Born: December 24, 1848
Died: May 8, 1924
AKA: Fannie Owens, Kate Wilson, Mary Wilson

A petty (small-time) thief from the time she could walk, Sophie Lyons eventually earned a reputation as “one of the cleverest criminals the country has ever produced.”

A criminal education

Born Sophie Levy in New York City on December 24, 1848, she was the daughter of criminals. Her mother—who used the names Julia Keller and Sophie Elkins—was an old-time shoplifter. She saw little of her father, Sam Levy, who spent much of his life in prison for robbery. Sophie’s mother taught her to shoplift at an early age. She also instructed her in the practice of picking pockets—which was considered to be an art among criminals of that time. Taught various ways to steal to help support her family, Sophie never attended school.

As a teenager Sophie...