About
Thief and con artist who rose through the ranks of New York City's criminal underworld. She became one of the nation's most infamous female criminals and was wanted in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, and Montreal. Later in life, she reformed and worked with juvenile delinquents.
Before Fame
She was caught stealing for the first time at the age of three, and was arrested for the first time at the age of twelve.
Trivia
She and Ned Lyons escaped from Sing Sing prison in 1872, and went on the run with their children, ending up in Canada.
Family Life
She was of Jewish descent and was born in Lauben, Germany. Her mother was a career criminal who taught her to pickpocket and shoplift. When she was 16, she married fellow pickpocket Maury Harris. The marriage fell apart when Harris was sent to prison for two years. She went on to marry Ned Lyons, an infamous bank robber. They had six children during the course of their marriage.
Associated With
William Randolph Hearst published her 1913 autobiography entitled Why Crime Does Not Pay.
