, and that the successM men and women were those who could take pocketbooks. "With my stepmother as the model to practice on I .was tanght how to open shopping bags, feel out the loose money or the pocketbook and get it into my lit- tle hands without attracting the attention of my vic- tims. In those days leather bags were not common —most women carried cloth or knitted shopping bags. I was provided with a very sharp little knife and was carefully instructed how to slit open the bags so that I could get my fingers in. And at last, when I had arrived at a sufficient de- gree of proficiency, I was taken out by my step- mother and we traveled over into New York's shop- ping district. I was sent into a store and soon came out with a pocketbook— my stepmother petted me and rewarded me. ABEBSTED FOB PICKING POCKETS That was the beginning of my career as a pro- fessional criminal. I did not know it was wrong to steal; nobody ever taught me that. What I was told was wrong, and what I was punished for was when I came home with only one pocketbook instead of many. _ • i + All during my early childhood I did little but steal, and was never sent to school. I did not learn to read or write until I was twenty-five years old. If my stepmother brought me to a place where many persons congregated and I was slow in getting pock- QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 13 etbooks and other articles, she would stick a pin into my arm to remind me that I must be more in- dustrious. If a pin was not convenient she would step on my toes or pinch me when occasion made her think I was in need of some such stimulant. One time we went over to Hoboken to a place where a merry-go-round was operating, and my step- mother sent me into the crowds to take pocketbooks and anything else I could put my hands on. A de- tective saw me take a woman's pocketbook and he carried me off to jail in his arms, my stepmother dis- appearing in the crowd. I remained in the Hoboken jail several days and was very happy there, for the policemen used to give me candy and l^t me play around the place, and did not beat me, as my step- mother used to do. A strange woman came and took me home, for my absence was felt because of the loss of the money I used to bring home every night. I was arrested very often when a small girl, but usually got out after a few days, as my step- mother knew how to bring influence to bear in my favor. One time I was sent to EandalPs Island and used to play with the daughters of the assistant superintendent, whose name was Jones. The little girls learned from their father that I was a thief, and they used to sympathize with me and make things pleasant, knowing that it was not my fault, but the fault of my stepmother, who forced me to do wrong. 14 SOPHIE LYONS A THIEF FEOM THE CEADIiB I did most of my stealing wlien a little girl by putting my hands into men's and women's pockets, bnt I also used to cut a hole in the bags carried by women — and then insert my fingers and take out the money or other things I found there, as I have already mentioned. Hardly a day passed when I did not steal a considerable sum of money, and many days I would take home more than a hundred dol- lars. Sometimes I would forget my work and be attracted to a store window and buy a doll for my- self to pet. When I went home to my house and sat down on the steps to cuddle my doll my stepmother or my brother would come out and catch me up and give me a good many hard knocks for neglecting my duty — and the only duty I knew in those days was to steal, and never stop stealing. More than once when I would dread going home I would have myself arrested by stealing so a police- nian could see me do it. But it didn't help me much, for my stepmother never failed to get me out of jail within a few days after my arrest. It seemed so natural for me to steal that one time when I was arrested the policeman asked me what I was doing, and I said frankly, '^Picking pockets." He asked me how many I got, and I said, ^^I don't know; I gave them all to my mama.'' Every day I would wear a different kind of dress so as not to attract attention, in case anybody who saw me steal something the day before happened to QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 15 be around. My stepmother was wise enongli to dis- gmise me in this way, and it enabled me to keep working for a long time in the same place. My stepmother wonld take me into thte department stores and wait outside for me. If I came ont with enough money to satisfy her she wonld say nothing, but march me off home or to another store for more money, but if I came out with less than she expected, then I would get the pin pricks or pinches, and be made to feel that I had done something wrong in not working harder and stealing more. I was, indeed, as one chief of police once said, thief from the cradle.'^ Surrounding my childhood and youth there was not one wholesome or worthy influence. My friends and companions were always criminals, and it is not surprising that in my early womanhood I should have fallen in love with a bank burglar — Ned Lyons. Following this romance came motherhood and an awakening within me of at least one worthy resolve — that, whatever had been my career, I certainly would see that my children were given the benefit of a tender mother love, which I had never had, and that my little ones should be surrounded with every pure and wholesome influence. The first few years of my married life were di- vided between my little ones and the necessary ex- actions which my career imposed on me. Ned Ly- ons, my husband, was a member of the boldest and busiest group of bank robbers in the world. Here and there, all over the Eastern States, we went on 16 SOPHIE LYONS expeditions, forcing the vaults of the biggest and richest banks in the country. We had money in plenty, but we spent money foolishly. When we crept ont of the vaults of the great Manhattan Bank in the early morning hours of the night of that fa- mous robbery, we had nearly $3,000,000 in money, bonds and securities. And from the Northampton Bank we took $200,000, if I remember correctly. But we had our troubles. My husband, Ned Ly- ^ ons, was a desperate scoundrel, and was constantly in difficulties. My desire was to be with my little ones, but the gang of burglars with whom I was as- sociated had learned to make me useful, and they in- sisted on my accompanying them on their expedi- tions. I will explain fully in following chapters just what my part was in many of their various exploits. Ned Lyons was himgry for money— money, more money — and the desperate risks he took and his con- tinual activity took me away from the children much of the time. MY ESCAPE FEOM SINQ SING Always there was something going on, and I had yery little peace. Early one winter Ned Lyons, in connection with Jimmy Hope, George Bliss, Ira Kingsland and others, blew open the safe of the Waterford, New York, Bank, and secured $150,000. Lyons and two others were caught, convicted and sent to Sing Sing Prison. It was not long before I myseK was captured, con- QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 17 victed and also sent to Sing Sing for five years. But my husband managed to escape from the prison one December afternoon, and he lost no time in arrang- ing for my escape from the women's section of the prison, which was a separate building just across the road from the main prison. I was all ready, of course, and when my husband drove up in a sleigh, wonderfully well disguised, wearing a handsome fur coat, and carrying a wom- an's fur coat on his arm, I made my escape and joined him. I will tell the details of how my hus- band and I got out of Sing Sing in a subsequent article. We both went into hiding and made our way to Canada, where Ned, being short of funds, broke into a pawnbroker's safe and helped himself to $20,000 in money and diamonds. With these funds in our pockets we returned to New York, and I kept in hid- ing as well as I could until my husband, with George Mason and others, robbed the bank at Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. Shortly afterward my husband was arrested while engaged on a job at Eiverhead, L. I., and $13,000 worth of railroad bonds were taken from his pockets. My husband could not let drink alone, and one day he had a street fight with the notorious Jimmy ^ Haggerty, a burglar, who was afterward killed by ''Eeddy the Blacksmith" in a saloon fight on Hous- ton Street and Broadway. During the fight be- tween Haggerty and Ned Lyons Haggerty managed to bite off the greater portion of my husbai^^s left 18 SOPHIE LYONS ear. THs was a great misfortune to him as it served as a means of identification ever after. On another occasion, in a drunken dispute, Ned Lyons was shot at the Star and Garter saloon on Sixth Avenue by ^'Ham'' Brock, a Boston character, who fired two shots, one striking Lyons in the jaw and the other in the body. My husband soon had the bad luck to be caught in the act of breaking into a jewelry store in South Windham, Conn. As soon as he knew he was dis- covered, my husband tried to make his escape, and the police shot him as he ran, putting one bullet hole through his body and imbedding another ball in his back. He was also caught in the burglary of a post- office at Palmer, Massachusetts, where they took the safe out of the store, carried it a short distance out of the village, broke it open, and took the valuables. As I have already said, the men had found me very helpful and insisted on my accompanying them on most of their expeditions. Always, if an arrest was made, I was relied upon to get them out of trouble. This took time, money, and resourcefulness, and kept me away from my little ones against my wilL During this time my children were approaching an age when it would no longer do to have them in our home. Our unexplained absences, our mid- night departures, our hurried return in the early morning hours with masks, burglars' tools, and satchels full of stolen valuables would arouse curios- ity m their little minds. One thing I had sworn to QUEEN OF. THE BURGLAES 19 'do — ^to safeguard my little ones from sucli wretched influences as had surrounded my childhood. With this in view I sent my little boy and my little girl to schools where I felt sure of kind treatment and a religious atmosphere. And I paid handsomely to make sure that they would receive every care and consideration. I SEE WHY CKIME DOES NOT PAY I had scarcely gotten the children well placed in excellent schools in Canada when my husband was caught in one of his robberies. I busied myself with lawyers and spent all the money we had on hand, to no avail, and he was given a long prison sentence. Just at this unfortunate moment I was myself arrested in New York and given a six months' term of imprisonment. On my account I did not care — ^but what would become of my children? My sources of income had been brought to a sudden stop. I had no money to send to pay my children's expenses. Then, for the first time, I felt the full horror of a criminal's life. I resolved for my children's sake to find a way to support them honestly. I realized the full truth that crime does not pay. As I went on day after day serving my term ia prison my thoughts were always about my little ones. The frightful recollections of my own child- hood had developed in me an abnormal mother love. At last I resolved to write to the institutions where my boy and girl were located and explain that I 20 SOPHIE LYONS was unavoidably detained and out of funds, but promising to generously repay tbem for continuing to care for my children. But I was too late. The newspapers bad prmted an account of my arrest, and when it reached the ears of the convent and coUege authorities where my boy and girl were stopping it filled them with indignation to think that a professional thief had the audacity to place her children under their care. So they immediately took steps to get rid of the innocent youngsters, in spite of the fact that I had paid far in advance for their board and tuition. The boy was shipped off in haste to the poorhouse, and my dear little girl was sent to a public orphan- age, from which she was adopted by a man named Doyle, who was a customs inspector in Canada at the time. When my six months were up my first thoughts were of my children, and I started off to visit them, thinking, of course, that they were stiU in the msti- tutions where I had placed them. I called at the convent, and when they saw me coming one of the sisters locked the door in my face. I was astounded at this, but determined to know what it meant. As my repeated knocks did not open the door, I resorted to a more drastic method and began to kick on the panels quite vigorously. The inmates of the con- vent became alarmed at my persistence and feared that the door would be broken open, so they thought it best to open and let me in. I then demanded to QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 21 know the cause of their peculiar conduct, and one of tliem spoke up, saying: "You are a tMef, and we do not want you here." "Oh, is that it?" I replied. "Well, where is my little girl? I want to see her." "Tour child has been placed in a respectable family, and you will not be permitted to see her," answered the sister. . Then my blood began to boil with fury, and I de- manded to know why they had sent my girl away without letting me know, especially as I had given them considerable money, and they knew all her expenses would be paid. But she refused to give me any satisfaction. In desperation I sprang at her. She screamed and called for help. The mother superior then made her appearance and, dismayed at the sight of the determination I h'kd displayed, she reluctantly gave me the address of the man who had my little girl. I did not have a dollar with me at the time, but started off to walk to Mr. Doyle's house, which was some distance in the country. After a few hours' walking I met a man driving by in a buggy, and he stopped and offered me a ride. I, of course, ac- cepted his invitation and got into the buggy. He asked me where I was going, and I said I was search- ing for a man named Doyle. He wanted my name and the nature of my business, but I said that in- formation would be given to Mr. Doyle himself, and nobody else. He then said his name was Doyle, and asked me my name, and I told him I was Sophie 22 SOPHIE LYONS Lyons. As soon as lie heard this lie stopped the horse and ordered me out of the buggy, and shouted: ^^You are a very bad woman. I have your little girl. I'm going to keep her. You are not a fit mother, and should be. kept in jail, where you be- long. POR MY CHILDBElSr^S SAKE ' ' We will not discuss that here, ' ' I replied. ' ' What I want now is to see my little girl, and I wish you would drive me to your house.'' ^^You shall never see your child, and you had better not come near my house," he cried as he whipped up his horse and was soon out of sight, leaving me alone on the road. I continued my walk, however, and shortly after- ward reached the Doyle house and stood outside the gate, while Doyle, with his two sons and two hired men and a dog, watched me from the piazza* I stood there a few moments, and then Doyle came out and asked me what I was doing there, and de- manded that I leave the neighborhood at once. He said: '^This is my home, and you must go away.'' ''It may be your home, Mr. Doyle," I answered, 1 ''but my child is in there, and I am going to wait here until I see her." "I have adopted your girl," he said, "and she will be better off here than with you." "It takes two to make a bargain," I said, "and you did not get my consent when you adopted the girl." QUEEN m THE BUEOLAES M Eealizing tliat it was useless to try to persuade me, hie went inside and left me at the gate, where I stood waiting developments. After another long wait Doyle came ont again and said: ^^Are you still there? What do you want? Ydu know very well it is -better for the girl that she re- main with us, and not with a thief like you. I will take good care of her, but you shall not see her.'' ^^I know my rights," I replied, ^^and I will hire a lawyer and compel the convent authorities to show me their books and explain what they have done with the thousands of dollars I left with them to care for my girl. I will make it hot for you and for them before I finish." This threat must have frightened him a little, for he then asked me if I had had anything to eat that day, and I told him I had not. Then he invited me into the house to get some food, and said he would hitch up the buggy and drive me back to town. I said: A MOTHER ^S IX)VE WINS AT LAST ^*No, you will not drive me back to town. I will not go back without my girl." ^^Now, be reasonable, Mrs. Lyons," he said. ^^Your little girl is happy here, and she does not like you because you are a bad woman."' ^^Well," I answered, '^if she does not lik^ her mother then you have made her feel that way| you have taught her to dislike me." 24 SOPHIE LYONS After a little more parleying lie went into the house and sent out my little girl to talk to me. *^My darling,'' I said, don't you want to kiss your own mother?" ^^No," she said; do not like you, because you are a thief. You are not my mother at all." My eyes filled with tears at this, and with sobs in my voice I asked her if she did not remember the little prayers I had taught her and the many happy hours we had spent together. The little dear said : /*Yes, I remember the prayers, but I do not want to see you. You are a thief ! Go away, please !" Those words cut me to the heart — from my own precious daughter. And again I was made to real- ize that crime does not pay ! I lost no time in setting matters in motion which very soon brought back to my arms my daughter. Meanwhile I hastened to the academy where my little boy had been left and demanded to see him. When my boy was brought out to me he was in a disgraceful condition, he seemed to have been ut- terly neglected, his clothing was ragged and his face as dirty as a chimney sweep's. I was shocked at this and demanded an explanation from the pro- fessor who had charge of the institution. He turned on me angrily, and said: ^^You have an amazing assurance to place your good-for-nothing brat among honest children. How dare you give us an assumed name and impose on us in this manner? Get your brat out of here at once, for if honest parents knew your character QUEEN OF THE BTJEGLAES 25 they would take their cMldren out of the school without delay/ ^ ^^A false name, is it?" I said to the proud pro- fessor. *^What name did you give when you were caught in a disreputable house?" This remark startled him. He changed his man- ner at once and implored me to speak lower and not let anybody know what I said. I had recog- nized this professor as a man who had visited De- troit a year or so before and had been caught in a disreputable resort by the police on one of their raids. The professor, of course, did not imagine that anybody in Detroit had known him, and so he thought it perfectly safe to assume the role of su- perior virtue. He apologized for his neglect of my child and begged me to forget the abuse he had heaped upon me. I congratulated myself that the child had not heard his remarks to me, and I de- parted with my boy. But my joy over the fact that my little one had not had his mother's wickedness revealed to him was of short duration. I had brought the child to Detroit, where 1 had begun preparations to make a permanent home, honestly, I hoped. Several per- sons there owed me money, and among them a bar- ber I had befriended. I tried persistently to get from him what he owed me, but without success. When I returned home after a little trip I was compelled to make to New York, my boy came up to me, crying, and said: 26 SOPHIE LYONS "Mamma, I don't want to live around here any more. ' ' I wondered what could have caused the poor boy to speak that way, so I patted him on the back and said : "Why, what is the matter, dearie? Don't you like this street any morel" "Mamma," he sobbed, "I heard something about you which makes me feel awful bad, but I know it isn't true, is it, mamma?" "Tell me, child, what is it?" "Well," he answered, "Mr. Wilson, the barber, asked me the day after you left to go downtown on a trip with him, and I went along. He took me into a large building which I heard was the police sta- tion. He asked a man to let him see some pictures, and when he got the pictures he showed me one of them which he said was you; and he said you were a thief and the police had to keep your picture so they could find you when you stole things," and then the boy began to sob as if his poor heart would break. The man had taken my boy down to the police station and had shown him my picture in the rogues' gallery. And again the realization was forced in on ine by the reproachful gaze of my boy that crime does not pay. ■ For a time I managed to get along fairly well and was able by honest efforts to have a little home and to have my children with me. But my old career came up to haunt me and many refused to QUEEN OE THE BUEaLAES ST have business dealings witli me when they were informed of my earlier life. At last I was at the end of my resources — should I lose my little home and my children, or should I go back once more, just once more to my old lifeT' The struggle between my two impulses was finally settled by a visit from two of my old acquaintances of the underworld — Tom Bigelow and Johnny Meaney. They came to ask my help in a promising job which they felt sure would be a success if they could enlist my services — there would be at least $50,000 for me, they said. ^^Big Tom'' Bigelow was an old-time professional bank burglar, who had learned his business under such leaders as Jimmy Hope and Langdon W. Moore — ^men who had never found any bank or any vault too much for their skill. Little Johnny Meaney was one of the cleverest ^^bank sneaks" that ever lived. He would perform the most amazing feats in getting behind bank counters and walking off with large bundles of money. He was so quick and noiseless in his work that he would never have been arrested but for his fondness for women and drink. When under the influence of champagne he would confide in some strange woman he had met only a few days before, and in order to get the re- ward some of the women would tell the police where to find Johnny. He had granulated eyelids, and his inflamed eyes were so conspicuous that he could always be recog- nized easily. He was married and had several gM- 28 SOPHIE LYONS dren. His wife never knew the kind of work he did. He had a quarrelsome temper, and always got into some dispute with every woman he met, and usually left them feeling unfavorably disposed toward hnn. Many of the girls who betrayed him did so more through resentment than anything else. I mention these things to show how personal pecuharities and temperament are often serious menaces to criminals Meaney's specialty was day work. He would walk into a bank during business hours and sneak behind the counter and pick up everything he could lay his hands on. He never did any night work, and knew nothing about safe blowing. As a rule, a man who makes a specialty of night work, with dark lantern, mask, and jimmy, wUl not attempt any sneak work, and the first-class sneak will not undertake night work. The night robber is guided by the moon, and oftentimes a job will be called ofe be- cause the cracksmen think the moon is not right for the work. The darker the night the better. But the bank sneak prefers daylight of the brightest kind. He often works right under the eyes of a room full of clerks, and the bigger the crowd in the streets the easier for him to make his escape and lose himself among them. HOW I PLANNED A BANK KOBBEBT It was a "bank sneak" 30b they had in mind. The bank was in a small New Jersey city, near enough to New York so that we could lose ourselves QUEEN OP THE BURaLAES 29 in our old haunts on the East Side before the de- tectives should get hot on our trail. I went to the town in advance of the other mem- bers of the party and rented a small cottage, posing as a widow who planned to settle down there and live on the income of her husband's insurance money. Soon after settling in my new quarters, I visited the bank and opened a small account. I found the cashier a man who fitted in perfectly with our dis- honest designs. He must have been nearly seventy years old and he could not hear or see so well as he should for the security of the funds in his charge. I saw right away that he was very susceptible to pretty women and was quite willing to drop his work at any time for a half hour's chat with such a comely widow as I looked to be. My task was to look the ground over, find out where the cash was kept, and how and when access to it could best be secured. It was the simplest thing in the world to get these facts after I had worked my way into the cashier's good graces. I quickly saw that the most favorable time for the robbery was between the hours of 12 and 1 o'clock, when the other two men in the bank went to their homes for lunch, leaving the institution in the charge of the old cashier. At that time the door of the vault was open, and the bundles of cur- rency and securities lay there in full view, ready for us to take away. It would be an easy matter for Johnny Meaney, 30 SOPHIE LYONS who was a small, wiry fellow, light and quiet on his feet as a cat, to slip in through, a side entrance while I held the cashier's attention with one of my harmless flirtations and gain access to the vault through the door in the wire cage, which was almost invariably left unlocked. Even if it should be locked on the day we set for the robbery, it would be a simple matter for Johnny to get inside with the aid of one of his skeleton keys. Accordingly I sent word to my two comrades that the coast was clear and to come on at once. They arrived in due time and, after looking the ground over, confirmed my own judgment that the robbery was an easy one and could be carried out with little risk according to the plan I had made. The following Tuesday was the day set, because on that day, as I had found out, the bank generally had a large amount of cash on hand. The time fixed was between 12 and 12 :30 o'clock, when the assistant cashier, the bookkeeper, and practically all the rest of the town were at their noonday meal. Everything was definitely settled unless my visit to the bank on Monday should reveal some unlooked- for hitch. The cashier had become thoroughly accustomed to the ''pretty widow's" habit of dropping in on Mm every day at the noon hour, and he was ex- ceedingly glad to see me wh^n I entered as usual^ Monday, and began a series of questions about some fictitious investments of mine in the West. Alas! how well I remember how that vain old man en- QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 31 joyed his innocent flirtation, little suspecting that the object of his regard was there only to make sure that nothing had happened to disarrange the plans for to-morrow's robbery, WHAS DEI/AYED OUR PIANS Lnckily for me the bookkeeper was jnst starting for lunch when I took my accustomed place outside the cashier's window. I had seen the door through which he had to pass to get from inside the wire cage to the outer part of the bank opened and shut a hundred times f and I had always noted with satis- faction not only that it was seldom locked but also that its hinges never gave even the slightest squeak. But at this moment a most unexpected thing hap- pened. As the bookkeeper turned the knob of the wire- screen door and opened it a most unearthly scream came from the iron hinges. The clerk passed, on, and the door lazily swung back behind him with another piercing screech that filled me with dismay. No watch-dog could have sounded a more certain alarm than those hmges. My heart sank as I real- ized how impossible it would be for Johnny Meaney to pass in and out Df that creaking door without detection. Bringing my conversation to a hurried close, I went to tell my comrades how our hopes had been dashed by the unexpected development of a squeak in those both-^r^nm^o^ hinges. 32 SOPHIE LYONS The difficulty seemed insurmountable until J ohnny Meaney, always a quick-witted, resourceful tMef, showed us a way out. His suggestion was that the robbery be postponed for a week and that in the meantime we call in the aid of another well-known bank sneak named Bill Taylor, to fix those refrac- tory hinges. This seemed the only possible solution of the problem, as that squeaking had to be stopped, and it was not safe for either of my companions to at- tempt it. Accordingly, Meaney went back to New York to make the necessary arrangements, and a few days later Taylor appeared on the scene as the suave, well dressed representative of the company which had built the vault for this bank. On presentation of his neatly engraved card, Tay- lor was readily given permission to inspect the vault. During the afternoon he spent in the bank he caUed attention to the squeaky hinges and sug- gested that he apply to them some very excellent machine oil he had with him. This he did and the door moved as noiselessly as before. And incidentally, while Taylor was masqueradmg as the traveling agent of the safe company and had the freedom of the bank that afternoon he took oc- casion to fit a key to the wire door. Not that Johnny Meaney could not attend to this himself m case he found the door locked, but Taylor thought he might as well make everything as smooth as possible for Meaney. j, a * Everything was now in shape, and we decided to QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 33 rob the bank next day. Just at noon, as the big clock on the Municipal Building was striking 12, I came up the steps of the bank and greeted the old cashier with my customary smile. The bookkeeper and the four other clerks were passing out of the side door to their lunch. Suddenly I spilled out of my hand right in front of the cashier a handful of large coins in such a way that two silver dollars rolled past him and dropped on the floor inside the wire cage. As he laboriously stooped to pick them ixp I strained my neck and eyes to examine quickly everything inside the cage to make sure that all the bank clerks had gone out — that nobody remained behind the wire railing except the aged cashier. Moving over as far as possible to one side of the cashier's window, I drew the old cashier's attention to a photograph of a little child in a locket. This brought the back of his head toward the side door pi the bank. As he leaned his face down to see it more closely I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of the shadow-like form of Johnny Meaney. Noiselessly he had come in through the side door. Like a cat he crept to the wire door. With my ears strained for the faintest alarm from those treacher- ous hinges, I listened as I kept up a rapid fire con- yersation to hold the attention of the aged cashier. The wire door swung open noiselessly; Meaney was crouching low; I had lost my view of him as he crept toward the big open door of the bank vault. On the sidewalk, pacing slowly up and down in 34 SOPHIE LYONS front of the side door, was ''Big Tom" Bigelow. He was the ''outside man'' of the job and, although I could not see him, I knew he was on the alert to intercept anybody who might happen in. With some excuse he must stop any clerk who tried to enter through the side door— I myself must inter- cept any clerk who might chance to return from lunch and enter by the front entrance. WE GET OUR rLUNDER With increasing vivaciousness, I rattled along en- tertaining the cashier. In a few moments I saw the wire door gently open as if by a spirit hand. Creeping low along the floor, a shadow crossed the little corridor to the outside door; noiselessly it opened and closed — the work was done! And thus this job, which had taken us weeks to plan, was done in less than five minutes from the time I entered the bank until Meaney stole out of a back door with his satchel full of bank notes and securities. Then the three of us quickly made our way by separate routes to New York. The loss was not discovered until it came time to close the vault for the day, and we thus had nearly three hours' start of the police. A large reward was offered and numerous detectives en- gaged, but no one was ever arrested for this crinje. I am just vain enough to think that the old cashier was probably very reluctant to believe his pretty widow had a share in the robbery, in spite of her iQUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 35 mysterious disappearance on the very day it oc- curred. Our plunder amounted to $150,000, of which $20,- 000 was cash and the rest good negotiable bonds. The money was divided and I undertook the mar- keting of the securities, which were finally disposed of through various channels for $78,000, or about 60 per cent, of their value. Those squeaky door hinges cost Meaney, Bigelow, and myself about $6,000 apiece, for through the addition of Taylor to our party we had to divide the spoils among four persons instead of three. After paying my expenses, my share of these ill-gotten gains amounted to about $20,000. This I thought ample to provide for the wants of my children until 1 could establish myself in some honorable busi- ness, and I returned to Detroit fully determined never again to risk, as I had, a long prison term. But my good resolutions were short lived. Two weeks later word came that my husband was in jail for complicity in an attempted bank robbery which had been nipped in the bud and urgently needed my assistance. It took several thousand dollars of the money for which I had paid so dear to secure his liberty, and the remainder soon melted away before the numerous needs of my little brood and my husband's unfortunate gambling propensi- ties. Here I was again just where I was before the robbery of that New Jersey bank. My money was gone, my old reputation still pursued me, nobody 36 SOPHIE LYONS would trust me; ''once a tMef, always a thief," they said; nobody believed in my sincerfe desire to abandon my early career and lead an honest life. I did not feel vindictive at the sneers at ray prot- estations of a desire to earn an honest living—I could not blame anybody for doubting my sincerity. But my home and my little ones, dearer to me than life, what was to become of them I Was there no way to escape from my wretched career? If ever a woman and a mother realized that crime does not pay, I was made to learn that truth. It is a long and difficult road— the narrow path that leads from crime to honest living. I have trav- eled it, thank heaven ! but it was hard, it was slow— and many times I strayed from the path. Some of my companions of the old days traveled that road with me. A few, a very few, succeeded as I did at last. Many gave it up, turned back. A thousand episodes of my career and of their mis- guided lives all illuniinate the one great inevitable fact that crime does not pay! QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 37 CHAPTEE II THE SECEET OF THE STOLEIT GAINSBOROUGH — AND THE LESSOIsT OF THE CAREER OF RAYMOND^ THE PRINCE . OF SAFE blowers/' WHO BUILT A MILLIONAIRESS RESIDENCE IN A FASHIONABLE LONDON SUBURB AND KEPT A YACHT WITH A CREW OF 20 MEN IN THE MEDITERRANEAN It was on the morning of May 15, several years ago, that the manager of Agnew's great art gallery in London turned the key in the lock of the private gallery to show an art patron the famous ' ' Gains- horough.'^ His amiable smile faded from his lips as he came face to face with an empty gilt frame. The great $125,000 painting had been cut from its frame. Who stole this masterpiece? How was it stolen? Could it be recovered? The best detectives of Europe and America were asked to find answers to these questions. They never did. I will answer them here for the first time to-day. The man who cut the Gainsborough from its frame was a millionaire, he was an associate of mine, he was a bank burglar. Adam Worth, or Harry Eaymond, as he was known to his friends, did not need the money and he did not want the painting — he entered that London art gallery at 3 o/clock in the morning and took that roll of canvas 38 SOPHIE LYONS out under his arm for a purpose that nobody sus- pected. I will explain all this presently. I have said that Eaymond was a millionaire, and I said in previous chapters that crime does not pay — how is it possible to reconcile these two state- ments? We shall see. Among all my old acquaintances and associates in the criminal world, perhaps no one serves better as an example of the truth that crime does not pay than this very millionaire burglar, this man who had earned the title of the Prince of Safe Blow- ers." For a time he seemed to have everything his heart could desire — a mansion, servants, liveried equipages, a yacht; and it all crumbled away like a house of cards, vanished like the wealth of Aladdin in the Arabian Nights. And so Eaymond, most ^'successful" bank robber of the day, lived to learn the lesson that crime does not pay. Eaymond was a Massachusetts boy — ^bright, wide awake, but headstrong. Born of an excellent family and well educated, he formed bad habits and de- veloped a passion for gambling. EAYMOITD^S TIKST CEIMES Unable to earn honestly all he needed to gratify his passion for gambling, Eaymond soon drifted into the companionship of some professional thieves he had met in the army. From that time his down- fall was rapid; he never earned another honest dollar. Like myself and many other criminals who HOW RAYMOND COT ^H]^ :^AMOUS ''GAINSBOROUGH'' OVT Ql^ ITS FRAM^. QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 39 later acMeved notoriety in broader fields, lie first tried picking pockets. He had good teachers and lie was an apt pnpil. His long, slender fingers seemed just made for the delicate task of slipping watches out of men's pockets and purses out of women's handbags. Soon he had plenty of money and a wide reputation for his cleverness in escap- ing arrest. Aside from his love for faro and roulette, Eay- mpnd was always a prudent, thrifty man. In those early days he picked pockets so skillfully and dis- posed of his booty to the ^ ^fences" so shrewdly that it was not long before he had enough capital to finance other criminals. The first manifestation of the executive ability which was one day to make him a power in the underworld was his organization of a band of pickpockets. Eaymond's word was law with the little group of young thieves he gath- ered around him. He furnished the brains to keep them out of trouble and the cash to get them out if by chance they got in. Every morning they met in a little Canal Street restaurant to take their orders from him — at night they came back to hand him a liberal share of the day's earnings. But even the enormous profits of this syndicate of pickpockets were not enough to satisfy Eay- mond's restless ambition. He began to cast en- vious eyes at men like my husband (Ned Lyons), Big Jim Brady, Dan Noble, Tom Bigelow, and other bank sneaks and burglars whom he met in the places where criminals gathered. These men were big, 40 SOPHIE LYONS strong, good-looking fellows. Their work looked easy— it was certainly exciting. They had long intervals of leisure and were always well supplied with money. ^'If these men can make a good living robbing banks,'' thought Eaymond, ''why can't I?'^ It was through Raymond's itching to get into bank work that I first met him. One day he came into a restaurant where my husband and I were sitting, and Mr. Lyons introduced him to me. I myself saw little in him to impress me, but when he had gone my husband said: ''That fellow will be a great thief some day." AMBITIOUS TO BE A BANK BURGLAR It was hard for a young man to get a foothold with an organized party of bank robbers, for the more experienced men were reluctant to risk their chances of success by taking on a beginner. "No doubt you're all right," they told him, "but you can see yourself that we can't afford to have anybody around that^hasn't had experience in our line of business. It's too risky for us, and it wouldn't be fair to you." "But how am I going to get experience if some of you chaps don't give me a chance?" Eaymond replied; but still he got no encouragement from my husband and his companions. "All right," he finally said one day. "1^11 show you what I can do — I won't be asking to be tekem in with you; yon will be asking me." QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES M So Eaymond, in order to get experience, cheer- fully made np Ms mind to make his first attempt in that line alone. He broke into an express company's office on Liberty Street and forced open a safe con- taining $30,000 in gold. The inner box, however, in which the money was kept, proved too much for Eaymond's limited experience. To his great dis- gust, daylight came before he was able to get it open. Tired and mad, Eaymond trudged home in the gray of the morning, dusty, greasy, and with his tools under his arm. The newspapers printed the full details of the curious failure to reach the funds in the express company's safe, and Ned Lyons and his companions guessed very quickly whose work it was. Meeting Eaymond a few days later, they accused him of having done the bungling job. He admitted that the joke was on him, and they all laughed loudly at his effort to get some experience. You're all right," said Big Jim Brady. You've got the right idea — that's the only way to learn; keep at it and you will make a name for yourself some day." His next undertaking was more successful. Prom the safe of an insurance company in Cambridge, Mass., his native town, he took $20,000 in cash. This established him as a bank burglar, and he soon became associated with a gang of expert cracksmen, including Ike Marsh, Bob Cochran, and Charley BuUard. 42 SOPHIE LYONS BOBBING THE BOYLSTON BAN^K Eaymond was very proud of having gotten a foot- ing among the big bank burglars, whoip he had long looked upon with respect and envy. After several minor robberies Raymond became uneasy, and declared that he wanted to do a really big job ROBBING THE BOYLSTON BANK that would be worth while— something that would astonish the police and would merit the respect of the big professional bank burglars. Being a native of Massachusetts, he decided to give his attention to something in his own State. He made a tour of inspection of all the Boston banks, and decided that the famous Boylston Bank, the biggest in the city, would suit him. And, in picking this great bank, Raymond had QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 43 indeed selected an undertaking which was worthy of his skill and daring. On Washington Street Eaymond's quick eye at once discovered a vacant shop adjoining the Boyls- ton-Bank. He rented this shop, ostensibly for a patent medicine laboratory, filled the windows with bottles of bitters and built a partition across the back of the shop. The partition was to hide the piles of debris which would accumulate as the rob- bers burrowed into the bank next door; the bottles in the window to prevent passersby seeing too much of the interior. When news of this clever ruse of Eaymond's came out in the papers after the robbery, I made a note of it and used the same idea years later in robbing an Illinois bank at its president's request. That is an interesting chapter in my life which I will give you soon. Careful measurements had shown where the tun- neling through the thick walls of the bank could best be bored. Work was done only at night, and in a week's time only a thin coating of plaster sep- arated them from the treasure. The robbers en- tered the vault on Saturday night, broke open three safes which they found there and escaped with a million dollars in cash and securities. After this crime America was not safe for Eaymond, so he and his comrades, including Charley BuUard, fled to Europe. In Paris BuUard opened a gambling house, and there Eaymond lived when the criminal ventures 44 SOPHIE LYONS from whicli lie was amassing his first fortune per- mitted. And now there entered into Raymond's life a very remarkable roijiance, which almost caused him to reform. In one of the big Parisian hotels at this time was an Irish barmaid named Kate Kelley. She was an unusually beautiful girl — a plump, dashing blonde of much the same type Lillian Eussell was years ago. BuUard and Eaymond both fell madly in love with her. The race for her favor was a close one, despite the fact that Bullard was an accomplished musi- cian, spoke several languages fluently, and was in other ways Raymond's superior. The scales, how- ever, were surely turning in Eaymond 's favor when the rumor that he was a bank robber reached Kate's ears. Eaymond admitted this was the truth. But he never attempted to take advantage of his friend Bullard by telling Kate that he also was a thief. That was characteristic of the man. Criminal though he was, he never stooped to anything mean or underhanded, and would stand by his friends through thick and thin. Instead of trying to drag Bullard to disappointment with him, he pleaded with Kate to forgive his past and to help him make a fresh start. Marry me," he urged, ^'and I'll never commit another crime. We'll go to some distant land and QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 45 I'll start all over again in some decent, honorable business.'' But Kate wonld not be persuaded. She could not marry a self-confessed thief — no, never ! A month later she married BuUard, little dreaming how glad the American police would be to lay their hands on him. Eaymond was best man at the wedding, and to his credit it should be said that the bridal couple had no sincerer well-wisher than he. EAYMOND 'S GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT Kate never realized how she had been deceived until several years later, when BuUard was given a prison sentence for running a crooked gambling house. She got an inkling of the facts then and her husband confessed the rest. By this time, however, she had two little children, and her anxiety for ;them impelled her to become reconciled to the situ- ation and stick to her husband. After his release they left the children in a French school, returned to this country, and took a brown-stone house at the corner of Cumberland Street and De Kalb Avenue, in Brooklyn. Here they installed all the costly furniture, bric-a-brac, and paintings which had made BuUard 's gambling house one of the show places of Paris. Soon afterward Eaymond also came to America, although there was a price on his head for his share in the Boylston Bank robbery. He lived with Kate and Bullard until the latter 's jealousy caused a 4d SOPHIE LYONS quarrel. Then lie went to London and laid the foundations for the international clearing house of crime which for years had its headquarters in his luxurious apartment in Piccadilly. With Eaymond's cool, calculating brain no longer there to guide him, BuUard became reckless and fell into the hands of the police. He was sentenced to twenty years in prison. For her own and her chil- dren's support his wife had nothing except the rich contents of the Brooklyn home. She tried various ways of making a living, with poor success, and was at last forced to offer a quantity of her paintings for sale in an art store on Twenty-third Street. In this store one day she met Antonio Terry. His father was an Irishman, his mother a native of Havana, and he had inherited millions of dollars in Cuban sugar plantations. Young Terry was in- fatuated with Kate's queenly beauty, and he laid siege to her heart so ardently that she divorced her convict husband and married him. Two chil- dren blessed this exceedingly happy marriage. Be- fore Terry died he divided his fortune equally among his wife, his own children, and the children she had by her first husband. Kate Terry lived until 1895, and left an estate valued at $6,000,000. She passed her last years in a magnificent mansion on Fifth Avenue, surrounded by every luxury. Kate Kelley's refusal to marry Eaymond was one of the great disappointments of his unhappy life. He married another woman, but I am sure lie never forgot the winsome Irish barmaid who QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 4H had won Ms heart in Paris. What's the news of Kate?'' used to be his first question whenever I arrived in London, and his face would fall if some- thing prevented my seeing her on my last visit to New York. Had this woman become Eaymond's wife I am confident that the whole course of his life would have been changed, and that the world would have something to remember him for besides an unbroken record of crime. PLANNIlSrG THE GAINSBOEOUGH EOBBERY As I have said, Eaymond had not been long in London before he had forced his way into a com- manding position in the criminal world. The clev- erest thieves of every nation sought him out as soon as they set foot in England. They sought his ad- vice, carried out his orders, and gladly shared with him the profits of their illegal enterprises. Crimes in every corner of the globe were planned in his luxurious home — and there, often, the final division of booty was made. No crime seemed too difficult or too daring for Eaymond to undertake. It was his almost unbroken record of success in getting large amounts of plun- der and in escaping punishment for crimes that gave the underworld such confidence in him and made all the cleverest criminals his accomplices. Another reason for his leadership was his unwaver- ing loyalty to his friends. Eaymond never squealed" — he never deserted a friend. When 4S SOPHIE LYONS one of his associates ran foul of the law he. would give as freely of his brains and money to secure his release as if his own liberty were at stake. It was his loyalty to a friend— a thief named Tom Warren— which led to his bold theft of the famous Gainsborough portrait for which J. Pierpont Mor- gan later paid $125,000. Here is how it came about : Warren was in jail in London for his share in one of Eaymond's forgeries. He was a great favor- ite of Eaymond's and Harry vowed he would have him out before his case ever came to trial. This, however, was no easy matter, because England is not like this country, where almost anyone can furnish bond. The bondsman in England must be a freeholder and of good reputation. While Eaymond was searching his fertile brain for some way out of the difficulty, he and an Engli&h thief named Jack Philips happened to be walking through Bond Street and noticed the large number of fashionable carriages stopping at Agnew & Com- pany's art gallery. To satisfy their curiosity they entered the gallery and found that everybody was crowding about a wonderful portrait of the Duchess of Devonshire, painted by the master hand of the great artist Gainsborough. It was Gainsborough's masterpiece, and the Ag- news were considering a number of bids that had been made for the painting. They had one offer of $100,000 from an American, but they were hold- ing it on exhibition ia the belief that a still better bid would be made. QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 49 Eaymond stood long and thoughtfully on the edge of the crowd, studied the painting, took in the doors, walls, windows, chatted with an attendant, and slowly sauntered out, swinging his cane. ^^I have the idea,'' exclaimed Eaymond the instant they were in the street again. ''We'll steal that picture and use it as a club to compel the Agnews to go bail for Tom Warren." ''You don't want that picture," said Philips. *'It's a clumsy thing to do anything with." "Of course I don't want the picture — but Agnew does," Eaymond replied. "If I get it and send word that Tom Warren, who is in jail, knows where it's hidden — don't you suppose Agnew will hurry down to Old Bailey Prison, bail poor Tom out mighty quick, and pay him something besides if Warren digs up the picture for him?" I "He might," admitted Philips. "Why, of course he will," persisted Eaymond. "And it's the only way I can see to make sure of getting Tom Warren out before he is called for trial. When they try him they'll convict him; and then it's too late." Philips was not enthusiastic over the scheme. In the first place he thought it too risky. Even if they did succeed in getting the picture he feared it would prove an elephant on their hands. Eaymond, how- ever, was a man who seldom receded from a de- cision, no matter how quickly it had been made. He argued away Philip's objections and with the assist- ance of Joe Elliott, a forger whom they took into 50 SOPHIE LYONS their confidence, they proceeded with their plans for the robbery. HOW THE GEEAT MASTEEPIECE WAS STOUIN It was decided to make the attempt on the first dark, foggy mglit. Elliott was to be "lookout and keep a watchful eye for any of the amay of policemen and private detectives who guarded the gallery's treasures. Philips was to serve as the ♦'stepladder." On his broad, powerful shoulders, the light, agile Eaymond would mount like a circus performer, climb through a window and cut the precious canvas out of the frame. It was a 30b fraught with the greatest danger^ for the gallery was carefully protected with locks and bars and, besides, no one could tell when a policeman or de- tective might appear on the scene. . , . ^ A thick fog settled down on the city the ^^S^}^^ May 15 1876. Under its cover the thieves decided to make their descent on the gallery early the next morning. „ , Just as the clocks were strikmg three, Eaymond stole cautiously into the alley at the rear of the Agnew gallery. Then he was joined after a oudi- cious interval by his two comrades. Elliott remained near the mouth of the alley to watch for ''bobbies." Eaymond and Philips stealthily made their way over the back fence and to a rear window, whose sill was about eight feet from the ground. QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 51 Straining his ears for any ominous sound, Philips braced his big body to bear Eaymond's weight. Then he made a stirrup of his hand and Eaymond sprang like a cat to his shoulders. Crouching in the darkness, Elliott watched and waited while Eaymond applied his jimmy to the window. Click'' went the fastenings — ^but not too loud. The sash was cautiously raised and Harry Eaymond dropped to the floor inside. Ujiluckily for the owners of the Gainsborough, . the watchmen were asleep on an upper floor. Eay- mond, with the clever thief's characteristic caution, first groped his way to the front door to see if he could unfasten it and thus provide ,a second avenue of escape for use in an emergency. But the locks and bars were too much for him and he gave up the attempt. By the dim rays of his dark lantern h^ could see th6 gallery's pride — the famous Gainsborough, hanging on what picture dealers know as ''the line" — that is to say, about five feet from the floor. The place was as quiet as the grave. A sudden sound gave Eaymond a start — but it was only a cat that came mewing out of the darkness. Outside a cab rattled by and the heavy tread of a policeman's feet echoed through the street. Eaymond procured a table, which he placed before the portrait. By standing upon it he was barely able to reach the top. With a long, sharp knife he carefully slashed the precious canvas from its heavy gold frame. 52 SOPHIE LYONS At one of the bottom corners Eaymond's knife made a series of peculiar zigzags. Later he cut from the portrait a little piece that matched these jagged lines. This was to send to the Agnews as evidence that he really had the picture. After cutting th^ picture out, Eaymond rolled it up carefully, tied it with a string, and buttoned it underneath his coat. Then he went out the same way he had entered, being careful to close the wm- dow behind him. With his companions he returned to his Piccadilly house and hid in a closet the picture which he hoped would prove his friend's ransom.^ Next morning all London was in a fever of excite- ment over the loss of the Gainsborough. The Ag- news offered $5,000 for its return and soon increased the reward to $15,000. A hundred of the best de- tectives in Scotland Yard scoured the city for clews. The crime was shrouded in mystery. The doors of the gallery had not been tampered with. The fastenings of a rear window were broken, but the watchmen averred that no thief could have entered there as they had been sitting close by all night. In all London the only persons who had no the- ories to advance as to the Gainsborough's fate were Eaymond, Philips,, and Elliott. They quietly waited for the excitement to subside, realizing that with the public mind in its present state it was altogether too hazardous to think of attempting to negotiate for the picture's return. ^ Meanwhile something happened to make tHe Gainsborough of no use to Eaymond-his friend QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 53 Warren was released from jail through the dis- covery of a technicality in his indictment. The famous portrait now became a veritable white ele- ,phant.'' Eaymond dared not return it — he feared !to leave it in storage lest some one recognize it. So he carried the roll of canvas with him about the world until later, when, through Pat" Sheedy's aid, he returned it to the Agnews and secured $25,- 000 for his pains. PAT SHEEDy's PABT And that is the history of what happened to Gainsborough ^s famous Duchess of Devonshire" painting, which is now in J. Pierpont ^Morgan's pri- vate art gallery on Madison Avenue, New York. As I said earlier in this article, Eaymond, who stole it, neither wanted the picture nor the money it represented. Eaymond cut that painting from its frame as an ^ct of loyalty to a fellow thief who was in trouble — to use it as a powerful lever to make sure of getting Tom Warren out of prison And right here, before going further with the episodes of Eaymond 's remarkable career, let ine explain the mystery of how ^^Pat" Sheedy, the New lYork gambler, happened to be the person who sold the stolen Gainsborough back to the Agnews. Long before that ^^Paf Sheedy and Harry Eay- mond had done much business together. After Sheedy had accumulated a fortune by gambling, he built up a large and exceedingly profitable business 54 SOPHIE LYONS in the sale of stolen paintings. Through his wide .Acquaintance he formed a convenient connecting link between the rich men who could afford to buy- rare paintings and the clever criminals who knew how to steal them. Eaymond took up the stealing of paintings when he became too old and too well known to the police to attempt more profitable kinds of robbery, and it was through Sheedy that he dis- posed of most of them. A number of years before Eaymond died he met me in London and asked if I could do some business for him. Being in need of ready money, I readUy agreed. He took me to his apartments and handed me two paintings which showed at a glance that they had been cut from their frames. ''I got these from a cathedral in Antwerp," said Eaymond. "I want you to take them to New York and sell them to Pat Sheedy for $75,000. If he won't give that, bring them back to me. I'll pay you well for your time and trouble." Accordingly I sailed for New York. By wrap- ping the pictures in some old clothes at the bottom of my trunk, I got them by the customs inspectors without any trouble. I had then never met Sheedy and it occurred to me that if I had to leave the pic- tures with him he might try to take advantage of my ignorance of art by substituting copies for the originals. So, before setting out for. Sheedy 's office in Forty-second Street, I took an indelible pencil and marked my initials, very small, on the back of each canva3. QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 55 As I had expected, Sheedy asked me to leave tlie pictures imtil the next day as he was not sure he could afford to pay $75,000 for them. The next day he put me off with some other excuse, and so it went on for two weeks until I felt sure something was wrong. Then one morning he handed me two pic- tures, saying: Sorry, but I don't think these are worth more than $10,000. If you'll take that for them, I'll buy them.'^ BAYMOKD AND HIS YACHT Of course, I told him my instructions were not to accept a cent less than $75,000, and if he didn't want to pay that I would have to take them back to Lon- don. I was about to roll them up when I chanced to think of looking for my initials. They were not there — Sheedy was trying to palm off cheap copies on me in place of the originals. Quick as a flash, I pulled out the revolver I always carried in those days ; shoved it right under Sheedy 's nose, and said: ^^Corne, Mr. Sheedy — hand over the original paintings I left with you, or I'll blow your head off!" He was considerably amazed at this warlike nerve on my part, but still had nerve enough left to argue that those were the pictures I had given him. But I was not to be tricked like that. Finally he went into an adjoining room — I after him with the gun in my hand — ^pulled open a drawer and took out the canvasses which had my initials on the back. ^ SOPHIE LYONS I carried them back to London, where ^a^^^^d sold them for $75,000, of which he gave me $10.""'J- J- sold many stolen paintings to Sheedy after that, but he never tried to take advantage of me agam. Eaymond often nsed to tell me that all his bad luck dated from the night he stole the famous Gains- borongh. If the portrait really was a "hoodoo its evil influence was a long time in takmg effect, ihe two or three years after his robbery f the Agnew gallery saw the most daring crimes of tis Me and the money they yielded made him a multi-miUion- aire. Even his heavy losses at Monte Carlo could not seriously affect a fortune which was being stead- ily increased by all sorts of illegal undertakings. He lived like a prince in London and Pans, owned several race horses and maintained, besides a sailing yacht, a palatial steam yacht with a crew of twenty men He liked to vary the monotony of his cruises by deeds of piracy as sensational as any Captain Kidd ever attempted. On one such occasion he robbed a post-office on the island of Malta ; on an- other he attempted to loot a warehouse on the docks at Kingston, Jamaica. This last exploit would have ended in his capture by a British gunboat which pursued him for twenty miles had his yacht not been a remarkably speedy craft. batmond's bxpbet on safe cbaoking Eaymond was a natural leader of men, and he had a sharp eye for able assistants. In has gangs QUEEN OP THE BUEGLAES 67. were the greatest experts he could collect aroimd Mm. Eaymond was not a technically educated ma- chinist, and he felt the need of an expert mechanic. For a number of years he watched the work of various other bank burglars and gave especial at- tention to any work that showed peculiar mechani- cal skill in getting into locks and steel safes. Finally Eaymond got his eye on a very promising young burglar named Mark Shinburn, who turned out to be a perfect wonder as a safe opener. Shin- burn had served an apprenticeship in a machine shop and soon got a job in the factory of the Lilly Safe Company. Locks and safes had a peculiar fascination for Shinburn and he rapidly mastered the whole scheme, theory, and practice of lock- making, and knew the weak points not only of the locks his own company made but also of all the other big safe makers whose locks and safes were on the market. Shinburn was just the man to fit into Eaymond 's band of experts. He had the peculiar and valuable technical knowledge that Eaymond lacked. Eay- mond would select a bank, study the habits of the bank clerks, survey the situation, and lay out the plans for the job. Eaymond would execute all these preliminaries and would lead his men into the bank and face to face with the safe; but at this point Shinburn would bring his genius into action and Eaymond would stand by holding his dark lantern and watching Shinburn with silent admiration. Eaymond and Shinburn were the moving spirits 58 SOPHIE LYONS of the bold gang wMch robbed the Ocean Bank in New York of a million dollars. With them were associated Jimmy Hope, who later led the attack on the Manhattan Bank; my hnsband, Ned Lyons, George Bliss, and several others. ^ On his retnrn from a series of bank robberies on the Continent, Eaymond took apartments m the house of a widow who lived with her two danghters in Bayswater, a snburb of London. He J)ecame in time much attached to this woman and her chil- dten, and lavished every luxury on them, including the education of the girls in the best French schools. For years this family never suspected their bene- factor was a criminal, but supposed him to be a ■prosperous diamond importer. _ When the eldest daughter's education was fin- ished Eaymond married her. She was a beautiful woman, but a weak, clinging sort of creature-very different from strong, self-willed Kate Kelley. Al- though passionately fond of her, Raymond s atti- tude toward her was always that of the devoted father rather than the loving husband. After his marriage Eaymond made many sincere attempts to reform. He became a student of art and literature, and for months at a time would live quietly in his London home or on board his yacht. Then the old life would call him-he would mysteri- ously drop out of sight for a few weeks and with the aid of some of his old associates add another crime to his record. -, t . n a On one of these occasions he and John Ourtm, a QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES, 59 desperate burglar, went to Liege, Belgium. Their object was the robbery of a wagon wbicb carried a large amount of valuable registered mail. Eaymond bad fitted a key to the lock on the wagon and bad sent a decoy package, whose delivery would necessitate the driver leaving the mail unguarded at a certain place. Curtin was to delay the driver's return while Eaymond climbed up on the front of the wagon and rifled the pouches. TKEACHEEY AKD TRAGEDY But Curtin carelessly failed to carry out part of this arrangement and the driver caught Eaymond in the act. He was arrested, convicted, and given the first and only prison sentence he ever received — eight years at hard labor. With the loyalty for which he was famous Eaymond steadfastl^ refused to reveal the identity of the confederate to whose folly he owed his own arrest, and Curtin escaped to England. Soon after his sentence began, rumors reached Eaymond in prison of the undue intimacy of his wife and Curtin. He investigated the reports and found them true. Eaging with indignation at his wife's weakness and his friend's treachery, he broke his lifelong habit of loyalty, confessed to the author- ities Curtin 's share in the attempted robbery and told them where he could be found. Curtin was brought back to Belgium and sentenced to five years in prison. 60 SOPHIE LYONS Mrs. Eaymond's mind gave way under its weigM of remorse, and soon after her hnsband's release she died in an asylum. This was not the only crnsh- ing misfortune the released convict had to tace. Through unfortunate investments and the dishon- esty of friends he had trusted, his fortune ha,d dwindled to almost nothing. He had to sell his yachts, his horses, and his London house with its fine library and art galleries in order to raise enough to provide for the education of his three children. He sent them to America, where they grew to man- hood and womanhood in ignorance of the truth about their father. With an energy worthy of a better cause, Eay- mond at once set about making a new fortune, ihe whole world was his field-forgeries bank robber- ies, and jewel thefts his favorite methods. But the nervous strain under which he had always lived and the long prison term were beginmng to tell on him. His health was poor-his hand and bram were los- ing much of their cunning. Each crime made the ■next one more difBcult, as the police got to know him and his methods better, and at last he was forced to abandon the bolder forms of robbery and devote his time entirely to the theft of famous pamt- Yet in the face of these handicaps, Eaymond xnade'in those last years of his life several tor- tunes. But one after another they ^e^^^^ll ^J'P* away as quickly as they were made, and he died, as I have said, penniless. QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES Did crime pay Harry Eaymond? He invested his natural endowment of brains, resourcefulness, dar- ing, energy, and perseverance in criminal enter- prises—and died a hunted, hungry, trembling out- aast. One-half his industry and intelligence ex- pended in honest business would have insured him a gr^at and enduring fortune and a respected name. If crzme does not pay for the really great criminals, how can the small criminals have any hope? 62 SOPHIE LYONS CHAPTEE ni HOW I ESCAPED FROM SING SING, AND OTHEE DABINQ ESCAPES FKOM PRISON THAT PROFITED TJS NOTHING. It is not easy to get out of Sing Sing Prison. Ned Lyons, the bank burglar, my husband, got out, and so did I. We were both serving sentences of five years at the same time. -, , i -, Ned Lyons was a desperate man, and he had no notion of remaining long in any prison. Although his body was already considerably punctured with pistol bullets, he did not welcome the idea of mvit- ing the rifle balls from the armed sentries who pa- troled the prison walls on all sides. A dash tor liberty was out of the question-if he was to escape it must be through some adroit scheme which would not make him a target for the riflemen who surround the prison. „ , , , i My husband and I had a comfortable home on the East Side in New York, but I had very little peace of mind because of the activities of Lyons and his energetic companions. As I have said be- fore, these men had found it very convenient to have my assistance in their various enterprises, and so it was that my husband and I both got mto^ Smg Sing at the same time-Lyons was confined m the men's prison and I was in the women's prison just across the road. , _ . It was the Waterford. N. Y., bank that had been QUEEN OF THE BURGLAES 63 robbed of $150,000, and in the party were George Bliss, Ira Kingsland, and the famous Jimmy Hope. Of the whole party, Hope alone was not caught Just how my husband got out of Sing Sing I am able to explain, because I myself planned the escape. The day I reached Sing Sing I was turned over to the prison physician for him to find out what my physical condition was, and what kind of work I was best fitted to do. This doctor's name was Collins. I shall never forget him for he was one of the kind- est hearted men I ever knew. In my hope of being assigned to some easy work where I would be able to assist in my husband's plans for escape, I pre- tended to him I was suffering from all sorts of ail- ments. PliANliriNG LYONS ESCAPE ^^Why, Doctor," I said, ^^I'm a sick woman, and besides I don't know how to do any kind of work. IVe never had to work for a living." ^^Well, my good little woman," the doctor re- plied, ^ ^you'll have to learn to work. You're in here for five years, and nobody is allowed to play the lady in Sing Sing Prison, you know." ^^But, Doctor," I said, ^^you wouldn't have Sophie Lyons be anything but a lady, would you?" ^^I^d like to make an honest woman of you, Sophie ' — that's more important than being a lady," he answered gravely, '^and I'm going to try. I've got enough confidence in your sense of honor to give you a position as assistant nurse in the prison hos- 64 SOPHIE LYONS pital. If you profit by your opportunities there, you can learn a good trade which will enable you to maike an honest living when your term is up.'^ Nothing could have suited me better. A position in the hospital is the easiest work the prison offers, and it would give me just the opportunities I needed to help my husband escape. But I tried not to let Dr. Collins see how delighted I was and pretended to be very tearful and penitent as I thanked him for his kindness. My husband was allowed to come and see me once a week under guard of a prison keeper. My conduct was so good and had given the matron and Dr. Collins such confidence in me that Ned and I were soon permitted to talk without any prison offi- cial being present to listen, as the prison rules re- quired. On these visits we had opportunity for discussing various plans for escape, but we both agreed that no one of them would probably succeed. I favored trying to get a forged pass — a counterfeit of the passes given to visitors, which the keeper at the prison door must have before he allows anybody to leave the building. But my husband had serious doubts. About this time the matron's two children were taken sick and I was assigned to her house to take care of them. So faithfully did i nurse them back to health that the matron became quite fond of me and wanted me to remain there permanently as her personal servant. QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 65 When Ned Lyons came to see me again he was amazed at my good fortune in receiving a position which was the next best thing to liberty itself. It not only gave me all sorts of liberties but it enabled me to dress like any servant girl instead of in the regulation prison costume. This last fact would prove of tremendous advantage when my oppor- tunity to make a break for liberty came. ^^eed'^ leaky lekds Am Besides this I was allowed a little pocket money to buy candies, fruit, and occasional trinkets for the children. Ned brought good news this time. He had pon- dered over my suggestion of a forged pass and the more he thought of it the more it seemed a prom- ising scheme. But there were several important things that must be done, and done well, to make the plan reasonably sure of success. Lyons, in prison, could not personally attend to the necessary details. He must have outside help. Usually, in such emergencies, I was the one who was relied upon to attend to matters of this kind— but, unfortunately, I, too, was in prison and under close watch. So, in casting about for a reliable friend, Lyons decided to ask the help of ''Eed'' Leary, the bank burglar, who had been associated with my husband in the famous $3,000,000 Manhattan Bank robbery. iWord was sent to Leary and, on the next ''visitors' 66 SOPHIE LYONS day/' a gentleman with. Mgli silk hat and black gloves and a lawyer's green bag drove up to the prison and sent in his card to the Warden — could Ned Lyons 's ^ lawyer' ' see his imprisoned client? In this guise ''Eed" Leary, high hat, lawyer's bag and gloves, swept into the prison and was courteously allowed an interview with my husband. Ned explained that two important things were needed— a visitor's pass properly signed with the Warden's signature, and a carefully selected dis- guise for the escaping man to use. Could ^^Eed" Leary attend to these two matters? ^^Eed" Leary could, and with much pleasure — and the first move in the proceedings then and there was to carefully chew up his pass into a wad and tuck it behind his upper molar teeth. Ned Lyons was led back to his cell and his '^law- yer" put on his silk hat and arose to leave. He began searching his pockets and his green bag for his missing pass. An attendant helped him. Then the keeper at the door took a hand and looked through his pocketbook and papers while the ^ law- yer," in much distress, turned his pockets inside out. But no pass could be found. At last the principal keeper, Connaughton, was called and he reprimanded the ''lawyer" severely for his carelessness, but finally allowed the visitor to depart— and behind ''Eed" Leary 's back teeth was the pass that was so much needed in forging a fresh one, with the proper day and date on it. Leary returned to New York and enlisted the ser- QUEEN OF THE BXJEGLAES 67 vices of a friend who was an expert check forger and soon had a pass that the Warden of Sing Sing himself wonld not know was a forgery. And this precious piece of paper was smuggled in to Lyons and he hid it in a crack in the floor of his cell. Ned planned to use this pass in making his escape if he could get a wig to cover his closely cropped head, a false beard to disguise his face, and a suit of clothes to replace his prison stripes in time for the next visitors ' day. ^^Eed" Leary was to call to see me the next day and I was to arrange with him about securing these necessaries. They were to be left in an obscure corner grocery outside the prison where a ' ' trusty, ' ^ whom my husband had befriended, would claim them and smuggle them into Ned's cell. It was a Wednesday I had my last call from Ned. Through one of those mysterious underground chan- nels which keep the inmates of every prison in such close touch with the outside world, my husband had learned that on the following Tuesday, which was a visitors' day, the Warden and several other prom- inent officials of the prison were to be away attend- ing a political meeting. That was the day he had set for his escape, provided our friend Leary could deliver the necessary disguise in time. I had my doubts about ^^Eed" Leary, who was good hearted enough and meant well, but was prone to be careless about keeping appointments. To my delight, however, he was on hand next day and he got permission from the matron to see me. When 68 SOPHIE LYONS I asked him if lie had everything in readiness He burst into a torrent of eager explanations. "It's all out there in the buggy, Sophie," he said, "tied up in a bundle that you'd take for anything but what it is. Everything's there and every- thing's right. Why, even the shirt and collar are Ned's right size, and, say, I bet they'll feel good after rubbing his neck for months against that rough prison stuff." THE PBISON BELL SOUNDS ALAKM Leary was a talkative fellow and he was going on with a detailed description of the wig and false beard which he had had made to order for the occa- sion, when Dr. Collins and the matron appeared at the end of the corridor where we were sitting. I signaled "Ned" to keep quiet and led him over to a window. There, under pretext of showing him some gera- niums I was trying to coax into bloom, I hurriedly explained where he was to leave the things and sent him away on the errand which meant so much to Ned and me. The next Tuesday was the longest, most nerve- racking day of my life. I had slept little the night before. All night long my mind was turning over Ned's plans— how, by feigning sickness, he would get permission to leave the shop and go to his cell ; how he would change his clothes and put on the wig and false beard "Eed" Leary had bought; and QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 69 how, just as Ms fellow prisoners were being marclied in to their noonday meal, lie would mingle with the little crowd of departing visitors, surrender his forged pass at the gate and walk out of the main entrance of the prison a free man. I had approved every bit of this plan — ^in fact, I myself had mapped out a large part of it. Yet now, when I considered on what narrow margins its suc- cess depended, I felt it was foredoomed to failure. Ned would be caught in the act — he would be put in solitary confinement — ^perhaps he would be shot dead by some vigilant guard. I arose unusually early that Tuesday morning and worked unusually hard — to hide my nervousness. Nothing out of the ordinary happened to relieve the awful tension. Early in the morning I heard from one of the other prisoners that the Warden and his assistants had gone away for the day. This, of course, coincided with Ned's plans, but it brought me little relief, for I feared that perhaps the offi- cers left in charge might, in the absence of their superiors, be unusually careful in guarding their convict charges. Noon came and went and still I heard nothing to relieve my anxiety. ^^No news is good news," I kept saying to myself, and in this case the old adage really spoke the truth. If there was no excitement about the prison it was good evidence that Ned's absence had not been noted. And if they did not discover his absence until they came to lock the pris- oners up for the night all was well, for by that time 70 SOPHIE LYONS I knew Ned would be safe in Ms old hannts on the East Side, in New York City. But there still remained the discouraging possi- bility that at the last minute some of his plans had miscarried and he had been obliged to postpone the attempt. Night came and I was settiag the table for the evening meal when I heard the sounds of some un- usual excitement over in the men's prison, across the road. There was much running to and fro, keep- ers were shouting to each other and presently the prison bell began to ring frantically. The sound of the bell made my heart jump— it was never rung, I knew, except in case of fire or when a prisoner es- caped. "What on earth is that bell ringing for?" said the matron. I was just saying that I didn't know and was trying to hide my excitement when in rushed Dr. Collins, all breathless and worried. ''Heard the news?" he shouted. And before the matron could say yes or no out he burst with the whole story. "Ned Lyons, the bank robber, has escaped!" he said. "He's been gone since noon and they never knew it until just now, when they went to lock him in his cell and found nothing there but his suit of stripes. It's the boldest escape there's been ia years. "According to all accounts he walked right out of the main gate, stepped into a buggy that was waiting, and drove off like a gentleman. Of course QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 71 he was disguised, and so cleverly they say that one of the head gatekeepers bowed to him at the gate, thinking he was a member of that new legislative commission from Albany. A great weight rolled from my heart — Ned was free ! I managed to control my feelings and it was lucky I did, for the next instant I saw the matron point a warning finger in my direction, and at that the doctor lowered his voice so that I could hear no more. KED liYOKS m DISGUISE The next morning, of course, the whole prison knew of the escape. ^^If I get out I'll have you out in a few weeks,'' Ned had promised, and every day I was expecting some word from him. As time went on, the confidence the matron and the doctor had in me seemed to increase rather than diminish. Soon I was allowed to accompany the matron's little daughters on long walks througji the grounds outside the prison, and even as far as the village. On one of these walks my attention was attracted by the peculiar actions of an old Indian peddler. He was a copper-colored, long-haired old chief, with Indian baskets and strings of beads on his arms. As soon as 1;he girls and I stepped out of the prison gate this queer looking, bent old man singled us out from all the rest of the crowd and began following HS about, urging us with muffled grunts to buy some 72 SOPHIE LYONS of the bead goods lie carried in a basket strapped around his neck. I thought he was crazy and told him very em- phatically that I didn't want any of his trash. But this did not discourage him in the least, and he dogged our footsteps wherever we went. At last— more to be rid of the old fellow than be- cause I wanted anything he had— I selected from his stock a pair of bead slippers. As I handed him the money I felt him press a Httle folded slip of paper into the hollow of my hand. j Quick as a flash I closed my fingers over it, and in that instant I recognized— under the old Indian peddler's clever disguise— my husband, Ned Lyons. He had come back to the very gates of the prison from wHch he had escaped to bring this message to me! „ , 1 Kate Leary, wife of '^Red" Leary, the bank burglar, was coming to see me soon— so the note said. I was to have my plans for escape all ready to discuss with her. Now, the only way of getting out of my prison I had been able to discover was through a door which led from a little used passageway in the basement of the matron's house to a point just outside the prison walls. . This door— a massive, iron-barred attair-^was seldom if ever opened. The big brass key which tmlocked it hung with other keys from a ring sus- pended at the matron's belt. QUEEN OF THE BUKGLAES 73 Kate Leary could easily have a duplicate of that key made, but first I must secure a model of the original. This wasn't a difficult task — I had often done similar tricks to aid my husband in his bank robberies. I slipped into the matron's room while she was taking a nap and took a careful impression of the key on a piece of wax. In due time Kate Leary brought the key which had been carefully made from my wax model. At the first opportunity I tried it — it fitted the rusty old lock perfectly! Hiding the key away as care- fully as I ever hid any stolen diamonds, I waited impatiently for the night set for my escape. It came at last. Between 6 and 7 o 'clock was the hour, because then my household duties frequently took me into the vicinity of the basement door. It was a crisp December evening. It had snowed heav- ily all day, and it was still snowing and was grow- ing colder. About 6 :30 I heard a peculiar low whistle. That was the signal that the pair of horses and the sleigh which were to carry me away were waiting outside. There was, of course, no opportunity to get my hat and coat. Luckily I was all alone in the lower house — ^upstairs I could hear the matron and her family laughing and talking over their dinner. Putting down the tray of dishes I was carrying I snatched the key from its hiding place under a flour barrel and hurried noiselessly along the dark pas- sageway to the door that led to liberty. My heart was thumping with excitement — ^my 74 SOPHIE LYONS fingers were trembling so that I could hardly find the keyhole. It seemed ages before the lock turned and I stepped out into the cold winter night Although every second was precious 1 took time to close the door behind me and lock it By thus concealing the way I had gone I would delay my pursuers just so much. From an open window above me floated the voice of one of the matron's little daughters as I Picked my way through the snow, bareheaded and with house slippers, avoiding the regular path. ''Mamma," she was saying; "why doesn t Sophie bring the rest of my dinner!" ''She'll bring it in a minute," the mother replied. I heaved a sigh of relief-quite evidently my ab- sence had not yet caused any suspicion. Hurling the key into a snowdrift, I ran to the waiting sleigh. Ned was standing beside the sleigh with a big warm fur coat outstretched in his arms. Without a word I slipped into the coat, liopped^mto the sleigh, and Ned gave the horses a clip with the whip and away we dashed toward Poughkeepsie The long fur coat and stylish hat which Ned had brought made me look like anything but an escaped; convict. After a good warm supper at Poughkeep- sie, we took the night train for New York and reached there safely the next morning. And so we were free! But what had we gained by our escape? W@ shall When my husband first suggested his escape from QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 75 Sing Sing lie promised me tliat if lie ever succeeded in getting out lie would give up crime and turn to some honest and honorable work. That promise was made while his remorse was sharpened by his sudden change from high living to poor prison fare, and I was now to see how weak his good intentions really were. After a few weeks in New York, where we re- ceived the warm congratulations of many friends on our escape from Sing Sing, we went to Canada to visit our children who were in school there. It was not long before our funds began to get low. I thought this a favorable time to remind my hus- band of his promises and to urge him to get some honest employment. But he would not listen to me. ' ' That would be all very well if I had any money, ' ' he said ; ' 'but I can't settle down until I have enough capital to give me a decent start. Wait "until I do one more good bank job and then I will think about living differently. ' ^ AK EASY BANK KOBBEKY I agreed to this reluctantly, for I felt a premo- nition that when this ''one more job" was finished we should both find ourselves back in Sing Sing again. And, as it turned out, I was right. It was not altogether lack of money or the desire to live a decent life which made me plead with Ned to reform. The fact that there was a reward on both our heads and that at any minute some am- 76 SOPHIE LYONS bitious detective was liable to recognize us was be- ginning to tell on my nerves. Ned used to try to laugh my fears away by saying that I saw police- men in my sleep. Probably I did— at any rate, I know that for months, asleep or awake, I would jump at the slightest sound, thinking it was an offi- cer come to take us back to Sing Sing. We could not live natural lives but had to be constantly dodg- ing about, and occasionally running to cover for long intervals. The "one more job" my husband had in mind was the robbery of a Montreal bank. He looked the ground over, found it to his liking, and then sent for a friend of ours, Dave Cummings, an experi- enced bank robber, to come on from New York and help us. It was really a very simple undertaking for three such expert criminals as we were. My part of it was merely to stand in the shadow of an alley and watch for the possible return of one of the bank's two watchmen. There was small chance of his put- ting in an appearance, for my husband had previ- ously cultivated his acquaintance, and on this par- ticular evening had been plying him with mugs of ale until he had left him fast asleep in a nearby saloon. ^ Inside the bank there was a second watchman. He was an old man, but when he discovered Ned and Dave crawling through the rear window, which they had opened with their jimmies, he put up such a stiff fight that they had all they could do to stun QUEEN OF THE BUEaLAES 77. him with a blow on the head, stuff a handkerchief down his throat, and tie his hands and feet with a piece of rope. As it was, they .made so much noise that I nearly had nervous prostration in the alley where I was crouching half a block away. think I'd better keep an eye on this old chap while jou get the coin, Dave," my husband said, ruefully rubbing a bruised cheek he had received in the tussle with the faithful guardian of the bank. So, as a matter of precaution, my husband mounted guard with his revolver over the watch- man, while Dave solved the combination of the safe. Nothing further happened to interfere with our plans and by daybreak we were well on our way to- ward the Canadian border. We had expected to get at least $30,000 from this robbery, but when we came to empty the satchel in which Dave had placed the plunder, we found there was not quite half that amount. It was all Dave's fault, as we learned later from the news- papers. He had carelessly overlooked a bundle of currency containing $25,000. I had always consid- ered Dave Cummings a thoroughly careful and re- liable man, but this expensive oversight of his rather shook my confidence in him. My husband and I returned to New York with our share of the booty. There, a few days later, we were arrested, but not for the bank robbery in Montreal. The detectives who had been searching for us ever since our escape from Sing Sing had 78 SOPHIE LYONS found our hiding place at last, and they took U3 back to prison to serve out our terms. In our prison cells, once more, we had ample op- portunity to consider how fruitless of results our escape had been. For all the risks we had run in getting out and for all the worrisome months we had spent in dodging detectives we had nothing to show except the fleeting satisfaction of a few days with our children. What had we gained? Nothing. HOW BTTLIABD GOT OUT A criminal's reputation for cleverness among his fellows depends very largely upon his ability to escape— or to help his friends to escape. Mark Shinburn used to take more pride in the way he broke into the jail at White Plains, New York, to free Charley Bullard and Ike Marsh, two friends of his, than he did in some of his boldest robberies. After reconnoitering the ground and carefully planning the jail delivery, Shinburn and his com- panion, Eaymond, put in a hard night's work bur- rowing into the jail. They took Marsh and Bullard out, but what was gained? Marsh was soon in trouble again and Bullard was taken again and ended his days in prison. And now one more instance— a very curious one. Of all the ways by which thieves have cheated the law out of its due, the most ingenious was probably the way "Sheeney Mike" brought about his release from the Massachusetts State Prison. He feigned QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 79 illness so cleverly that the eminent physicians of the State Medical Board pronounced him suffering from a mysterious and incurable disease and ord- ered his release after he had served only three years of his twelve-year sentence for one of his daring burglaries. It was the robbery of Scott & Co/s silk ware- house in Boston that sent ^/Sh^eney Mike'^ to Charlestown Prison, from which he so ingeniously escaped. He discovered that the watchman was vigilant all through the night except between the hours of 12 and 1 o 'clock, when he went out to get something to eat. Mike secured a false key which unlocked a door to the warehouse, and arranged for two trucks to be on hand at a few minutes past 12 one night. When the truckmen arrived they found Mike at the door of the warehouse coolly smoking a cigar. Quite naturally they thought he was the proprietor. After helping the men to load the trucks with $20,- 000 worth of expensive silks, ^^Sheeney Mike'' turned out the lights, locked the door, and drove away to Medford, a suburb of Boston, where the goods were unloaded. Before Mike found an opportunity to ship his plunder to New York he was arrested, found guilty, and sentenced to fifteen years in prison. He tried every means of escape he could think of without avail. At last, in his desperation to get out, he began drinking large quantities of strong soap suds. This made him deathly sick and unable 80 SOPHIE LYONS to retain any nonrishment. His snfferings became so intense that lie had to be removed from bis cell to the prison hospital. In the prison hospital the doctor m charge began watching his patient to be snre that some trick was not being played on him. A careful examination of Mike revealed no organic trouble-the doctor could find no reason for the strange symptoms. And vet right in front of his eyes Mike would be taken with violent pains in the stomach, followed by vom- The prison doctor was worried. He gave stomach tonics Still the spasms and nausea continued. He put his patient on a cereal diet-but his vomiting was not lessened. He changed the diet- he gave beef juice; he changed it to milk and brandy-noth- ing brought relief. . , tt +i,;a The prison doctor was worried. Here was this once vigorous man wasting away to a pallid skele- ton in spite of his best efforts. The doctor was a conscientious man and he called a consultation of two outside physicians at his own expense. They patiently went over the record of the case and ex- amined -Sheeney Mike" minutely-there was noth- ing to account for the patient's alarming condition. Still, it might possibly be this or that, and so they would recommend trying a few things that had not yet been tried by the prison doctor. QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 81 ''SHEENEY mike's" ESCAPE ''Slieeney Mike" thought that the time had come for some new manifestation of his mysterious dis- ease which would still further puzzle and frighten the doctor, so, as the new treatment of the consult- ing doctors was begun, Mike made preparation for some new symptoms. He scraped an opening in his right side and each night rubbed salt and pepper into it. He soon had an angry looking inflammation which shortly produced a flow of pus. When Mike had reached this achievement with his sore he lan- guidly called the doctor's attention to it. This new development was enough. The doctor sadly shook his head. Things were going from bad to worse. ' 'My poor man, ' ' he. said, ' 'you probably haven 't a month to live— certainly not in this prison. You might improve if you had your freedom; I don't know. I am convinced that it would be murder to keep you here. I shall at once recommend to Gov- ernor Butler that you be pardoned. I decline to have your death on my conscience any longer." On the ground that the patient could not possibly live more than a few weeks in prison all three doc- tors solemnly certified to the Governor that ''Shee- ney Mike" was a,dying man and recommended im- mediate pardon. Governor Butler approved the recommendation, and next day out walked " L'heeney Mike" free, pardoned and restored to full citizen- g2 SOPHIE LYONS .Hp Soap snds, a little salt and a sprinkling of "newer had opened the bars for him. ^ But what m -Sheeney Mike" gain by all this? ^ He'hfd his freedom and a langh on the doctors-- hnt his astonishing persistence in his soap-sud poi- soniShad IT recZed his strength and he finally died m Bel^- vne Hospital in great agony after a long and pam- ^""i^? now one more case-also unusual and re- Of course, the escape of Eddie Guerin, a few years a^o from DevU's Island surprised everybody and Xacted a great deal of attention^ ^XVand well-known thief who has operated m England, Imerica and more or less all over Europe. Guerm. t'hTcompanion, robbed a ^-k in Lyons,^^^^^^^^^^ „f tin 000 and a little later stole $30,000 trom me ilrifan Express Company in Paris These two jXs were too much for the French pohce, and they ^Sn,*"— nnder the name of Walter MU- ler and assisted by aocompl>»e, entered the ISerTcan Express Company's ofBce m Pans under pretense of transacting some busmess The ■Ither man busied himself attracting the a^nhon^f the agent while Guerin sprang across the counter ^th a drawn pistol. At this moment the agent and Itnple oTcJks noticed Guerin's peculiar actmty, bum y were unable to make any outcry or move QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 83 because Guerin's accomplice kept the express com- pany's employees covered with a couple of revolvers. Guerin helped himself to $30,000 which was lying within reach in an open safe, and then the two thieves coolly walked ont the door. Guerin was caught and convicted of the express company robbery, and sentenced to fourteen years' imprisonment in the French penal colony on DeviPs Island, off the coast of South America. This is the place where Captain Dreyfus, the French army of- ficer, was imprisoned, and it has been the boast of the French police, that nobody can escape from Devil's Island. Guerin had served four years of his sentence be- fore he succeeded in maturing a plan for escape. He had the friendship of a notorious woman known as '^Chicago May," who collected a fund in New York's underworld and managed to get the money into Guerin 's hands on Devil's Island. By the judicious use of this money Guerin arranged for the escape of himself and two other prisoners, French convicts, whom he decided would be helpful to him in the jour- ney through the swamps and wildernesses after they left the penal colony. The prison officials who had been reached by Guerin 's fund arranged to, have him and his fellow convicts sent under guard to the outermost part of the Island, which is a dense swamp, full of malaria and poisonous snakes and insects. The next day the guards, who had been well paid, buried a dead convict in the prison cemetery, and over the grave 84 SOPHIE LYONS they set np a headboard bearing the name -Eddie GnLin " This ^as to complete the records of the prison,' and a dnly certified copy of the prison rec- ord, teUing of Guerin's death and bnnal, was for- warded to France. This much accomplished, Guerin and hxs two com- panions were allowed to get away from the guards and they were soon lost in the swamp They were allowed to carry some tools, water, and provisions. mJe the gnards made a feeble and perfunctory seScl in thf swamps the three convicts set to work buX completing a boat and paddles. When these iTrffinlshed thfy loaded the boat with their food supplies, launched it and headed along the South Zeric^B coast for Dutch Guiana, the three men paddling and sleeping by turns. I have heard Guerin's own account of his escape, and I will repeat it just as he told it. Guerin was armed with a revolver and cartridges, fortunately, as otherwise all his Pff ^^^^ ^^^^^^."^^^ been in vain. After a day or two m the boat he noticed that his two companions were gromng very chm^y. They were astonishingly wiUing to do the Tiaddluig and let him sleep. , . i ^+ ^ So one night Guerin feigned to be asleep but kept an eye and both ears open. Presently he heard his ^^mpanlns talking together in Spanish which they had no reason to believe he understood. The men whom he had helped out of prison had made up their minds that he had a lot of money left. ?hey were conspiring to slit his throat as he slept, QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES' 85 rob his body and feed bim to the sharks. The men lost no time in putting the enterprise into opera- tion. But, as they crept upon him, knives in hand, they found themselves looking into the muzzle of his ' revolver. "For three days and nights," Guerin has told, "I could hardly lower the muzzle of my revolver, and for them to stop paddling would mean only pro- longation of the agony of our escape." At last all were so exhausted that they decided to try to rig a sail by tying their shirts to an oar. A breeze had sprung up and a moderately large sea was now endangering the craft. Everywhere about the boat were big man-eating sharks. These crea- tures swam around the boat, frequently whirling over on their backs and snapping their jaws withia reaching distance of the little craft. One of Guerin 's companions began to complain about his eyes, and the reflection of the fierce tropi- cal sun on the water had almost blinded all three convicts. Suddenly this man stood up in the boat and pressed his sun-burned hands to his eyes. He groped for a moment about him like a blind man, and then lost his balance and fell to the side of the canoe. The boat heeled over and began to take water over the side and Guerin and this companion were thrown into the water. A shark close by made a dash for Guerin 's companion, and this gc ve Guerin a chance to clamber back into the canoe, as another shark swept around the stern, narrowly musing the American burglar. 86 SOPHIE LYONS HOEBOBS WOBSE THAN DEATH The tragic end of one of the party terrified Gnerin and the remaining convict, and pnt an end to the con- spiracy against Gnerin. But the straining of the canoe when it had nearly npset and the rising sea had made the boat begin to leak. Guerin and his fellow voyager decided that they conld not nsk it any longer in the boat, but must make a landing and Jtinnf their journey through the swamps and wildernesses and run the risk of encountering hostile ""^After the canoe was beached they hauled it up on shore and hid it among the trees so as to leave no track in case a searching party should follow after them. They had no very ^f^^^^'^^fi^l proper direction to f oUow-knowmg only that they lere on the wild coast of Dutch Guiana, and must Travel inland several miles to find a settlement Both men were as thin as skeletons, worn out with ban« paddling the leaky boat, and their scanty food supply was scarcely fit to eat. They plunged haphaSinto the tropical forest and swamp. They hafnotHng to mark the time but the sun, which was , sometimes completely hidden by the dense foliage. Treading cautiously through the swamps and for- ests filled with treacherous death traps, they were fri^ed and tortured by the p~ ^^^^ poisonous snakes and venomous insects and lizards. Describing this trip, which lasted several days, Gnerin said: QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 87 "After a while we seemed to be struggling through an endless maze, that was leading in the end to nowhere, and this sort of thing went on and on. Sometimes the undergrowth, waist high, would rustle as an invisible snake took flight before us. The next moment we would be floundering in a quagmire, not knowing whether to go back or to the left or to the right, and conscious of sinking deeper with each second of indecision. "With throbbing head, burning skin, chattering teeth, aching and leaden limbs, we were inclined to throw ourselves down to miserably die, and we knew that the swamp fever was upon us." Finally, Guerin and his companion reached a river a,nd concluded that they would follow its bank in the hope of coming upon a native camp, where they would take chances of a friendly or unfriendly re- ception. Before long their bloodshot eyes beheld a hut. As they approached it, swaying and trembling from their hunger and hardships and fever, a black native emerged and set up a shout which soon col- lected many other blacks from neighboring huts, who rushed at them with spears. Guerin could not understand their language, but endeavored to explain to them that they wanted food, rest, and a guide. Guerin 's companion, in an effort to make plain their willingness to pay for what they wanted, showed a couple of francs in sil- ver. This was an unfortunate move, because it ex- cited the cupidity of the blacks, who promptly fell upon them and searched them and took away every- gg SOPHIE LYONS thing they had of value, after which they were pushed into a hut and kept prisoners. _ Sick, weak, almost discouraged, Guerin and his companion managed to escape, and, stumbling through the treacherous morasses, emerged m the neighborhood of an Indian village. Unlike_ the blacks, these natives greeted the strangers m a friendly manner and invited Guerin and his coni- panion to stay with them until they were rested and able to continue their journey. After a few days Guerin and the other convict were given a guide by the Indians and he piloted them to a sea- port, where they embarked on a boat loading for New Orleans. From New Orleans Guerin went to Boston, and then took passage for England, hop- ing to find the woman he had been in love with when he was sent away to Devil's Island. Guerm found her but she was then the sweetheart of another. In the row that followed this woman and her lover tried to shoot Guerin. And so Eddie Guerin escaped-but he purcnased his freedom at a frightful cost of agony and rumed ^^Does crime pay? Nobody will claim_ that it does if the criminal gets into prison. But criminals often escape from prison, it is urged-what then? And it is to answer this question that I have endeavored to take the public behind the scenes and show them the real truth about a few famous escapes from pris- on and how the escaped convicts profited nothing, but were, indeed, worse off than they were before. QUEEN OP THE BUEGLAES 89 CHAPTEE IV .WOMEN CEIMINALS OF EXTEAOEDINAEY ABILITY WITH WHOM I WAS m PAETKEESHIP Sophie Lyons, bank president— can you imagine it? Strange as it may seem, I actually held such a position in New York City for several months, and the experience proved one of the most surprising in my whole career. Although this venture in high finance yielded me only a bare living and nearly landed me in a prison cell, it gave me a remarkable insight into the meth- ods used by clever women to swindle the public, and showed me how these women are able to carry through schemes which the most skillful men in the underworld would never dare undertake. All this happened in the days before I had won the wide reputation which my crimes later gave me. I had come to New York with very little money and with no definite plans for getting any— my husband was serving a term in prison and I was temporarily alone and on my own resources. Walking up Broadway one day, I came face to face with Carrie Morse, a woman I knew by reputa- tion as one of the most successful swindlers in the business. Friends of mine had often pointed her out to me, but we had never been introduced, and I had no idea that she knew me. I was, therefore, greatly surprised when she stepped up to me and called me by name : 90 ' SOPHIE LYONS ''Why SopHe Lyons, how do you dor' she said, with the well-bred cordiality which was such an im- ^rtaut part of her stock in trade. -Come m and have some tea with me." As we entered a well known restaurant I noted with envious eyes the evidences of prosperity which Carrie flaunted. From the long ostrich plume which drooped from her Parisian hat to the shiny taps of her high-heeled shoes she was dressed m the height of fashion and expense. At her throat sparkled a valuable diamond brooch, and, when she removed her gloves, there flashed into view a princely array of 'rings which made my own few jewels look quite cheap and insignificant. > WE FT.A-N- TO STABT A BANK And yet, except for this somewhat too lavish dis- T)lav of iewelry, there was nothing loud or oyer- tssed ablut h^r. It was plain that she knew how to buy clothes, and her tall, well-rounded figure set off her stylish garments admirably. In every detail -her well kept hands, her gentle voice, her superb complexion, and the dainty way she had of wearing her mass of chestnut hair-she was the Personifica- tion of luxury and refinement. As she looked that day Carrie Morse would have passed ^^y^l;^5^."^3 oZ the slightest question for the beautiful ancJ cultured wife of some millionaire. All these facts, which I took in at a glance, made xne less inclined to question too closely the motives QUEEN OF THE BURGLARS 91 wMcli had prompted her to hail me as an old friend when we had never had even a speaking acquaint- ance. Quite evidently she had lots of money or an unlimited line of credit. How did she get it? That was what I was curious to find out. I made up my mind that I would be just as nice to her as I knew how— hoping that I might learn from her a new and easy road to wealth. By the time our tea was served we were chatting away like old friends. ''Sophie/' she said, ''I'm going to take you into my confidence and help you make a lot of money. lYou and I will start a bank.'' "You mean, rob a bank, don't you?" I said, not quite able to believe my ears. "I mean nothing of the sort," she said, setting down her teacup with a thump. "You and I will start a bank. It will be a bank for ladies only. Any woman who has a little money saved up can come to us for advice. We will take her money and show her where she can invest it so that she will get more interest than she could in any other way." "But I don't know anything about running a bank," I protested. "I'm Ned Lyons 's wife— he and I are bank robbers, not bank owners. ' ' "That's all right," she reassured me. "It's not necessary for you to know anything about running banks in order to hold the position I have in mind. All you have to do is to follow my instructions— and you'll soon be wearing as many diamonds as lam." 92 SOPHIE LYONS A half hour before I should have thought it the height of absurdity for any one to suggest my en- gaging in a wild-cat banking scheme with Carrie Morse. Yet now I sat spellbound by her magnetic power— patiently listening to details which were all Greek to me and getting from every word she ut- tered renewed confidence in the reality of the finan- cial castles in the air which were to make us both millionaires. What a business woman Carrie Morse would have made' With her personal charms, her eloquence, and her quick ingenuity she had no need to depend on crime for a living-she could have accumulated a fortune in any legitimate line of work. I ,ENTER **HIGH FINANCE" The upshot of it all was that I agreed heart and soul to Carrie Morse's plans for taking a short cut to fortune. First, she had excited my avarice by her stories of the ease with which money could be made; then she- dazed me by her apparent familiar- ity with the intricacies of finance. At last I became as credulous as any farmer is when he comes to the city to exchange a few hard earned dollars for ten times their value in green goods. I accompanied Carrie to the door of her hotel. The fact that she was staying at the tashionable Brunswick, whUe I was finding it hard work to raise the price of a room at a modest hotel farther down QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 93 town, proved another argument in favor of my fol- lowing the leadership of my new found friend. "Meet me at 9 o'clock to-morrow," Carrie had said, ''at No. West Twenty-third street." I was on hand a few minutes before the appointed hour. The address she had given me was a three- story brownstone-front house just beyond the busi- ' ness section of the street. But I was barely able to see it through the clouds o! mortar dust raised by a gang of workmen who were busily engaged in tearing out the whole front of the building. ''Yes, this is No. — ," said one of the workmen to whom I addressed a rather startled inquiry ''We're making it over into offices." I was con- vmced that I had made a mistake in the address and was just on the point of turning away when I saw Carrie Morse coming down the steps. "Good morning," she called cheerily. ''This is the new bank— or, rather, it will be when these workmen get it finished. And you, my dear, are no longer Sophie Lyons, but Mrs. Celia Eigsby, the president of this rich and prosperous institution tor the amelioration of the finances of the women of New York." 'fBut," I said, beginning now for the first time to feel some doubts about the undertaking in which I had so suddenly embarked, ''where is all the money coming from to start this bank?" "Money?" said Carrie, lowering her voice to a hoarse whisper. "Don't speak of that so loud-the workmen might hear you. I've leased this house and 94 SOPHIE LYONS I'm having all these alterations made on credit. I haven't a cent to my name-that's why I'm start- ing this hank. I need money and this is the easiest way I know to make it." „ « Carrie's easy confidence allayed most of my fears and I forgot the rest when, from some mysterious source, she produced money enough to support me in comparative luxury during the ten days we had to wait for the bank to he completed. She msisted that there was absolutely nothing for me to do in the meantime and that she didn't want to see me in Twenty-third street until the bank was ready for business. . t.« t, t I was hardly prepared for the surprises which i found when I visited the bank on the appointed day. Over the entrance hung a huge brass sign readmg, "New York Women's Banking and Investment Company." The entire front of the building had been remodeled into a commodious and up-to-date Counting room. This was lighted by two large plate glass windows and the entrance was through a mas- sive door whose glass was protected by heavy bars. These bars looked for all the world like iron, but Carrie assured me that they were only wood covered with tin and painted black. Inside were all the appurtenances of a first-class banking establishment— brass railings, desks, coun- ters, chairs, and, in the most conspicuous position, an enormous "burglar proof" safe. In the rear were partitioned off two little private offices, their QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 95 doors labeled ^'Mrs. Celia Eigsby, President/' and ^*Mrs. Carrie Morse, General Manager. ^'All this quite took my breath away, but what im- pressed me most of all was the sight of half a dozen old graybeards who were busily engaged on some bulky account books. Not one of these men could have been less than sixty years old and all were of venerable aspect, with spectacles, white hair, and long, white beards. Why do you hire such old men?'' I asked Carrie at the first opportunity. ^^And where do you get the money to pay all of them?" ^^S-s-sh!" she whispered. Don't you know there's nothing that inspires people's confidence like old men? Many people who would never trust their money to a young, active man will gladly hand it over to an old, venerable appearing fellow. And the next best thing to an old man is a pretty woman - — that's why I think you and I shall make such a success of this business. As for paying these old men, they don't get a cent. They are all working for nothing in the hope of getting a chance to in- vest some money in the business." HOW WE FOOTED THE PUBI^CG I was so impressed by these fresh evidences of Carrie's business ability and my own ignorance that I felt quite relieved when she informed me that I would not have to remain at the bank, but would fulfill my duties as president at some apartments 96 SOPHIE LYONS she had taken for me in a fashionable quarter of Fifth avenue. These apartments were furnished in splendid style and Carrie handed me a roll of bills with which to purchase some gowns that would be in keeping with my new home. After my wardrobe was purchased and my trunks moved over from the hotel, I was not long in learn- ing just what Carrie expected of me. She began inserting advertisements in all the leading news- papers offering "widows and other women of means" investments which were guaranteed to net them from 15 to 20 per cent, on their money." When women called in answer to the advertise- ment at the bank on Twenty-third street many of them would want more evidence than Carrie could supply before they would part with their money. These doubting ones were referred to me— Mrs. Celia Eigsby, if you please, who had made a fortune by investing her late husband's $1,500 insurance money in the securities offered by the Women's Banking and Investment Company. The advertisements were kept going in the news- papers, and more and more women kept coming to the bank on Twenty-third street. Mrs. Morse re- ceived them all, talked many of them into leaving their money with her right then and there, and to those who had misgivings she said sweetly: "But I would rather you would not be influenced by anything I have said. It is your duty to your- self to investigate and assure yourself as to just yfhat profits we are really paying on investments. QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 97 Perhaps you would like to see and talk with one of our customers who has done so well with our in- ' vestments that she has taken an interest in our bank. I'm sure you'd be interested in talking with Mrs. Eigsby." The style in which I lived on Fifth avenue left no doubt of my wealth, and, with Carrie's help, I soon had a glib and convincing story to tell of my previ- ous poverty and the steps I had taken to reach my present prosperity. Of course, I explained, I took no active part in the bank's affairs. I allowed the use of my name as president and permitted Mrs. Morse to refer prospective investors to me merely because I was so well satisfied with the way my own investments had turned out and felt a philanthropic desire to share my good fortune with other women. Business increased rapidly and greater crowds of women came in reply to my partner's glowing ad- vertisements. Many of them would hand over their money right away in exchange for a handful of the crinkly stock certificates which filled a whole room in the rear of the bank. These certificates were printed in all the colors of the rainbow, for, as Car- rie naively explained, ''some of the ladies prefer green, some blue, some black, and so on." Carrie was jubiliant. She kept me liberally sup- plied with money for clothes and the heavy expenses of my apartment, but wlien I asked her about a further share of the profits she said: ''Sophie, you're as ignorant as a new born babe 98 SOPHIE LYONS of business methods. It's always customary to leave all tlie money in a new business until tbe end of six months. Then we'll divide what we've made, turn the bank over to someone else and go to Eu- rope for a long rest." I had my doubts about the truth of this, but, as i was making a good living with little effort and had nothing better in sight just then, I determined to continue under Carrie's leadership. She contmually reassured me by insisting that what we were domg was just as legitimate as any business and that there was nothing in it for which the police could take us to 1/3. sk Although I foolishly had confidence in Carrie's ability to keep out of trouble, I did not for a minute believe that the securities she was selling were worth the paper they were printed on. Still, as most of the women who called to see me seemed to be persons of means who could well afford to contribute toward our support, I did not feel any serious compunc- tions at advising them to invest. It seemed no worse than picking a rich man's pocket or robbmg a wealthy bank— and it was not half so difficult or so hazardous to life and liberty. OUE BANKING BITBBLE BURSTS One day, however, something happened that filled me with honest indignation at Carrie Morse and her schemes. A poor, bent old widow called to see me —a woman whose threadbare clothes and rough QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 99 hands plainly showed how she had to struggle to make a living. Tied up in her handkerchief she had $500 which she had just drawn from a savings bank. ''It's all I have in the world/' she said with tears in her eyes, ''and IVe had to scrimp and slave for every cent of it. I saw Mrs. Morse's advertisements and IVe been to see her this morning. She says if I'll give my money to her she can double it for me in two years. Would I better do it? I'm only a poor old woman and I want you to give me your advice?" As diplomatically as I could I explained to her that, while Mrs. Morse's scheme was an excellent one, it would be much wiser for a woman in her cir- cumstances to keep her money in the savings bank, and I made her promise that she would put it back there at once. Then I put on my hat and coat and hurried over to the bank to see Carrie Morse. As usual Carrie was in the midst of an enthusias- tic description of her stocks while a long line of women anxiously awaited their turn with her. I took her by the arm, led her into one of the private offices, and shut the door. "Carrie Morse, this sort of business has got to stop," I said with all the emphasis I could. "I'm willing to help you swindle women who can afford to lose the money, but I positively will not have any part in taking the bread out of the mouths of poor widows like the one you just sent over to see me. Sooner than do that I'll starve— or go back to rob- bing banks or picking pockets." 100 SOPHIE LYONS "There, there— don't get excited," she said sooth- ingly. "Perhaps I did make a mistake in encourag- ing the poor widow. But this is a business where you can't help being deceived sometimes. Often the women who plead poverty the hardest and dress the poorest really have the most money hidden away. I'll give you my word of honor, though, that I won't accept any money from that widow even if she tries to force it on me." Somewhat mollified at this I started back home to renew my interviews with the prospective investors who came daily in crowds. For several weeks things went on as before. Then one day I chanced to meet the poor widow who had so excited my sympathies. To my surprise she con- fessed that she had finally yielded to the lures of Mrs. Morse's advertisements and had given her $500 for some shares in a bogus western oil com- pany. I was indignant that "Carrie should have forgot- ten her promise in that way, and I set out at once to demand an explanation. As I was approaching the bank my attention was attracted by some un- usual excitement just outside the entrance. Scenting trouble and thinking perhaps it would be just as well if I were not recognized in that vi- cinity I slipped into a doorway across the street where I could see what was going on without being seen. Around the doors of the bank surged a crowd ot several hundred very excited persons, mostly QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 101 women. Among them I recognized many of the ladies whom I had urged to invest in Carrie's se- curities. I also noticed onr landlord, the contractor who had altered the building, the man who had sup- plied the furniture, a collector for the gas company, and numerous other creditors of the bank. The doors of the bank were closed and the closely drawn shades revealed no sign of life inside. In front of the doors stood three blue-coated policemen vainly trying to keep the pushing crowd back. What interested me most was two Central Office detectives who mingled with the crowd trying to get some information from the hysterical women. They made slow progress, for the women were too excited to do more than repeat over and over again the sad refrain: ^'My money's gone!" But the sight of those plain clothes men showed me the wisdom of getting out of the way before they had time to get too deep into the cause of all the trouble. Quite plainly the bubble had burst. Some inves- tor had become suspicious and the investigation which she or her husband had started had demol- ished the flimsy structure which Carrie's vivid im- agination had reared. Bitterly I thought of Carrie's treachery to me. Without a word of warning she had fled, leaving me alone and almost penniless to face arrest. By now she was doubtless on her way to Europe or Canada with all the money in which I should rightfully have shared. There was only one thing for me to do — get away 102 SOPHIE LYONS from my Fifth avenue house before any of the women investors recovered enough of their senses to put the police on my trail. Hurriedly throwing a few of my possessions into a trunk I shipped it to my friend Mr. Eowe's hotel and followed there my- self on foot. To Mr. Eowe I poured out the whole story of my troubles and asked his help. He was very willing to do all in his power to aid me. ^^It looks bad for you, Sophie," he said. A de- tective was here less than fifteen minutes ago in- quiring for you and the chances are that he'll be back again before long. But I can easily hide you until night, and then we'll try to find some way of smuggling you to the station. I'll loan you what- ever money you need and will ship your trunk to you when you get to Detroit." Mr. Eowe was right — the detective returned and posted himself at the front door of the hotel. With him came another headquarters man to guard the side entrance. They were evidently convinced that Sophie Lyons was in the hotel pr that she would soon return there. HOW I ESCAPED AEEEST Night came and the two sleuths showed no signs of leaving. The only avenue of escape from the upper room where I had been hiding all day was by the window. With Mr. Eowe's kind hejp I securely fastened to QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 103 the window frame one end of a long rope, which was kept for use in case of fire. Down this I slid in the darkness to the roof of a one-story building ad- joining the hotel. From there it was an easy drop to a little alley, which finally brought me out on Broadway. After an agonizing wait of several minutes at the station I got safely on board a train and was soon speeding toward Detroit. Then I drew the first long breath I had taken since morning, when I had seen that tearful crowd of investors and creditors in front of the closed bank. Carrie Morse was never caught or punished for the ladies' bank swindle, which the newspapers later said must have netted her at least $50,000. Years after I met her in Chicago where she was operating a matrimonial agency which was almost as crooked as the bank had been. She never mentioned our banking venture nor offered me my share of the profits, and, as I was prosperous then, I never asked her for it. She was a swindler to her dying day ana served many long prison terms. As she grew old it took all the money she could make to keep out of jail and she finally died in poverty. With all her cleverness she never seemed able to see what expensive folly it was to waste her really brilliant abilities in a life of crime. This was my first experience with clever women swindlers. I was surprised to learn, to my sorrow, that the standards of good faith which are main- 104 SOPHIE LYONS tained among men of the nnderworld do not liold good among most women cnmmals. I iully de- termined to liave no more dealmgs with crmixnals of my own sex. 4. Bnt this wise resolve was broken quite hy accident a few years later, while I was traveling the south of Europe and became acquainted with Mrs. Helen Gardner an English swindler and confidence opera- tor Mrs. Gardner was a woman of fine presence, a finely modulated voice, all the manners, graces, and charms of a well-bred English woman, and an amazingly inspiring and persuasive conversational- ist In daring and ingenuity this remarkable woman surpassed any man I ever knew. Crimes which the cleverest men in the underworld wouW have declared impossible or too foolhardy to undertake she not only attempted, but carried through to success. For years the boldest schemes followed one an- other in rapid succession from Mrs <>ardner s fer tile brain. Swindling was as natural to her as b athing is to normal persons She was the most successful confidence woman who ever operated m England or on the Continent, and no rich man was safe once she got her traps set for him I first met Mrs. Gardner m Nice, where I was enioying a little vacation after a long, arduous bank rolbing campaign in America. She was then traveling under the name of Lady Temple. To make a long story short, we soon became great friends We went everywhere together and she QUEEN OF THE BURGLARS 105 generously shared with me the luxuries with which she was so plentifully supplied. She finally even induced me to take rooms in the hotel adjoining her own suite. I did not know at that time that she was Mrs. Gardner, the famous English confidence swindler. She told me little of her personal affairs except that her husband, Sir Edward Temple, had been a prominent physician in London and that she was in Nice to recover from the shock incident to his sudden death. The deep mourning she habitually wore and the heavy black band on her visiting cards bore out this story, but, to tell the truth, I didn't bother my head much about its truth or falsity. I did not at that time happen to know that it is the custom in England for a doctor's practice to be sold when he retires from business or dies. There was no doubt that she had money and that she was giving me a liberal share of its benefits- why should I worry about where it came from or how long it would last? I, in turn, kept her in equal ignorance of my own past life and of my means of support. But there was one thing about which I couldn't help being very curious— the number of doctors who were calling at the hotel to see Lady Temple. Every day there was at least one and some days there were three or four— each came alone and the same one seldom appeared a second time. 106 SOPHIE LYONS MKS. GABDNEe's OliEVER SCHEME Lady Temple invariably saw all of them. When a physician's card came up she would ask me to retire to my own rooms and then would be closeted for a long time with the visitor. It could not be professional calls these doctors were making, for there was nothing about her ladyship's health to call for such a varied assortment of medical atten- tion. What could be the meaning of all these visits from physicians? My curiosity got the better of me and I determined to do a little eavesdropping. My opportunity came when the maid brought in the card of "Dr. Eobert Mackenzie, of Edinburgh, Scotland." As usual, Lady Temple said, "Show him up," and asked me if I would be good enough to retire. Instead of closing the door which led from Lady Temple's sitting room to my own I left it open a trifle and stood there with my ear to the crack, where I could hear every word that was said and also get an occasional peep at the lady and her visitor. Dr. Mackenzie was a grave, pompous appearmg man, slightly under middle age. He was dressed in the conventional garb of the old school physician and carried a small medicine case. "I have come to see you. Lady Temple," he said, after the usual polite preliminaries, "in relation to your advertisement in the current number of the Lancet. Your late husband's practice seems to QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 107 offer just the opportunity I have long been seeking to establish myself in London. May I ask if it is still for salet'V ^*My husband was a very distinguished man and had a very lucrative practice,'' the bogus Lady Temple replied. ^^You must read these notices in the papers which were printed when he died. Here is one from the London Times — oh! my poor dear husband ! " At this point Mrs. Gardner burst into tears. She covered her face with her black-bordered handker- chief and her charming figure shook convulsively with her sobs. Her visitor, Dr. Mackenzie, stood with head bowed in silent respect. Presently Mrs. Gardner recovered herself with an effort, and, gazing appealingly at her visitor through her tear-stained eyes, said: Will you pardon me? I know it is very weak of me to give way to my grief like this. ^'As I was saying," she finally resumed, ^^my hus- band was so dear to me that I cannot bear to think of living in London now he is gone. That is why I am anxious to dispose of my interests there at once. Did you know the late Sir Edward, doctor?'' ^^I never had the honor of his acquaintance, but I have often heard him lecture, and I have in my library all the books he ever published. I was al- ways a great admirer of his abilities. His discov- eries about the circulation of the blood seem to me the most valuable recent contribution to medical science." 108 SOPHIE LYONS *'It pleases me to have you say that," said Lady ,Temple, warming into cordiality at this tribute to her late husband. "I have had many good offers for the practice, but none so far from a man such as my husband would have wished to see succeed him. You are a man after Sir Edward's own heart, and, if you can furnish satisfactory references, I feel' confident matters can be arranged to our mu- tual satisfaction." From an inner pocket the doctor produced a packet of letters, which he carefully unfolded and handed to Lady Temple. "Very, very satisfactory," she murmured, atter studying them intently. "If my husband were here he would be so gratified to see what an able succes- sor I have found for him. And now as to terms." The doctor did not seem at all disturbed by this abrupt introduction of monetary considerations. Indeed, he was growing quite merry under the warming influence of her ladyship's bright smiles. These smiles, by the way, were all the more effective because of their background of widow's weeds and tear-stained cheeks. "Then I may really have the practice?" he asked ' ' Indeed you may, ' ' Lady Temple replied. ' ' The price is $25,000, but I do not want to accept that amount or sign the final papers until I get back to London. My solicitors, however, say it will be perfectly satisfactory to give you an option now, provided you are willing to pay 311st a small amount QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 109 on the purchase price — say $1,000, Is that agree- able, doctor?'^ Agreeable? Indeed it was! SWINDLING ONE DOCTOE A DAY The doctor counted out $1,000 in crisp bank notes. Her ladyship produced two copies of an agreement which, she said, her solicitors had prepared, and these they both signed. Then she bade the depart- ing doctor an almost affectionate farewell and gave him the most minute directions about meeting her in London a month later. The next day I overheard an almost similar inter- view with a doctor from Glasgow! The only point of difference was that he paid $1,200 for the option instead of $1,000. There was no necessity for further eavesdrop- ping. I understood now why Lady Temple read all the medical papers and why so many doctors came to see her. No wonder we lived in luxury with some ambitious doctor contributing at least $1,000 every day to our support! I said nothing of what I had seen or heard, and, although I continued to live with Lady Temple for several months, she never explained her affairs with the doctors. This seems to be a characteristic of all women swindlers — to deceive even their closest friends and never to tell any one the whole truth about their nefarious schemes. It was from others that I later learned the com- 110 SOPHIE LYONS plete details of tMs swindle. There really had been a Sir Edward Temple, who was a great London physician. Mrs. Gardner, learning of his death from the newspapers, familiarized herself with his career from the obituary notices, secured some photo- graphs of him, and began posing as his widow. Her advertisements in the medical journals did not mention Sir Edward by name, but it was to be inferred that the practice offered for sale was his, because of his recent death and because the an- nouncements were signed "Lady Temple." Doctors interested were invited to write her at a post office box address. She replied from Nice, where she had "gone for her health," and invited them to come there and see her. What happened to the unfortunate doctors who made the trip I have already told you. The supply of physicians willing to pay tor^ an option on a London practice seemed inexhaustible and in a few weeks my friend must easily have cleared $20,000. But she began to tire of Nice and invited me to accompany her to London. ^ ^ ^ When we reached there we went to Claridge's, in Mayfair, and took one of the finest suites in that exclusive hotel. The morning after our arrival she suggested a shopping expedition. To my amazement there stood at the hotel door waiting for us a splendid carriage drawn by a prancing pair of horses in heavy silver-plated har- ness. QUEEN OF THE BUKGLAES 111 On the doors of the carriage was emblazoned a brilliant coat of arms. On the box sat a pompons THERE STOOD A SPLENDID CARRIAGE DRAWN BY A PAIR OF PRANCING HORSES coachman in livery. A liveried footman stood at at- tention ready to assist ns. I had hard work to believe it wasn^t all a dream 112 SOPHIE LYONS as I settled back against the soft silken cushions and heard my friend order ns driven to Bond street. We stopped in front of a famous jewelry store— I made ready to alight, but that, it seems, was not the plan. Instead, her ladyship whispered a mes- sage to the footman and he went into the store. Out came the proprietor, a dignified old English- man. At sight of this splendid equipage with its crests on the door and the two fine ladies mside, he was all bows and smiles. . , -, ' ' It is not customary, ' ' he said, rubbing his hands in gleeful anticipation of big sales to come, ''to let our trays of diamonds go out of the store, but I shall be glad to arrange it for your ladyship." A clerk appeared carrying two trays full of dia- mond necklaces, rings, and other jewelry which Lady Temple had asked to see. ' ' Have you nothing better than these ? ' ' said Lady Temple, rather contemptuously, after a casual glance at them. The eager clerk hurried back to the store and re- turned with a tray of more elaborate specimens of the jeweler's art. Lady Temple leisurely selected a necklace, two rings, and a locket— worth in all more than $5,000. "Send these to Lady Temple's apartments at Cla- ridge's," she said, "and include them in my bill the first of next month. Doubtless you knew my dear husband, the late Sir Edward "-her voice caught as it always did when she spoke his name— "he had an account here for years." QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 113 OXJK EXPERIENCE IN IX)2!TD0K The clerk smirked Ms gratitude, promised prompt delivery, and we drove on to a fashionable dress- maker's. There we secured on credit, which had nothing more substantial for its basis than the stolen crest our hired carriage bore, several costly gowns. This sort of thing went on for two weeks. The magic of my friend's methods opened to us all the treasures of London's finest shops. A never-ending line of messengers brought to Claridge's the most expensive goods of every description — and not a penny of real money was involved in any of the transactions. I discarded all my old gowns and had to get addi- tional trunks to hold the new ones. Soon I had ac- cumulated three or four times as much jewelry as I could wear at one time. With the prudence for which I was always famous, I put the surplus rings and brooches in a safe deposit box. All this time you may be sure I felt considerable apprehension. Although I took no active part in these swindling operations, I shared in the plunder, and knew I would be held as an accomplice in case there was trouble. The trouble came sooner than I expected. We had been ''buying" some linens— making our selec- tions, as usual, without leaving our carriage. Just as we were about to drive away the clerk who had taken our order came rushing out. ''Your ladyship's pardon," he stammered, "but 114 SOPHIE LYONS wotJd you please step inside the store. The man- ager thinks there's some mistake— that is, he thought Lady Temple was in Egypt." I gave a gasp— now we'd he arrested! But my friend showed not the slightest emotion, except a little annoyance, such as was quite natural under the circumstances to a lady of rank. She cahnly walked into the store— and I have never laid eyes on her since. After waiting an hour I decided she must have escaped by a side entrance. I returned to Clandge's and found she had been there before me. She was gone, bag and baggage-and in a great hurry, as the disorder of the rooms showed. I lost no time in arranging my own departure and did not feel safe until I was well on my way to New York with my trunks full of more finery than I had ever possessed. Two or three years later Helen Gardner, alias Lady Temple, was convicted in France for obtaining money under false pretenses. Her prison term brought her to her senses— showed her how f oohsh it was to waste her life in crime. When she was re- leased she settled down to an honest career and later became the wife of a prosperous merchant. The account of my experiences with famous wom- en swindlers would not be complete without some mention of the greatest of them all-the notorious Ellen Peck, long known as the "Confidence Queen. Mrs. Peck's exploits during the many years when she defrauded everybody who came withm her QUEEN OF THE BUEOLAES 115 reach would fill a book. One swindle would hardly be finished before another would be begun, and often she would have several entirely different schemes under way at once. She paid her lawyers several fortunes in her per- sistent efforts to keep out of jail and to retain possession of the property she had stolen. At one time, when she was in her prime, she was defendant in twenty-eight civil and criminal suits. One of Ellen Peck's many peculiarities was her fondness for practicing her skilful arts on her fel- low criminals. She found more satisfaction in cheating a thief out of a ten-dollar bill than in de- frauding some banker of $1,000. Even I, trained in crime from childhood, was not proof against Ellen's wiles. Several times I be- came her victim as completely as I did Carrie Morse's — and I can vouch for the fact that no shrewder fox ever lived. Each time she tricked me I would make a solemn vow never to have anything to do with her again. Then along she would come with some story, oh, so plausible ! — and I would swallow it as readily as I had the previous one and as much to my sorrow. Once she actually cheated me out of the very shawl on my back. It was a fine cashmere shawl — one I had secured in Europe at a great bargain. ^^Come," said Ellen, ''let me have that shawl. I know a rich woman who will giv^ you $500 for it." ^^No," I said, grimly, ^^I don't want to sell it" But Ellen turned her hypnotic eye on me, began her 116 SOPHIE LYONS irresistible flow of smootli argument and — got the shawl. That was the last I saw of her for six months. When I did succeed in running her down she said she had been able to get only $100 for the shawl— and she had left that at home on the sideboard! Grabbing her by the arm I told her I would not let her go until she gave me what money she had. After considerable argument she emptied $37.50 out of her purse— which was all I ever got for my $500 shawl. Ellen Peck conceived a very simple scheme of piano swindling, and I was in partnership with her ia it. She had been working this swindle alone until she had become known to all the piano dealers. Then she invited me to join her. Here is how we man- aged it : I would go to a store and buy a piano on the in- stallment plan, paying five or ten dollars down. The instrument would be delivered at some one of the twenty furnished rooms which Ellen had en- gaged for just this purpose in various parts of the city. As soon as the piano was installed at one of these rooms we would promptly advertise it for sale at a greatly reduced price. If the first purchaser did not move the piano at once we would sometimes be able to sell the same instrument to five or six different persons. When we had squeezed as much money as we could out of a piano we would disap- pear—only to repeat the same trick at another fur- QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 117 nished room and with a piano from another store. It sometimes happened that, when the several persons to whom we had sold a single piano came to claim it, the merchant from whom we had secured it and to whom it still belonged would also put in an appearance. Then there would be the liveliest kind of a squabble, which would have to be settled in the courts . Crafty Ellen Peck supplied the brains for this enterprise but made me do most of the hard work and gave me only a meager share of the profits. It was a despicable swindle, for the loss did not fall on the dealer, but on the poor families to whom we sold the pianos and who could ill afford the money we took from them. I am thankful to say that I did not long make my living in this mean way. I hope that Ellen Peck may be alive to read these lines. In her declining years wisdom and charity have doubtless come to her just as they have to me. I feel sure that she shares my sincere repentance for past errors, and that she will give me her hearty indorsement when I say, as I constantly do, that un- der no circumstances does crime pay. 118 SOPHIE LYONS CHAPTEE V HOW I FACED DEATH, HOW MY HUSBAND WAS SHOT, AND SOME NARROW ESCAPES OF MY COMPANIONS From the moment when lie commits his first crime the professional criminal never knows what it is to enjoy real peace of mind. His crimes hang over him like the sword of Damocles, and, unless he re- forms, he can never be free from the fear of some day being found out and sent away to prison for a long term. And arrest is not the only thing he has to fear- he is continually face to face with the danger of serious injury or death. Whatever the crime he undertakes, he must run the most desperate risks-^ he has to stake not only his liberty, but life itself on the narrowest of margins. The powerful explosive he is using to blow open a safe may go off prematurely, as it did one night when George Mason and I were robbing a bank in Illinois, and leave the robber half dead. Perhaps an indignant mob may decide to take justice into its own hands by lynching the criminal. This is what happened to one of my comrades in Kentucky. They had the noose around his neck and were all ready to string him up when I arrived in the nick of time to save his life. Perhaps he will be caught in the act at one of his crimes and shot down like a dog, as my husband. QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 119 Ned Lyons, was in Connecticut one night. That was the narrowest escape my husband ever had— I saw it with my own eyes, and, if I live to be a hundred, I shall never forget the agony of it all. At the time of this thrilling adventure the police wanted us so badly for our share in several famous robberies that Ned and I did not dare to undertake any operations in the large cities which usually formed our most profitable fields. So, being in need of ready money, we had decided to take a little trip through some of the smaller towns of New England. The amount of cash to be had from the banks, stores and postoflSces in these places was not large, but, on the other hand, it was not hard to get and we thought we ought to be able to spend two or three weeks quite profitably in the nearby towns of Con- necticut and Massachusetts. As my health that summer was not very good and Ned did not want me to take any very active part in the robberies, we invited George Mason to go along with us. From the start we seemed to be ill-fated. Ned and George succeeded in getting into a bank in Fitchburg, Mass., but were frightened away by a watchman before they had time to open the safe. From the postoffice in a little village just outside Fitchburg we secured only eight or ten dollars to pay us for our trouble. Quite discouraged and des- perately in need of money we went on to Palmer, Mass. ' There I scouted around and discovered that the .120 SOPHIE LYONS most likely place.for us to rob was G L. Hitclicock's drug store, wMcli was also the village postofece. A storm came up to hide the full moon, and this en- abled us to make the attempt that f^^^ f was not the easiest job in the world, for Mr. Hitch- cock and his family lived directly above the store and the least noise was sure to rouse them. HOW WE BOBBED A STOKE Shortly after midnight I took up my position m an alley in the rear of the store to stand guard while Ned and George removed a pane of glass from a cellar window. Through this opening the men squeezed, and presently the dim reflection of their dark lanterns showed me that they had safely reached the store above. _ I had been standing there in the ram for nearly twenty minutes when a low rumble from mside the store made me prick up my ears. Just as I was puckering my lips to whistle a shrill warning co my comrades I saw them appear at the back door of the store carrying between them a small iron safe. It was this safe rolling over the floor which I had ^^The safe was a small affair, but so well made that it had successfully resisted all their efforts to drill it open. Finding it was not too heavy to be carried they had decided to take it outside the town, where they could blow it open without fear of arousing the sleeping village. QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 121 "We must have made a strange procession as we trudged along through the darkness— the two men partly carrying and. partly rolling the safe along, and all of us wading through mud half way to our knees. At last we reached a meadow far enough removed from any houses for our purpose. George Mason filled one of the holes he had drilled with black pow- der and wrapped the safe with some old sacks to protect the fuse from the wet and also to muffle the noise of the explosion. Ned touched a match to the fuse and we scurried to a safe distance. The charge went off with a dull boom— the shattered door of the safe flew high into the air and landed several yards away. Waiting a few minutes to make sure that no one in the village had been awakened, we hurried back to get our plunder. There were $350 in cash, a dia- mond ring, some gold pens, and fifteen or twenty dollars' worth of postage stamps. With the few dollars the boys had taken from the till this made a trifle more than four hundred dollars for our night's work— a pitifully small sum compared with what some of our bank robberies brought us, but enough to support us until we could plan some more ambi- tious undertaking. Just as we were dividing our plunder into three equal shares a freight train whistled in the dis- tance. ''George and I will jump on this train," said my husband, giving me a hurried kiss. ''It's safer than 122 SOPHIE LYONS for the three of us to stick together. Good-bye— and take care of yourself. We'll meet you in South Windham, Conn., late to-night or early to-morrow." Wet, bedraggled, and so tired that I could have fallen asleep standing up, I groped my way to the railroad station and curled myself up on a bench to snatch what rest I could. Just before daybreak a milk train came along. I boarded this and trav- eled by a roundabout route to South Windham. MY HUSBAND IS SHOT I reached there late in the afternoon and went straight to the postoffice. This was always the ac- cepted rendezvous for professional criminals when no other place had been agreed upon. Detectives in every city might very profitably spend more of their tune watching the postoffice, for wherever the criminal is he makes a point of calling there at least once every twenty-four hours to keep appointments with his friends or in the hope of running across some acquaintance. Ned and George were there waiting for me, and mighty glad they were to see me, for they had heard vague rumors of a woman having been arrested on suspicion that she knew something about the Pal- mer robbery. The best opportunity the sleepy little town af- forded seemed to be a general store run by a man named Johnson. I dropped in there late one even- ing, and, on the pretext of buying a crochet hook, QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 123 saw the old proprietor locking the day's receipts — quite a respectable bundle of money— in a ram- shackle safe which offered about as much security as a cheese box. We got everything in readiness to break into the store the following night. It was a foolhardy time for such a job, as there was a bright moon — but we were hungry for money, aad one more good haul would supply enough to keep us in comfort until we could lay our plans for some robbery really worthy of our skill. There was really little I could do to help the men, but 1 could not bear to be left behind. Just after midnight I stole out of the railroad station, where I had been waiting ostensibly for the night train to New York, and hid myself in the doorway of a livery stable, where I had a good view of the store we were going to rob. Pretty soon I saw my two comrades come cau- tiously down the main street from opposite direc- tions. They met underneath a window of the store on the side which was in the dark shadow of a tree. The window was so high above the ground that my husband had to climb up on George Mason's shoulders to reach it. I could hear the gentle rasp of his jimmy as it worked against the fastenings. At last he raised the sash gently and stepped into the store. Then he leaned far out across the sill and stretched his brawny arms down toward his companion. Mason gave a leap, caught hold of Ned's wrists, 124 SOPHIE LYONS and, with the agility of a circus performer, swung himself up into the wmdow. All was as silent as the grave. The only sign of life I could see in the peaceful street were two cats enjoying a nocturnal gambol on a nearby piazza ?oof I shivered for fear they might start yowhng and awaken somebody to spoil our plans. Jnst at that instant one of the cats upset a flower pot which stood at a window opening on the porch roof To my horror that pot went rolling down the roof with a tremendous clatter, hung suspended for a secrnd on the eaves, then fell to the stone steps with a crash that woke the echoes. At once the whole town awoke. In every direction I could hear windows being thrown open, children cvTs, and sleepy voices asking what the trouble At a window directly over the store where my two friends were a night-capped head Wared and Tfrightened woman screamed, -Help! Burglars! '':^JZ^V^t^^^^o. which the playful cats and the flower pot had begun. From every house half-dressed men armed with rifles, shotguns, and all sorts of weapons poured mto the street. AU this racket had started too suddenly for me to give Ned and George any warning. I could only cro?I farther back in the shadow of my doorway and trust to Providence that the villagers would overlook me in their excitement. -There goes the burglar now!" some one shouted, QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 125 and just tlien I saw my husband dash past my hid- ing place so close that I could have touched him. He was headed for the open country beyond the railroad tracks and was running- faster than I had ever supposed a man of his weight could. ''Stop, or I'll shoot!" yelled an old white-whisk- ered farmer, who stood, rifle in hand, not a dozen ' yards away. But Ned, if he heard the command, made no move to obey. Instead, he only ran all the faster, hunch- ing his head down between his shoulders and zig- zagging back and forth across the road as if to make his bulky form a less favorable target. The old farmer raised his rifle as deliberately as if he had been aiming at a squirrel instead of a fellow man. Three shots blazed out in rapid suc- cession. The first shot went wild. At the second my hus- band stumbled. At the third he threw up his hands and pitched forward headlong in the road. "We've got him!" the crowd shouted-/ ith what seemed to me fiendish glee, and rushe^ap to where Ned's body lay in a quivering, bloody heap. I supposed he was dead, but, whether dead or alive, I knew there was nothing I could do to aid him. Nervous and trembling at the awful sight I had seen, I slipped out of town unnoticed. WHAT CAME OF OTJE CEIMES I saw nothing of George Mason and for months afterward did not know how he had escaped. With 126 SOPHIE LYONS better judgment than my husband showed he had remained quietly in the store after the outcry started. He saw the shooting, and, m the confusion which followed, he found little difficulty m gettmg out of town. Friends of mine in New London aided me to re- turn to the hospital in Hartford, where Ned had been taken after the shooting. His recovery was slow for there was a bullet imbedded nine inches deep in his back which the surgeons were unable to remove. As soon as he was able to stand trial he was sentenced to three years in State prison, and, when he had completed this term, he was given three years in Massachusetts for the robbery at Palmer This was the result of our crimes in New England -my husband nearly kUled and sentenced to six long years in prison. Can you wonder why I have learned the lesson that crime does not pay? But to my sorrow, I did not learn the lesson then _no, not for many years after that. With my hus- band in prison the support of my little ones fell wholly on my shoulders, and I promptly turned to bank robbing as the easiest way I knew of making ^ ^^etrly training under such expert bank robbers as Ned Lyons, Mark Shinburn, and Harry Eaymond I made me extraordinarily successful in this variety of crime The cleverest men in the business began to have respect for my judgment and were con- tinually inviting me to take an important part m their risky but very profitable ventures. Soon, as QUEEN OF THE BURGLARS 127 . I am going to tell you, my reputation for skill in jk)rganizing the most daring robberies and carrying Ptbem through without detection had spread even be- yond the limits of the underworld. One day, when I was trying to enjoy the novel experience of living honestly for a few weeks, a distinguished looking gentleman called at my home. He saw my look of incredulity when he announced himself as a bank president and promptly produced a heavy engraved card which confirmed the truth of his statement. Instantly I was on my guard. In those days my house was the headquarters for all sorts of strange persons — receivers of stolen goods, professional bondsmen, criminal lawyers, escaped prisoners — but I had never before been honored by a visit from a bank president. What on earth could the president of a bank want of a bank robber? ^^I understand that you are one of the most suc- cessful bank robbers in America,'^ he said without any delay in coming to the point. *'I want your ad- vice in a little undertaking I have in mind, and, if possible, your help.' ^ ''My advice and help!'' I exclaimed, thinking the man must be out of his head. ''That's exactly what I want," he replied coolly. "I want you to tell me how I can have my bank robbed, and, if possible, I want you to take charge of the robbery yourself." As he explained, he was more than $150,000 short in his accounts. He had taken this amount from 128 SOPHIE LYONS the bank within the past year and lost every dollar of it in speculation. He could not return this money and it was only a matter of a few weeks before his embezzlement would be discovered. Being a man of prominence in his community— a deacon in the church, his wife a society leader, his children in college— running away was out of the question. For months he had been racking his brain for some way of averting the ruin which he had brought upon himself . _ The plan he had finally devised for retaining his good name and keeping out of prison was to have his bank robbed. On the night of the robbery he would leave $50,000 in the vault to pay the robbers for their trouble, but, when he came to announce the robbery to the police and the newspapers, he would declare that $200,000 had been taken. In this way his thefts would be covered up and he could continue to enjoy the respect and confidence of the community where he had always lived. A BANKEE HIKES US TO KOB I was amazed at the bold ingenuity of this plan and the matter-of-fact way in which he presented it to me This was the first I had ever heard of a bank being robbed by request of one of its ofaciais. Later I came to know that it is not an uncommon thing for dishonest presidents and cashiers to con- ceal their thefts by hiring robbers to break into their banks. The difference between what is actuaUy; i QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 129 taken in one of these robberies by request and what the police and the newspapers say is taken covers the amount which the embezzling official has lost in Wall Street or some other speculation. At that time such an idea was so new to me that all sorts of suspicions crowded into my mind. Prob- ably it was a trap for me, I thought, and I posi- tively declined to have anything to do with it. But the old banker would not take no for an an- swer. He urged me to think it over and a week later he called again. By this time the fear of the disgrace which threat- ened him and his family had made him a nervous wreck. He begged so piteously for me to help him save his good name that my womanly sympathies got the better of me and I finally consented. All my feeling for him, however, did not quite free my mind of the fear that the whole affair might be a trick, and I determined to protect myself and the robbers who would assist me with all the shrewdness 1 could. ''We must have a -vyritten agreement/' I said at the very start. The banker objected to this, fearing, I suppose, that I might use the paper against him later for blackmail. But I insisted that I would not do a thing until I had it. ''If you can't trust me to that extent I can't trust you," I said firmly— and at last he told me to draw tip the paper and he would sign it. According to the contract which I prepared, the 130 SOPHIE LYONS banker paid five thousand dollars down and was td pay me an equal amount as soon as I had completed my arrangements and set the date for the robbery. He further agreed that there should be at least $50,000 in cash in the bank vault on the night of our visit. , , , i u It was further provided that the banker should co- operate with me and my fellow robbers in every pos- sible way, and that he should do nothing to aid m our arrest or conviction for the crime, which, as was expressly stated, was committed at his suggestion, and not ours. In case the robbery was interrupted before we could get inside the vault the banker was to pay us $25,000 in cash in addition to the $10,000 already advanced. I agreed to leave no stone unturned to carry out the robbery and promised to return the agreement to the banker as soon as all its provisions had been fulfilled. . , . n All this I set down on paper m as businesslike way as 1 knew how. It was a document which would have made the poor old banker's ruin even greater than his thievings had done if I had been the sort of woman to break faith with him. With trembling fingers he signed it and counted out $5,000 m bills. From the banker I had gained a good idea of the bank and the sort of vault we would have to enter. Now, to get some good, reliable men to help me do the job. • • J. „ Of all the bank burglars in my acquaintance George Mason seemed best fitted for this particular QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 131 crime. He was a cool, resourceful fellow and had had wide experience in blowing open bank vaults. George readily agreed to join me, and for the rest of the party he recommended two younger men— ? Tom Smith and Frank Jones, I will call them, al- though those were not their names. I do not like to reveal their identity here because they later re- formed and led honest lives. Eight here let me say that I never told these three men of my arrangements with the banker or that I was to receive from him $10,000 in addition to what we expected to find in the vault. If they are alive to-day and read these lines they will learn here for the first time that the bank in Quincy, 111., which they helped Sophie Lyons rob was robbed by request of its president. BOEIKG INTO THE BANK VAULT I sent word to the banker that we were ready and he came to my house and paid me $5,000 more. Then, by different routes, George Mason, the other two robbers and I proceeded to Quincy. I was the first to arrive. I went to the leading hotel, announced my plan to add a patent medicine laboratory to the town's industries and began to look around for a suitable location for my enterprise. As I believe I mentioned in a previous chapter, this ruse of the patent medicine laboratory was one I had borrowed from my friend, Harry Eaymond — he had used it to splendid advantage in his robbery of the Boylston Bank in Boston. 132 SOPHIE LYONS Of course, it was a part of my prearranged plan with the banker that the quarters I should finally find best suited for my purpose would be a room on the second floor of the bank building, directly over the vault we were going to rob. I made several visits to tha bank before I com- pleted my arrangements with the president — partly to carry out my role of the cautious business woman and partly to study the construction of the vault and see where we could best bore our way into it. By the time the lease was signed the three men who were to be associated with me in the new busi- ness arrived. With their help I secured a quantity of bottles, labels, jars of chemicals, chairs, desks, tables, and other things we would need if we were really making patent medicine. Among the articles of furniture we moved in was an unusually large oak wardrobe. We removed the bottom from this and placed it over the exact spot in the floor where we planned to dig our opening into the bank vault. Then, while one of the men and I ostentatiously pasted labels on endless bottles of Golden Bit- ters," the other two men crawled into the wardrobe where no chance visitor could see thennand day after d^y continued the work of removing the layers of brick and timber which separated us from the vault. We stored the debris as it accumulated in bags and carried it away every night. It was was a long job and a hard one. The floor QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 133 timbers were seasoned oak and beneath tbem were two layers of brick. In the cramped space inside the wardrobe it was hard to work to the best advantage and, besides, the men never knew just how far they had pro- gressed and were in constant fear that an extra vigorous blow would loosen a big strip of plaster in the ceiling of the bank. To our disgust we found, after we had passed through the floor itself, that the vault had a sort of false roof composed of short lengths of railroad iron placed irregularly in a setting of mortar and brick. This made our task three days longer than we had expected. Late one afternoon George Mason cleared away a space which left only a thin layer of lath and plaster between us and the inside of the vault. There was too much danger of the gaping hole we had dug under the wardrobe being discovered to admit of any further delay. We made our arrange- ments to rob the bank that very night. While the rest of the town was going to bed we waited impatiently for it to get late enough for us to lay our hands on the $50,000 which I had every reason to believe was waiting below that thin layer of lath ^d plaster. Luckily enough the bank's watchman was at a christening party that eyening and was not likely to return until the wee small hours. This prevented the necessity of my remain- ing on guard outside. Shortly after midnight we turned out our lamps ^34 SOPHIE LYONS and lighted our dark lanterns. I peered out of tHe window— the streets were deserted. George Mason took a small sledge hammer and •fW n^fp or two well directed blows opened up the in the floor wide enough to admit his body. ThL he tied one end of a long rope under hxs arms and we lowered him down into the vault. MY COMEADE's NAKBOW ESCAPE To the best of my knowledge, and belief the cash . 1 Tad been promised would be found right on S^le^t of the vault, and aU George would have to do Wcl be to stuff it into his pockets and clmib hack ur> the way he had come. . But whether through intent or an oversight on tbrDresident's part, that was not the case. For teSl minutes we ;aited breathlessly listening to Georc^e as he fmnbled aromid the vault by the light of Mf dark-lantern. Then we heard hmi call m a ^ » 3ust as I was afraid it would be Every ceni of the money is locked up m tiie smaU stoel safe. I'll have to come back up and get my lUs the custom in big bank vaults to have a sma^ and separate steel safe to put the actual cash into Leases documents, account books, and somefam^ boXnd stock certificates are kept in the big vau^^ but money and things of special vahie usually locked up in the inside steel compartaient ^UEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 1 With some difficulty we hauled him back-up. From his bag he selected the drills he thought he would need and from a bottle poured out What seemed to me an extra generous quantity of black powder. ''Be careful and not use too much of that stuff,'' I called as he disappeared again through the hole. ''Ned always said that was your worst failing." "Don't you worry, Sophie," he replied; "it will take a good big dose to open this safe." For several minutes we sat there listening to the rasping of his drills against the door of the safe. Just as we felt that tug on the rope which was the signal to haul him up, we saw the flare of his lighted match and heard the sputter of the fuse. We pulled on the rope for all we were worth but before George's body was within two feet of the hole in the floor there came a blinding flash, followed by an explosion that shook the building. Although dazed by the shock and half blinded by the cloud of dust and poisonous fumes which poured up through the hole, we managed to keep our hold on the rope and haul our helpless comrade out of the death trap in which the premature explosion had caught him. "George!" I called, as we lifted the rope from under his arms. But he never answered and I thought it was only a corpse that we laid gently on the floor. His hair and eyebrows were completely burned off, his face and hands were as black as coal and he was bleeding from an ugly wound in the head. 6o SOPHIE LYONS We forgot tlie money we were after— we forgot the danger of being cangM— in our anxiety for our wounded friend. One of the men brought water while I tried to force a drink of brandy down his throat. It seemed an age before he came to his senses, raised himself on one elbow and roughly pushed me aside. ''It went off too quick for me," he said; but don't be foolish— I'll be all right in a minute. Look and see if the noise has roused the town." I looked out— there was not a soul m sight. Ihe l)ank's thick walls and the fact that it stood at some distance from any other building had evidently pre- vented the explosion being heard outside. WE GET THE BANK'S MONEY Although suffering intense pain George insisted on going back to get the money. It was no easy task, for the vault was full of suffocating smoke There was no time to lose, as the watchman might return at any minute. . ^x^^ After a few minutes we hauled him up for the third time. , , ''That charge blew the safe door to splmters, but here's every dollar it contained," he said, handing me several packages of bills. I counted the money and had hard ^o^^ to conceal my surprise when I found there was only $30,UUU. But, as Mason thought himself lucky to escape with Ms life and, as the other two men seemed well satis- fied with the amount, I said nothing. QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 137 We started at once for Chicago, where a few days later we divided the spoils. As I had expected, the bank's loss was placed by the newspapers at $200,- 000. A large reward was offered for the capture of the robbers. I was pleased to note that the presi- dent 's story of the amount taken and of the complete mystery in which the affair was shrouded seemed to be generally accepted. After the excitement had died down the bank president came to Detroit to see me. Worry over the possibility of his crime being discovered had shattered his nerves and he was such a poor broken specimen of an old man that I did not have the heart to demand the additional $20,000 which he had promised us. As I tore up our agreement and handed him the pieces, he said : TACING A liYKCmiSTG MOB *^My criminal folly has ruined my peace of mind. Thanks to your help, I have saved my family from disgrace, but the worries and nervous strain of my defalcation and the bank robbery have killed me. My doctors say I have heart disease, and have but a few months to live. I wish I had known two years ago what I have since learned — that crime does not pay.'' The desperate risks every criminal has to run often come through no crime of his own, but through his association with other criminals. Two of the most exciting events in my varied career hap- 138 SOPHIE LYONS pened to me tlirougli my loyal effort to save the life of my friend, Tom Bigelow, a well-known bank sneak and burglar. It was in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, that all this happened. I was there on a perfectly legitimate errand and had no idea that any of my criminal friends were in the vicinity. There was a circus in town that day and the long main street was crowded with sightseers. I had been watching the parade with the rest and was on my way back to the hotel for dinner when I heard some one call my name. Looking around in surprise 1 saw J ohnny Meaney, a young bank sneak, whom I knew well, pressing his way through the crowd toward me. He was all out of breath and in the greatest agitation. "Sophie," he whispered in my ear, "they've just caught Tom Bigelow with the bank's money on him and they're going to lynch him." There was no time to ask him more— before the last word was fairly out of his mouth he had disap- peared in the crowd. As I afterward learned, Tom and Johnny had taken advantage of the excitement created by the circus parade to rob the Mount Sterling Bank. "While the cashier was standing upon the counter to see the passing parade, Johnny had crawled in un- der his legs and taken a bundle of money out of the yault. He got safely out with his plunder and was just handing it to Tom, who had been waiting in a buggy QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 139 outside, when the cashier discovered his loss and raised a great outcry. Before Tom had time to stir out of his tracks a hundred willing hands in the crowd had made him a prisoner — then some one started the cry, Lynch the Yankee robber!'' a;nd some one else brought a rope. In the excitement nimble John Meaney had man- aged to escape. As he dashed down the street he had chanced to catch sight of me and had passed me the word of our friend's peril. The crowd was already hurrying in the direction of the square in the center of the town where the court house stood and I followed as fast as my legs could carry me. As I entered the square I could see Tom's familiar form looming above the heads of the yelling mob which surrounded him. He was mounted on a soap box under an oak tree which stood in front of the court house. I shall never forget how he looked — ^pale as a sheet, his feet tied with rope, his arms securely bound behind him. He was bareheaded and they had removed his coat and collar in order to adjust the noose which hung around his neck. Quite plainly, if there was anything I could do to slave my friend, it must be done quickly. The mob was loudly clamoring for his life. Already a young man was climlbing up the tree in search of a convenient limb over which to throw the end of the rope. I shuddered to think that, unless I could devise 140 SOPHIE LYONS some plan of action, Tom Bigelow's lifeless body would soon be dangling before my eyes. Summoning every ounce of the nervous energy I possessed I pressed my way through the crowd, sCi.'eaming frantically: ' ' That man is my sweetheart ! Don't lynch him— oh, please don 't lynch him ! " My action took the crowd by surprise— they made a lane for me and pushed me along until finally I stood right at Tom's feet. HOW I SAVED TOM'S UTB I climbed up on the box beside Tom; I threw my arms around his neck, although the feel of that ugly noose against my flesh made me shudder. "This man is innocent— he is my sweetheart," I kept shouting. "You must let him go." I hugged Tom Bigelow, I kissed him, I wept over him— I did everything I could imagine a woman doing when the man she loves is about to be hung before her eyes. ~ "If you hang him you'll have to hang me, too, I screamed between my heart-rending sobs. The crowd was amazed. Lynchings were no un- common occurrence in that region, but nothing like this had ever happened before. The cooler heads in the crowd began to have their say. "Take that noose off his neck and lock them both up," some one shouted. The Sheriff put handcuffs on us and led us away. QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 141 My ruse had succeeded. Tom Bigelow's life was saved ! Tom and I were lodged in jail, indicted by the Grand Jury and held without bail for trial. Of course, I was innocent of any share in the robbery, but, as the authorities believed my story that I was Tom's sweetheart, they thought I must know more about it than I admitted. It was while we were confined in the jail at Mount Sterling that I had an opportunity to see for myself how it feels to face a desperate lynching mob. That was one of the most horrid nightmares I ever ex- perienced. One of our fellow inmates in the jail was a man named Murphy Logan, who was awaiting trial for the murder of his father. He was a sullen, weak- minded fellow, who had several killings to his dis- credit. The general opinion was that he belonged in an insane asylum. In another neighboring cell was a young man named Charlie Steele. He was exceedingly popular in the community. His worst fault was love of liquor and he was in jail for some minor offense which he had committed on one of his sprees. The other prisoners shunned Logan on account of his disagreeable ways, but Steele good naturedly made quite a friend of him and they often played cards together. In this jail the prisoners were allowed the free- dom of the long corridor on which the cells opened. One afternoon Tom Bigelow and I sat just outside 142 SOPHIE LYONS my cell trying to devise some way to regain our liberty. Down at the other end of the corridor, Charlie Steele and Murphy Logan were enjoying their usual game of cards. Suddenly we were startled by a piercing scream. I jumped to my feet, and looked around to see poor Steele lying on the floor with the blood streaming from a long wound in his throat. Over him, glaring like the madman he was, stood Murphy Logan, brandishing in one hand a heavy piece of tin which i he had fashioned into a crude sort of dagger. Forgetful of my own danger, I rushed up and seized Logan's arm, just as he was about to plunge the weapon into Steele's body again. He turned on me, but I managed to keep him from wounding me until Tom and some of the other prisoners came to my assistance. Steele lived only a few hours. The Sheriff placed the murderer in solitary confinement, and chained him to the floor of his cell. His ravings were some- thing terrible to hear. He continually threatened vengeance on any of Ms fellow prisoners who would tell how he had slain his friend. After listening to these threats all night long we were in terror of our lives, and when the inquest was held next day not a single prisoner would ad- mit that he had seen the killing. "Didn't you see this happen?" the Sheriff asked me. , "No," I lied, was in my cell at the time, anai QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 143 don't know anything about how Steele came to Ms end. ' ' ^^You lie!'' shouted Logan, when he heard this. ^^If you hadn't interfered I would have cut him up worse than I did. I will make you suffer for stick- ing your nose into my affairs." The town was in a fever of excitement, and from the windows of our cells we could see excited groups discussing the murder on every corner. Feeling ran particularly high, because the dead man had been so popular in the community while nobody liked Murphy Logan. Late that night Logan became so exhausted with his ravings that he fell asleep. I was just preparing to try to get some rest myself when I heard the tramp of heavy feet coming up the jail stairs. By the dim light of the one smoky kerosene lamp I saw a crowd of masked men trooping into the cor- ridor. The leaders carried heavy sledge hammers, and with these, having been unable to make the Sheriff give up his keys, they attacked the iron door of Logan's cell. It quickly fell to pieces before their sturdy blows. Then they broke the murderer's shackles and dragged him, shrieking curses with every breath, down the stairs and out into the street. They strung him up to a tree, riddled him with bullets, and left his body hanging there in the moon- light in full view of my cell window. This was too much for my overwrought nerves. I threw myself on my couch and wept. Tom Bigelow did his best 144 SOPHIE LYONS to console me, but I could not sleep-my head aclied and I trembled in every limb. About an hour later I heard that ommous tramp of feet again! This time the masked men came straight to the door of my cell. "Is this where that woman is!" a rough voice ""^I^cowered in a comer, too frightened to reply. They pounded the door down just as they had Murphy Logan's. A man seized me by the arm and pulled me out, none too gently. ^ They were going to lynch me-I was convinced of that With tears streaming down my cheeks i pleaded, as I never had before, that I was innocent of any crime, and begged to be allowed to go back home to my children. _ They took me downstairs into the Sheriff s office, where sat a man who seemed to be the leader of the ^^^So you tried to save Charlie Steele's life, did you?" he said to me. Then for the first time it dawned on me that per- haps I was not going to be hanged after all. I told the whole truth about what I had done when Isaw Logan waving his dagger over his victim. When I had finished the leader said : * ' That's all we want to know, young woman. We liked Charlie Steele, and we like you for what you tried to do for him. Now you're free to get out ot town— that's your reward for trying to save poor Charlie. We'll see you safely to the depot." I QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 145 I was overgoyed. The leader handed me enough money for my traveling expenses and permitted me to go up to Tom's cell and tell him of my good fortune. Before day broke I was on a train for Detroit. These are only a few of the desperate risks which my husband, my friends, and I were constantly fac- ing during the years when I was active in crime. If every business man and merchant faced prison, bullets, or a lynching as a necessary risk of trade, would anybody regard business life as attractive? The incidents from my own experiences give one more illuminative reason why I maintain that CBIME DOES NOT PAY ! SOPHIE LYONS CHAPTEE VI ^BEHIND THE SCENES AT A $3,000,000 BUBGIAEY— THE ' EOBBEEY OF THE MANHATTAN BANK OF NEW YOBK Of course, crimes, like business operations, are sometimes big and sometimes small. They vary in importance from the pickpocket's capture of an empty pocketbook to the robbery of a big bank. I will tell you tbe secrets of tbe greatest bank rob- bery in the history of the world— the robbery of $2 758 700 from the vaults of the Manhattan Bank in' New York, on the corner of Broadway and Bleecker Street, several years ago. Every man in that remarkable gang of bank burglars was an associate of mine— I knew them, knew their wives, was in partnership with them. It was an extraordinary enterprise, carefully con- sidered, thoroughly planned, and ably executed; and it yielded nearly $3,000,000 in stolen securities and money. There has never been a bank robbery of such magnitude, either before or since. It was complicated by the difficulty of disposing of the great bundles of valuable bonds, many of which i had to look after. In my long and varied experiences in the under- world I have never been associated with an enter- prise so remarkable in so many different ways as the Manhattan Bank robbery. There were alto- gether twelve men in this robbery, and every single QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 147. one of them, with the exception of one, got into trouble through it — one, in fact, was murdered. And here, then, in the biggest, richest robbery of modem times, we learn the lesson that even in a $3,000,000 robbery CEIME DOES NOT PAY! Bank burglars, of course, are constantly casting about for promising fields for their operations, and this great, rich Broadway bank had long been viewed with hungry eyes by Jimmy Hope, Ned Lyons,, my husband, and other great professionals. But not only were its vaults of the newest and strongest construction, but there was a night watch- man awake and active all night in the bank. This watchman was locked in behind the steel gratings of the bank, and Hope and my husband could not figure out any way to get at him and silence him. It remained for a thief named ''Big Jim" Tracy to solve the difficulty. Now the curious part of this is that Tracy was not a bank robber at all. Tracy was a general all-around thief, and specialized more particularly in second-story residence burglaries and highway robberies. Tracy was not even a me- chanic and was entirely ignorant of the way to use safe-blowers' tools. But Tracy was ambitious and decided to surprise his acquaintances in the bank burglary line by doing a job which would give him standing among the high-class experts. STALKING THE. WATCHMAK Tracy had one great advantage--he had limA a ®dioolmate of Patrick Shevelin, onu oJ teak 5* ^ I • ^ ■a o . h>. CO C6 53 0 o 1 ^ bo «3 « '2 bo PI -£3 d O c5 02 Ol 03 C(3 ^ *3 § o 3 «u X 03 3 ^ 5 'V ^3 Q3 w ^r' i3 03 3 CO ^ TO Ph 03 S3 ^ 05 ^ 2 :3 I o PI ^ « S i O 03 f3 ^ 03 c5 ^ 03 S3 2 03 be PQ b §0 • rt C3 03 bo be a o o m bjD g cw fl iH o bb S >> 13 iJ^ 148 SOPHIE LYONS watclmen. Knowing Shevelin, he was able to renew into intimacy Ms old acquaintance, fnd soon broached the subject of the contemplated robbe^. Shevelin was a married man, rather proud of the trust reposed in him, and would not consent to have any part in the scheme. If Jimmy Hope or my husband had approached the watchman he would have exposed them to the bank of&cials, but he had a friendly feeling toward Tracy. Tracy was per- sistent, held out pictures of a fabulous fortune, and finally gained the watchman's consent. When all was agreed upon, Tracy decided to get an outfit of burglar's tools and practice up for the iob By this time "Big Jim" was out of money, and he ran up to Troy to puU off a job and put him- self in funds. He selected an out of to^vn city be- cause he didn't want any trouble in the neighbor- hood of the scene of the projected bank robbery It was in July that Tracy, with a fellow thief, "Mush" Eeilly, followed a man named John Buck- ley out of a bank in Troy, where he had drawn a considerable sum of money. Mr. Buckley got on a street car and Tracy and EeiUy crowded in and be- gan work. They were not able to get the man s money without disturbing him, and the result was that Buckley put up a fight. "Big Jim" and "Mush" fought back, but were surrounded by otJier passengers in the car and arrested^ They were tried, convicted, and sent to Clinton Prison for five ^Tis misfortune to "Big Jim" Traey p»t an ejid QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 149 to Ms designs npon the great Manhattan Bank. But the missionary work which Tracy had already done with Shevelin, the watchman, was destined to bear fruit for others. "While ^^Big Jim'' was serving his long sentence in Clinton Prison for the Troy rob- bery, it became known somehow to Jimmy Hope that Tracy and the watchman of the bank had ar- rived at an n^nderstanding. This was very important news, and Hope at once started in to pick up the thread which had been so suddenly broken by Tracy's mishap in Troy. But this was not so easy to accomplish. Shevelin had confidence in his old schoolmate Tracy, but he was afraid of strangers. Jimmy Hope was the Na- poleon of bank burglars, and he had in his gang the foremost bank experts of the whole world. Hope found a way to make the acquaintance of Shevelin and he tried every device to win the watchman's confidence. But the shock of ^^Big Jim" Tracy's long prison sentence had thoroughly frightened the watchman. With great patience, Hope began a campaign to remove Shevelin 's misgivings and make him feel that with such partners he need have no fear. One after another of Hope's great experts were intro- duced to Shevelin. At dinner one day in a Third Avenue restaurant, Johnny Dobbs was produced, and the exploits of this famous burglar were re- counted. Next was introduced George Howard, known as Western George," and Shevelin was told of this man's extraordinary skill on safes and 150 SOPHIE LYONS vaults. And then came George Mason and Ned Lyons, whose amazing boldness and quickness with a revolver were already known to Shevelin. NTTGENT, THE POLICEMAN-BTJBGLAB A few days later, John Nugent, an able operator and a policeman in good standing, was presented, and a little later on Abe Coakley, the venerable cracksman, was introduced. Finally, the famous Banjo Pete" Emerson and BUly Kelly and Eddie Goodey were brought to bear on the wavering fears of the watchman. Shevelin was finally overawed by this powerful aggregation of skill, persistence, and audacity, and consented to join Hope's band of operators. As I look back over that group of burglars, I am sure there was never before gathered together on one enterprise such a galaxy of talent. With such ex- pert skill and such abundant experience as were there represented and all under the able leadership of such a veteran cracksman as Jimmy Hope, surely it was impossible that their enterprise could fail. Shevelin finally realized this, and, as he gave his pledge of help and loyalty, Jimmy Hope shook his hand warmly and said: "And if we get the stuff, Patrick, your share will be just a quarter of a million dollars. And that's more than you will ever make working as a watch- man." Jimmy Hope now lost no time in setting about his plans for the robbery. QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 151 While Shevelin's aid was absolutely necessary, it was only a very short step in itself toward Jimmy Hope's goal, the currency and securities lying in separate steel safes inside the great vault. The entire system of steel plates and locks was the lat- est, most completely burglar-proof devised. It was universally supposed to be not only burglar-proof but mob-proof. It had been demonstrated theoretic- ally that burglars working undisturbed could not obtain access inside of forty-eight hours. Indeed, it was the very impregnability of the vault which helped in its undoing. Shevelin could give the band entrance to the build- ing and could bring them to the door of the great vault. But here, in plain view of the street, it would be impossible to study out and assault the combina- tion lock. As the lock could not be studied inside the bank it was evident that the problem must be solved outside. For this task Hope employed a woman very in- timately related to one of the band. While I do not care to give her name, as she is still alive, I may say that she was considered a very attractive woman. Elegantly dressed she called at the bank and opened an account with the deposit of a few hun- dred dollars. She made clear to everyone her charming ignorance of banking. She was as amus- ing as pretty, and before long she was talking to President Schell himself. It was in fact the president who proudly showed her the massive steel doors and the mighty combi- 152 SOPHIE LYONS nation lock which would guard her small deposit. "With innocent baby stare she noted the make of the lock and its date. Possessed of this information, Hope, who was nothing if not thorough, proceeded to buy from the manufacturer a counterpart of the lock. As soon as it arrive4 the lock was turned over to the inquiring eyes and fingers of George Howard. Ensconced in a little house in a quiet part of Brooklyn, ''West- ern George" made an intimate investigation of the lock's vitals. Howard undoubtedly was the greatest inventive genius in locks that ever lived, unless, perhaps, Mark Shinburn, a burglar of a similar mechanical turn of mind. He could have made no end of money designing burglar-proof devices, but preferred dem- onstrating the weakness of the existing ones in a practical way. Hope's confidence in Howard was not misplaced. Within a few days George told the leader he could open the lock by the simple pro- cedure of drilling a small hole just below it and inserting a wire. Hope watched Howard demonstrate on their own lock and at once planned a prospective tour of the bank to see if the performance could be duplicated on the lock in the Manhattan Bank. If so, they were in sight of their goal. While the band was waiting for a convenient oc- casion when Shevelin would be on duty at the bank and could admit them safely to test Howard's grand discovery, a great blow fell upon the whole plan. QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 153 It was the mysterious murder of Howard himself. If, as some have suggested, the taking off of Howard was the hand of Providence, I can only- point out that the hand was a little bit slow. If Howard had been killed two days earlier, I can't see how the band could have gotten into the vault. Hope, with all his ingenuity and executive ability, was no great mechanical genius on an up-to-date lock, nor was any other member equal to the task. Howard was on bad terms with several very force- ful members of the underworld, at least one of whom was in the dozen who were secretly besieging the Manhattan Bank. While the gang was rejoicing and waiting, a letter came to Howard requesting his immediate presence on important business at a place near Brooklyn. OPENIITG THE GEEAT VAULT The following week Howard's body was found in the woods of Yonkers, with a pistol in his hand and a bullet in his breast. The suicide theory was dis- pelled by finding another bullet in the back of his head. Investigation brought to light that a wagon containing a heap of sacking had been seen driving through the woods and had later returned empty. Hope and others suspected Johnny Dobbs, of the gang, of doing the shooting, but nothing was ever proved about it. Dobbs and Hope soon after were let in by Sheve- 154 SOPHIE LYONS lin and they put Howard's theory into practice. They bored a hole about the diameter of a 22-cali- ber bullet just under the lock, inserted a wire, threw back the tumblers, and had no trouble in getting into the vault. There stood the safes and from three to six mil- lion dollars in money and securities. But this was only a prospecting tour and the two burglars were careful to disturb nothing. Keturning, they softly closed the huge door and, Hope manipulating the wire, threw back the tumblers. But Hope lacked tbe mechanical skill and fine sense of touch pos- sessed by the late lamented Howard, and he pushed one of the tumblers the wrong way. He knew he had made a mistake but was unable to correct it This meant that the bank employees the next morn- ing would be unable to open the door. There was nothing to do but fill the hole witK putty so that it would not show from the outside and see what the morning would develop. Quite naturally Hope assumed that the lock-tampering would be discovered and his whole plan be ruined. The gang prepared to scatter, but as it turned out they need not have worried. Sure enough, in the morning the doors refused to respond to the cashier's manipulations. The ' makers of the lock were sent for, and after infinite labor the door was opened. The experts from the factory who performed the feat were curious to see what had gone wrong with their mechanism. It was in "apple pie" order with the exception of one QUEEN OF THE BURGLAES 155 tumbler wMch, for no apparent reason, liad moved in the wrong direction. A TIP TO THE POUCE Jimmy Hope's drill hole, puttied up and nicely- hidden on the outside showed black and conspicuous from the inside. The lock mechanics observed the hole and asked the officers of the bank hote the hole came there. They all shook their heads and the Subject was dropped. A portly and prosperous looking gentleman who had been standing at the paying teller's window after changing a one hun- dred dollar bill, heaved a sigh and walked away. It was Jimmy Hope ! ^^Boys," he said to the band, who were all pre- pared to abandon the job, ^4t's a shame to take that money. Those simple souls have found our hole and it doesn't even interest them. They are worry- ing about a little $20,000 loan on some doubtful se- curity, and here we are within a few inches of from three to six millions." ^^Such faith is beautiful," said Johnny Dobbs, with mock piety, ^^let us pray that it be justified." Nevertheless the job was postponed for a year on account of information furnished by John Nu- gent. Nugent, being a member of the New York police force in good standing, was able to keep in close touch with headquarters. He learned that the presence of a dozen of the ablest bank burglars in the world had become known to the police. Not \ 156 SOPHIE LYONS that the police had discovered their presence by de- tective work, for this happens only in novels or de- tective plays. When the sleuth" in actual life gets any real information it is because somebody for fear, hatred, or reward has told him. As I have said, there was bad feeling in the band and I think someone interested in Howard's death gave the tip. At any rate, the band took pains to scatter, and the various members were careful to record themselves at different cities remote from New York. The New York police were much re- lieved and promptly forgot the tip that something big'' was to be pulled off." Just about a year later Shevelin, who was not by nature intended for a crook, looked up from a drunken doze at a saloon table into the keen eyes of Jimmy Hope. Shevelin had neither the instinc- tive inclination nor the nervous system which be- long to the natural criminal. The bare fact that he was connected with the projected robbery had made a drinking man of him. He was in debt and in other trouble, and was genuinely pleased to open negotiations again with the able and confidence-inspiring leader. Every- thing was now in order to go on with the undertak- ing. There were no dissensions in the gang, there- fore the police had no inkling, the bank was smugly confident of their steel fortress, and it only remained to name the hour. Hope's operations were much embarrassed by the fact that Patrick Shevelin was only a supple- QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 157 mentary watchman. Daniel Keely, his brother-in- law, was the regular night watchman, and abso- lutely honest, as Hope knew, both from his own investigations and from Shevelin's assurances. Shevelin's duty was as day watchman, chiefly dur- ing banking hours. The only time when he did not share his watch with either Keely or the equally incorruptible janitor of the building, Louis Werkle, was on Sunday. Therefore, the morning of a beau- tiful October Sabbath was chosen. Hope saw that the weak spot of the bank was also the vulnerable point in his own operations, namely, the nervous and somewhat alcoholic Sheve- lin. Hope decided it would be best for Shevelin to not be on duty at the bank that Sunday, but to ar- range with Werkle, the janitor, to take his place. THE NIGHT BEFOBE Had Shevelin been of sterner stuff, the robbers would have bound and gagged him and left him with a carefully rehearsed tale of a plucky fight against fearful odds to relate to his rescuers. But it was more than probable that Shevelin would be- tray himself in the inevitable ordeal of hours and hours of tiresome examination. Therefore, it seemed best to have him at home, sick, where he could establish an unshakable alibi and answer, ^^I don't know'^ to all questions. Shevelin admitted the band Saturday night and concealed them in a storeroom in an upper part of 158 SOPHIE LYONS tlie building. There they sat crowded, cramped, and uncomfortable through the entire night. They dared not smoke nor even eat for fear Keely, the regular night watchman, who occasionally poked his nose into the room during his rounds, might notice an un- accustomed smell. This matter of smell illustrates how carefully Jimmy Hope worked out the minutest details of his plan. He foresaw that ten men packed into a rather small room would, even without food or smoke, make the atmosphere seem close to the nos- trils of the watchman familiar with the usual empty smell of the place. For this reason Hope ordered his men to bathe before the job and wear clean clothing without any scent whatever. No tobacco, drink, or onions passed their lips on Saturday. As a last precaution, at Hope's order, Shevelin broke a bottle of smelly cough medicine on the floor in the presence of his brother-in-law. As I have said, the regular night watchman was E:eely— an honest, incorruptible man. Shevelin was day watchman. Shevelin worked from six in the morning until six at night, when Keely came on duty for the night job. The janitor of the building, who lived over the bank with his family, was a worthy, honest man, named Werkle. Everybody trusted Werkle, and so it had come about that Werkle was now and then made temporary day or night watchman, whenever Shevelin or Keely were sick or wanted a day off. QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 159 Thoiigli, as I have said, the genius of Western George'' Howard in discovering a simple and speedy method of opening the lock by inserting a wire through a small hole bored beneath it was the one thing which made Hope's plans feasible, yet, at the last minute, this method became unnecessary. CONSULTATIOIyr m THE DARK As if the bank had not done enough in the way of kindness to the burglars by ignoring their little hole, they gave Werkle, the janitor, the numbers of the combination and keys to unlock it. Neither Keely nor Shevelin were trusted to this extent, and Sheve- lin only learned of the janitor's secret in time to tell Hope the night before the robbery. This new information was discussed in whispers throughout the night by the gang. Hope had mis- givings about using the wire and the hole. The fact that he had failed to return one of the tumblers to its proper place on the previous occasion wor- ried him. It was quite possible he might make a wrong move and, instead of opening the door, lock it irrevocably. In that case it was not to be hoped that the easy going bank officials would give him a third chance. On the other hand, forcing the janitor to surren- der his keys and reveal the combination had great disadvantages. It meant delay. He might give the wrong set of numbers from fear or loyalty. At any rate he was certain to hesitate. As it proved, 160 SOPHIE LYONS time was worth about $100,000 a minute, and ten extra minntes would have doubled the value of the ''haul." ^. ^ Shevelin went home with the understandmg that Werkle, the janitor, would take his watch in the morning, when Keely, the night watchman, went off duty. At 10 o'clock, Werkle and his wife went to sleep in their little bedroom above the bank, and Keely made his rounds uneventfully. At 6 o'clock, Sunday morning, Keely waked Werkle, the janitor, and departed by the back door. The closing of the back door was the cue for the gang to take their places and they had no time to lose. Jimmy Hope and Johnny Dobbs, with Billy Kel- ly and Eddie Goodey, Johnny Hope, son of Jimmy Hope, Mason, and Nugent, and my husband, Ned Lyons, rapidly but stealthily advanced upon the janitor's bedroom. To reach it they had to -ass through another bedroom, where slept the agea and feeble-minded mother of Mrs. Werkle. While gagging and binding the old woman a slight amount of noise was made. Werkle paused in his dressing and remarked that he would step in and see what was doing. The robbers forestaUed him by entering and cov- ering him with their revolvers. They presented a terrifying spectacle, each man wearing a hideous black mask. Eubber shoes on their feet made their steps noiseless. They were received in silent horror. The tableau was broken by a faint scream from Mrs. Werkle. Instantly cold muzzles were placed QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 161 to their temples and instant death threatened in return for the slightest sound. Werkle's keys and the combination of the lock were demanded. Poor Werkle attempted to delay complying, but a few savage prods in his ear with the point of Hope's gun scattered the last thought of resistance. He delivered the keys and told them the combina- tion. Hope had decided at the last moment that as long as he had to tackle the janitor he might as well make him surrender the combination, if possible, and save the trouble and uncertainty of working with the wire and the hole which the bank had obligingly neglected to repair. Werkle volunteered the objection that the com- bination numbers would be no use unless they knew how to operate them. Hope inserted a gag in the janitor's mouth and assured him that he need not worry on that score as he was in possession of all the information he needed. Leaving Johnny Hope and Nugent, the police- man, with cocked pistols watching the bound and gagged janitor and wife and the silent and mysteri- ous Eddy Goodey mounting guard over the helpless old woman, Jimmy Hope and Johnny Dobbs hurried downstairs to the vault, accompanied by Ned Lyons. Lyons was always a desperate man, who could think and act quickly. In emergency he was gov- erned by instinct, which is quicker than the quickest intellect. In time of trouble, Lyons was always a tower of strength. He would not hesitate at mur- der, if necessary, and his sudden hand would bolster 162 SOPHIE LYONS up a hesitatiBg member of the gang. For this rea- son he was held in reserve and worked in the vault with Jimmy and Dobbs. Downstairs, they found, as expected, ''Banjo Pete" Emerson in overalls and false whiskers, armed with a feather duster and made up to look exactly like the janitor, Werkle. ''Banjo Pete," as his name implies, was a musician, in fact had been a member of a negro minstrel troupe, and was an actor of no mean ability. It was the ability to make- up and act which made Hope cast him for the part of counterfeit janitor. During the entire proceed- ing, he walked about the front of the bank in full view from the street, dusting the furniture and keeping an eye out for signals from old Abe Coak- ley, dean of the burglars, who had the responsible position of watching all that went on outside. FOOLING THE PATEOLMAN A policeman was in sight of the bank during the entire activities, and actually walked up and gazed in the window. "Banjo Pete" looked up from his dusting and waved his hand to the policeman, who thought he recognized his old friend Werkle, nodded ^'good morning," and then passed on. Meanwhile, Billy Kelly had taken his place just inside the back door with a pistol and a lead pipe and seated himself on the back stairs, while George Mason was sauntering about outside the door to give warning and prevent interruption from that point. QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 163 All these men covered the operations of Jimmy Hope and Johnny Dobbs, who opened the vault door with Werkle's key and combination, and fell to work on the steel safes within. There were three, one on either side and one in the back. With the sledge hammer and knife-edged wedges the two burglars spread the crack of one of the safe doors wide enough to force in the necessary explosive. Pausing only long enough to learn from his con- federates that the coast was clear, Hope touched it off. A muffled reverberation reached the policeman across the street. He glanced over at the bank. ''Banjo Pete'' dropped his duster, crossed to the window, and peered out as if the explosion were from outdoors somewhere, and he were mildly won- dering« The policeman resumed his reflections and the work went on. Fifteen minutes later another muffled boom marked the blowing of the second safe. At this point Hope and Dobbs paused to collect the booty. It was more than they could carry, so half a peck of bonds was passed out to the vigilant Billy Kelly on the back stairs, as much more to the silent Goodey, unwelcome watcher by the bedside of the feeble old woman. With bulging eyes, Mr. and Mrs. Wei-kle saw a few bags of gold tossed in to their guardians and pocketed. The gang had been growing richer at the rate of about a hundred thousand dollars a min- ute for some time. As Hope and Dobbs returned to attack the third safe, which stood in the rear, there came a threat- 164 SOPHIE LYONS ened interruption. George Mason, outside, gave tte signal to Billy Kelly, inside the back door, to be on guard. A milk wagon stopped, the driver de- scended with a quart of milk, opened the back door, and was about to ascend the stairs with it to deliver to the janitor. . ^ . . Billy Kelly, on guard on the stairs for just such an emergency, politely informed him that the jam- tor and his family had gone away and would need no more milk for some time. The milkman replaced the bottle in his wagon and went on, while Hope drove home his wedges. But now came a serious interruption, the wily old Coakley signaled that the end of their operations had come. It was inevitable that Kohlman, the barber, would soon open up his little shop beneath the bank. This was what Coakley signaled to "Banjo Pete," who called the news to the workers within the vault. Immediately Hope, Dobbs, and Lyons laid down their tools, put on their coats, stuffed the remamder of the undisturbed plunder inside their clothes, and told the band to quit. Johnny Hope and Nugent, with a last bloodthirsty threat left the Werkles. Eddy Goodey pocketed his revolver and joined the group collecting around Billy Kelly on the back stairs, where ''Banjo Pete • was getting out of his overalls and pocketing his false whiskers. George Mason gave the ''get away" signal on the outside, and one by one the gang, carrying nearly QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 165 $3,000,000 in money and securities, mingled with the crowd and vanished. Coakley, on watch in front, stayed around and waited for further developments. About ten minutes later the early customers of Kohlman's barber shop heard someone leaping down the stairs from the bank. In burst apparently a madman, half -dressed, his hands handcuffed be- hind him. THE JAKITOk's ESCAPE A gag in his mouth added to his strange appear- ance. Unable to speak or use his hands, he danced up and down and made growling sounds like a mad dog. The barber shop emptied itself and Kohlman was not able at once to recognize behind the gag and the jaunty disarray of clothing his old friend Wer- kle, janitor of the bank. The gag i^emoved, Werkle was able to blurt out the fact that the bank had been robbed. The police- man across the street was summoned, and with him came Coakley. They heard an amazing and some- what incoherent tale. The policeman, being rather young and inexperienced, listened open mouthed and did not know what to do. Coakley, the elderly and rather distinguished looking gentleman, suggested that the story sounded ''fishy," and the policeman ought to investigate. He did so. The whole party entered the bank and Coakley was able to note that no telltale clues had 166 SOPHIE LYONS been left behind. He observed with regret that, while two of the safes gaped wide open and the third contained several wedges, it was still shut tight. The policeman held the half -crazed Werkle pris- oner and guarded the safe while he sent Coakley to the police station to call out the reserves. This er- rand Coakley neglected and, instead, looked up Jimmy Hope, who, like most robbers, was leading a double life. He had a wife and children in one part of the city, and in another a fashionable apart- ment where he was known as Mr. Hopely, a retired capitalist, and had quite a circle of friends, mostly prosperous business men. From this point luck turned against the band. The tremendous proportions of the robbery caught everyone's imagination. The underworld was as much excited as the police, and talk and speculation would not die down. The neglected hole in the lock came to view again, and it was now appreciated in its full significance. The police recollected their tip about Hope and his gang which had come to them at the same time as the discovery of the hole and their suspicions began to grow against some of the real perpetrators. Still, for many weeks, there was not an atom of evidence against any member. Patrick Shevelin, the weak link of the chain, began to feel the pressure. QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 167 THE WEAK SPOT Not only was he a man lacking in the robust nerves essential to a successful criminal, and also one who drank too much, but he was cruelly dis- appointed as well. He had been led to believe that a quarter of a million dollars in cold cash would be handed to him within a day or two after the rob- bery. He was going to buy a castle in Ireland and a few other things with the money. Instead of all this, Hope gave him only $1,200. He explained at the time that this was only his share of the cash stolen, and that the balance of the quarter million would be forthcoming as soon as the bonds and stocks had been converted into cash. But alas for poor Shevelin. The bonds never were converted and, instead of more money, Hope brought him bad news and actually forced him to return half of the $1,200. He told Shevelin that a bill was being prepared at "Washington to compel the issuance of duplicate securities in place of those stolen. This would, of course, make the originals worthless and kill the sale of them and make the robbery a financial failure. There was truth in Hope's plea, for the bill was actually passed, but it is doubtful if poor Shevelin 's $600 was used, as Hope promised, to bribe Senators and Congressmen to obstruct the bill. The horse being stolen, the bank took pains to lock the barn door. They not only rearranged their locks and filled up the hole, but investigated Werkle, 168 SOPHIE LYONS Keely, and Shevelin. Finding that Shevelin was drinking and frequenting disreputable places, they; were about to discharge him. But the detectives persuaded the bank to retain him for fear discharge might excite the suspicions of the gang. Detectives shadowed Shevelin night and day. Some of them became acquainted with him under one guise or another. They even became intoxicated with him. On one or two occasions he let slip re- marks that he was connected with some big secret affair. One day they saw a bartender get a package from a drawer and hand it to Shevelin, who opened It and took out some bills, and then returned the package. The detective was able to see that the package contained several hundred dollars. This was more than Shevelin, in all probability, would have saved out of his small salary with all his bad habits. In spite of all this they knew Shevelin was not ripe for arrest. Finally, in a maudlin moment he conveyed the information that he had been the means of making a great achievement possible and that he had been treated very shabbily. The detectives at once had the bank discharge him on some pretext foreign to the robbery. This added to Shevelin 's gloom. When, on top of this, he was arrested, he was quite ripe to confess. That the gang might not become suspicious, he was ar- rested for intoxication, taken to court the next day, and discharged. As soon as he stepped out of the QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 169 courtroom he was rearrested, and this procedure was repeated day after day. Still Shevelin refused to confess until a detective, telling him how much the authorities knew about the case, informed him that all the gang were rich beyond measure except Shevelin. *^What a sucker you were, Pat,'' he concluded, ^Ho accept a measly $10,000.'' Shevelin leaped to his feet and shouted. ^^It's a lie. I. never got any $10,000, so help me heaven. I never got more than $600 for it." ^^I apologize," said the detective, ^^you are a ten times bigger fool than any one supposed." Shevelin realized he made a hopelessly damaging confession and within a few hours the police were in possession of the complete details pf the case. THE watchman's COKFESSIOK For fear anyone should not believe the actual amount that was taken from the bank, I refer you to the following ofi&cial list of just what we got from the Manhattan Bank as it was announced by the president of the bank : NOTICE THE MANHATTAN SAVINGS INSTITUTION was, on the morning of Sunday, October 27, robbed of securities to the amount of $2,747,700, and $11,- 000 in cash, as follows : 170 SOPHIE LYONS THE STOLEN" SECURITIES United states 5's of 1881, 8 of $50,000 each, 10 of 10,000 each $500,000 United States 6's of 1881, 20 of $10,000 each 200,000 United States 10-40 bonds, 60 of 10,000 each 600,000 United States 4 per cents, 30 of $10,000 each 300,000 United States 5.20's of July, 1865; 26 of $500 each, 35 of $1,000 each "^^^^ New York State sinking fund gold 6's, registered, No. 32 • 32,000 New York City Central Park fund stock, certificate No. 724 . : 22,700 New York County Court House stock, 6 per cent 202,000 New York City, accumulated debt, 7 per cent bonds, two of $100,000 each, and one of $50,000 250,000 New York City Improvement stock, 10 certificates of $20,000 each 200,000 New York City Revenue Bond, registered 200,000 Yonkers City 7 per cent coupon bonds, 118 of $1,000 each ^^^^^^^ Brooklyn City Water Loan coupon bonds, 25 of $1,000 , 25,000 each ' East Chester Town coupon bonds, 50 of $1,000 each. . . 50,000 Cash ' Total amount stolen $2,758,700 Chaeles F. Alfoed, Secretary. Edward Schell, President. If Hope had found ten minutes more time at his disposal he would have entered the third safe, and, as it happened, come upon almost three million more. However, as it stood, this was the greatest robbery ever achieved, and, as things were, each man of the gang should have been rich. QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 171 HUITTING DOWIT THE GANG Now we will see how much crime, even in the most successful case, profited the criminals. In the first place, Tracy was in prison before it hap- pened. ^'Western George,'^ who solved the lock, was murdered. Patrick Shevelin, the watchman, received, instead of the quarter of a million, actually $1,200 in cash. Within a few days Jimmy Hope took half of this back again on the plea that it was needed at Washington to buy off legislators who were to pass a bill through Congress ordering the issue of duplicates in place of the stolen securities. As an actual fact, all Shevelin ever profited from this rob- bery was $600. Jimmy Hope and John D. Grady, the fence, quar- reled over the disposition of the bonds and stocks, which Hope spirited away and hid in the Middle West. The dissension spread to other members of the gang and the underworld began to hear details of the robbery. Hope failed in his efforts to prevent the passage of the bill canceling the stolen securities, and then came the final blow — the confession of Shevelin. Hope was caught in San Francisco, his son, Johnny Hope, was captured in Philadelphia while trying to dispose of some of the bonds— and one after another the gang was run down. Considered from a technical viewpoint, this rob- bery was the most Napoleonic feat ever achieved. My husband, Ned Lyons, said Hope ought to have 172 SOPHIE LYONS managed without tlie aid of Shevelin or, if his aid was absolutely necessary, he should have been killed. This point of view regarding murder is one of the distinguishing differences between my husband and Jimmy Hope. And thus we find that the greatest bank robbery in the history of the world, which enlisted the tmie, brains, and special skill of a dozen able men over a long period of time, resulted in failure to dispose of the valuable securities, and landed sooner or later most of the operators in prison. If an enter- prise 6f such magnitude, successfully accomplished, was not worth while, then surely obime does not pay! QUEEN OF THE BURGLAES 173 CHAPTER Vn BAKK BUEGLAKS WHO DISGUISED THEMSELVES AS POLICE- MEI^^, AND OTHEE Hj^GElTIOUS SCHEMES USED BY THIEVES m BOLD ATTEMPTS TO GET THEIR PLUNDER No honest man can accumulate a million dollars without constant industry, self-denial, perseverance, and ability. The same is true of the professional criminal. In addition, he must possess ingenuity, tact, and resourcefulness of a high order. I have mentioned a number of professional crim- inals who, in the course of their careers, obtained over a million dollars apiece. Although these men accumulated vast fortunes, there was not a single one of them who really derived any lasting benefit out of his ill-gotten gains. Many of them spent a large portion of their lives in jail. Behind prison walls, their buried loot availed them nothing. Oth- ers dissipated their fortunes almost as rapidly as they made them and their last years were spent in poverty. Some of them died violent deaths. Yet every one of these men, as I have intimated, possessed valuable qualities which, had they been put to a legitimate use, would undoubtedly have brought them wealth without any of the penalties incident to a life of crime. Living honestly they might not have accumulated millions, but their skill, ingenuity, and perseverance would undoubtedly 174 SOPHIE LYONS have netted tliem large incomes, and ttey migM have enjoyed the peace of mind which none but the law-abiding can know. Without the ability which these men possessed, it would be useless for anyone to hope to achieve the success" which attended their criminal operations. But anyone possessing their ability would be most ill-advised to attempt to follow in their footsteps when their careers have so clearly demonstrated that CEiME CANKox PAY. Whercas, if properly ap- plied, such ability must inevitably bring success. I intend to give you some idea of the skill and resourcefulness these men possessed by referring in detail to some of their more remarkable exploits. In the course of a criminal career covermg some forty years, Harry Eaymond, all-round burglar, committed several hundred important burglaries. It was he who stole the famous Gainsborough paint- ing, as I bave previously related. The magnitude, of his crimes will be indicated by the fact that his booty aggregated between two and three milhon dollars. Yet, despite the number and importance ot this man's offenses, he was caught only once m the whole forty years, and then through the carelessness of an accomplice. No better proof of the judgment and resourcefulness of a professional criminal could be presented than such a record as that. His robbery of the Cape Town Post Office will illustrate this point more concretely. His first step was to cultivate the friendship ot the Postmaster of the Cape Town Post Office. He QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 175 went at it very systematically and patiently, but at the end of two or three months he had made snch progress that he readily fonnd an opportunity to get temporary possession of the post office keys. That was all that was necessary. He made a wax impression of them and put the keys back without arousing any suspicion. His next step was to prepare three parcels ad- dressed to himself, and mailed them by registered mail from out of town. He came in on the same train with the packages. He waited until the reg- istered mail sacks had been delivered to the Post- master and locked up for the night, and then, just as his friend, the Postmaster, was leaving for the day, he stopped hurriedly into the post office and explained that it was of great importance for him to get that night certain packages he understood were arriving by that day's registered mail. The Postmaster readily consented and went back into the office with the burglar. He opened the safe and ascertained that the packages Eaymond had de- scribed were there, and while he was making certain entries in his book, Eaymond succeeded in making wax impressions of the keys to the safe. Eaymond now had wax impressions of the keys to the post office itself and of the keys in which the registered mail and other valuables were kept. Making the keys from the impressions was not a very difficult task, although it required many sub- sequent visits to the post office and the exercise of a considerable amount of patience before the keys 176 SOPHIE LYONS were properly fitted. Then Eaymond waited for the diamonds to come from the mines, his plan to get them into the post office safe having been very carefully thought out. At one stage of the trip the diamond coach had to make, it was necessary for it to cross a river. This was accomplished by means of a ferry which was operated by a wire-rope cable. Eaymond de- cided to spoil this plan. Before the coach arrived at the ferry he succeeded in severing the wire cable. There was a strong current running and the ferry- boat naturally drifted down the stream. When the coach arrived at the river, there was no ferryboat to take it across, and there was no other means of fording the stream. As I have mentioned, the schedule of the coach had been arranged so that it would reach the docks just in time to catch the steamer for England. The delay at the river re- sulted, as Eaymond had known it would, in the coach missing the steamer, and the next steamer wouldn't sail for a week. In the meanwhile, the diamonds were deposited in the post office safe. It was an easy matter for Eaymond to get into the post office the following night, and the keys he had made gave him access to the safe. The diamonds and other valuables he had planned so cleverly to get were worth $500,000. He abstracted them all and buried them. Instead of fleeing the country with his booty, his prudence dictated that he was safest right there, and he remained there for months. Subsequently, QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 177 he disposed of the stolen diamonds in London, but he was blackmailed ont of a large portion of the proceeds by the accomplice with whom he had made his first attempt to rob the diamond coach, and who at once concluded when he heard of the snccessfnl robbery that it was Eaymond who had committed it. Although it netted the burglars only $100,000, the robbery of the Kensington Savings Bank of Phila- delphia was one of the most cleverly arranged crimes of modern times. The theft was committed by a band of the most notorious bank burglars of the time, including Tom McCormack, Big John Casey, Joe Howard, Jimmy Hope, Worcester Sam, George Bliss, and Johnny Dobbs. No more ^competent crew of safe cracks- men could possibly have been gotten together. On the day these burglars planned to rob the bank, the president received information that the crime was contemplated and would probably be com- mitted that night or the night following. This information came apparently from the Phila- delphia Chief of Police, the messenger stating that the Chief would send down half a dozen uniformed men that afternoon, who were to be locked in the bank that night. The president was told to keep the information to himself as it was desired to catch the burglars red-handed, and it was feared that word might reach them of the plan to trap them and they would be scared off. That afternoon half a dozen uniformed police- men called at the bank shortly before the closing 178 SOPHIE LYONS hour. They were called into the office of the presi- dent and introduced to the bank's two watchmen. After the bank was closed the six men were secreted in different parts of the building and the watchmen were told to obey whatever orders the policemen might give. Nothing happened until about midnight, when some of the policemen came out of their hiding places and suggested to one of the watchmen that it might be a good idea to send out for some beer. One of the policemen volunteered to take off his uniform, but changed his mind, saying that it would perhaps be safer for one of the watchmen to. go. ^'If the burglars see one of you fellows going out of the building," he said to the watchmen, "they will suspect nothing, but if they see a strange face leaving the bank at this hour they will know there is something unusual going on.'^ The watchmen agreed. No sooner had the watchman left the building than one of the policemen raised his nightstick and brought it down with all his might on the head of the other watchman. The man dropped to the floor like a log. He was quickly bound and gagged and taken inside the cashier's cage. A few minutes later the other watchman returned with the beer, and as he set foot in the room where the policemen were congregated he was accorded the same treatment. The watchmen out of the way, the six policemen made their way to the bank safe and there a remark- QUEEN OF THE BUKGLAES 179 able scene was enacted. Attired in the regulation uniform of the city police, with helmets, shields, and nightsticks of the official style, the six ^^police- men'' proceeded to break into the bank safe. As their work progressed, some of the men removed their hats and loosened their heavy coats, but there SOON AFTER MIDNIGHT A STRANGE SCENE WAS ENACTED was nothing to indicate to anyone who might have witnessed this remarkable piece of work that the men engaged in the cracking of the safe were not genuine policemen. As a matter of fact, of course, they were six of the cleverest bank burglars in the business. When the safe was blown and the bank's funds, amounting to some $100,000, removed, the ^^police- men" buttoned up their uniforms, put on their hats 180 SOPHIE LYONS and, opening the front doors of the bank with the keys they took from the unconscious watchmen, they boldly marched in single file into the public street In planning out a bank robbery, or, indeed, any kind of robbery, a great deal of time must be given over to study of the situation so that when the day of the robbery comes the burglars will know just what to do and be able to do it promptly. Often- times it is necessary to wear a disguise so as to more surely carry out the prearranged plans. I remember once disguising myself as a Quaker farmer's wife when we did a job in the section of Pennsylvania where the Quakers abound. We had been over the territory very carefully and picked out a bank where a considerable amount of money was on display, scattered around on the different counters of the bank, and we decided that we could go into that bank in broad daylight and get most of the cash. For several weeks we had studied the' methods in vogue in the bank and knew pretty accurately where the cashier and other employees would be at certain hours, and which hour would be the most favorable for our work. There were four of us working on this particular robbery, and it was decided that I should disguise myself as a Quaker woman and pass the bank at a certain hour. I went around the town for several days studying the costumes of the women and finally rigged myself out in the typical Quaker housewife style. QUEEN OP THE BUEGLAES 181 I purchased a small milk can and, as its newness might attract attention, I rubbed the can with dirt imtil it took on a time-worn appearance. Then I secured one of the common baskets carried very often by the women who go to market to dispose of small lots of vegetables. For several days my pals and myself rehearsed the work we had to do so that when the time of action came we were per- fect in our parts. We had found out from our daily observations of the bank that the cashier, who was a good deal of a dandy, went out every day at half past twelve and returned about 1 o 'clock. Several of the other clerks in the bank went out for their lunch at the same time. At fifteen minutes to one there were fewer clerks in the bank than at any other period of the day, and if we were to do our work at all it must be . accomplished at that time. There was only one drawback to this arrange- ment — the cashier occasionally came back at five or ten minutes to one, and we could not be certain that he would stay out the full half hour on the day we operated. If he came back before 1 o'clock our scheme would be frustrated and we would probably be arrested. So it was decided that I should lay outside the bank and intercept the cashier if he should happen along before my pals made their get- away from the bank. On the day of the robbery we were near the bank at half past twelve, and waited till a quarter of one, when we saw several other clerks go out. Then 182 SOPHIE LYONS tlie rest of my band hastened into the bank, and I kept my eyes fixed on the direction in which the cashier nsnally came. The robbers who went into the bank had a nnmber of little formalities to get over before it was possible to grab the money, and this took time. They had been inside nearly ten minutes when I spied the cashier walking np the street toward the bank. As Inck would have it, he was getting back five minutes ahead of his usual time. I strolled leisurely to meet him, dressed up, of course, as the Quaker housewife, with my basket full of vegetables and can of milk on my arm. The cashier and I came together in the ^middle of the block, about a hundred feet from the bank. I accosted him and asked for some fictitious address, in a broken English kind of lingo, which he could not at first understand. He was a very polite young man, and, of course, stopped to help me out of my little difficulty. While I was engaging the cashier in this fashion, I kept my eyes rambling to the bank to see if my pals were getting away,' for if the cashier had gone down at that moment he would see them in the act of robbing, and all would be lost. After holding the cashier for a minute or two, he became impatient at my unintelligible talk and said he was sorry he could not help me and would have to be going. Now, under no circumstances could I permit that cashier to leave then. If neces- sary I would have grabbed him about the neck and QUEEN OF THE BURGLAES 183 lield liiin by force until my companions escaped. But a better scheme than this suggested itself; I deliberately spilled the can of milk over the cash- ier ^s clothes, doing it, of course, in an apparently innocent way. The nice white milk settled all over the young man's vest and coat, and he looked a sorry sight indeed. He, was exasperated at my awkwardness, as he called it, and took out his handkerchief to wipe off the milk, and I, full of sympathy for his de- plorable plight, also took out my handkerchief and gave my assistance. While we were trying to get rid of the milk I saw the robbers hurry out of the bank and walk rapidly up the street. Then I knew they had gotteij the cash, and it was no longer neces- sary for me to detain the cashier. I mumbled my apologies to the poor, milk-bespattered cashier, and then hurried off down the street. I went into a doorway— which I had picked out in advance, of course — and took off my Quaker dis- guise. Under the disguise I had on my regular clothes. I left the Quaker outfit, milk can and all, in this strange doorway and then hustled off to meet my pals at the rendezvous previously agreed upon. We divided the money — ^we had obtained $90,000— and stayed in the town a few days. In the papers the next morning there was a big account of the robbery, and the additional state- ment that the robbers had overlooked another pack- age of money containing $150,000. We were shocked by this piece of information, and the poor robber 184 SOPHIE LYONS whose duty it was to collect tlie money in the bank was roundly upbraided for getting a miserable ninety thousand when he could also have taken the $150,000 if he had not been such a bungler. He swore by every deity that the papers were wrong, for he had searched very carefully and there was no other money in sight when he left the place. How- ever, we could never forgive this chap for his over- sight, because we believed the papers had the thing right, and we disputed about the matter so much that the gang, or "party," as we of the criminal fraternity call it, had to be disbanded, and we went our separate ways, good friends, of course, but no longer co-workers. It is the custom among bank robbers to demand that each member of a party do his work properly. If any one of them makes a failure, or does not come up to expectations, he is discharged from the party. The method of discharging a member is peculiar. The leader will say to him: "When are you going home. Jack?" and he will hand him some money. "When are you going home?" means we don't want you with us any more. I might say, in concluding this experience, that one of the men who took part in this robbery is now living in Philadel- phia and highly respected. He long since gave up his criminal associations and went into business for himself and has made a great deal of money by his own honest efforts. The other man died in prison. His was the fate of many another professional criminal. He had QUEEN OF THE BUEGLAES 185 gambled away most of the money lie secured from his illegal trade and, in addition, he served twenty years of his life behind prison walls. Not even the cleverest men in the business have profited by their skill. They may prosper for a brief hour, but in the end they are forced to the conclusion that crime does not pay ! 186 SOPHIE LYONS CHAPTEE Vin PEOMOTEES OF CEIME— PEOPLE WHO PLAN EOBBEEIES AND ACT AS "hackees" FOE PEOFESSIONAL CEIMINAl^J THE EXTEAOEDINAEY "mOTHEe" MANDELBAUM, "queen of the thieves," and geady, who had HALF A DOZEN GANGS OF CEACKSMEN WOEKING FOB | HIM If there is any one familiar adage that fits every i criminal in the underworld it is "Easy come, easy; go." Surely there is a curse on stolen moneyj More than once in my former life I have receive^* $50,000 as my share in a Sunday morning ban] burglary— and by the next Saturday night not evei . a five-dollar bill remained. Professional thieves are rich one day and poor the next. The fact that more money is always to be had without the hard labor which brings honest reward makes thieves as improvident as children. All thieves are gamblers— scarcely in all my ac- quaintances can I recall even one exception. Some- times the entire proceeds of a robbery are lost m a gambling house within twenty-four hours after the crime. And this is how it has come about that all over the world, in every big city, there are "backers" of thieves; men, and sometimes women, who take the stolen goods off their hands, find hiding places for criminals who are being pursued, advance money j "mottor'* mandei