Criminal Born and Bred.

Southland Times, Issue 10161, 13 May 1889, Page 3

Criminal Born and Bred.

(Standard.)

A well dressed woman, who gave her name as Madame de Varney, was arretted last July on the charge of pocket-picking in the Champs Klysees. She protested against the imputation but was nevertheless incarcerated at St. Lazare, M. Merie, the examining magistrate who instituted an inquiry into her case, learned from tbe prisoner tbat she was living aa a boarder at Neuilly with the family of M. Fabre, a former police comminsioaary. All tihote who had made Madame de Varney'a acquaintance at that boarding-house, and M. Fabre himself, said it was impossible she conld have been guilty of the act imputed to ber. Moreover, she was a woman who had plenty of money, and whose delicate sense of honour was vouched for by twenty people Madame de Varney stated that (she was an American, and accordingly the American Legation interceded for her, obtained her release, and she left France, where, she declared, it was impossible for an honest woman to get jato a tramcar without running the risk of being mistaken aod arretted as a

thief ■ M, Goron, the chief of the detective force, believed his men had not been mistaken, and sent a photograph of the woman to Mr Byrne, chief of the New York police. MT Goron has just received from the American official the report of the result of hie long and searching inquiry. It turns out ihat Madame de Varney, who is about thirty years of age. i« one of the most celebrated crimi» nals of America* Her parents, her sisters, and ber two husbands were all professional thieves, and she herself han always lived by robbery. Her father, who was an adroit shoplifter, trained her to that specialty of crime.

At the age of twelve she was an adept at if. When sixteen years old slie married a thief named Harris, who was arrested during h s honeymoon, and what has become of him is nnknown. She got away, and continued her nefarious operations elsewhere. In her wanderings she met a clever robber named Ned Lyons' whom the married, and in a few years made a fortune by their robberies. Ned Lyons then thought the time had come to live like honest people; so the conpled settled down, and for a time lived on their ill-gotten wealth.

Mrs Lyons, however, could not resist the temptation to steal, and one day stole something in a ihop, when she was caught, aud sent to gaol for five yeara. Ned Lyonß, being rich, bribed tbe prison warders and soon enabled his wife to regain her liberty. They fled to Canada, where they purchased a conntry bouse and lived io as to win the eitsem of all who knew them. They bad four children — one boy and three girls, But this quiet life was not the taste of Mrs Lyons. One day she arrived in a carriage at the door of a New York bank, at an hour when ahe knew there were only two clerks in the establishment. She sent in word that, being lame and unable to leave her carriage, she would be greatly obliged if a clerk wonld come out and speak with her. _ She kept him talking a long time, during which her accomplices pillaged the bank. At another time she was in a bank where a gentleman was counting a large sum of money. She dropped her pocket handkerchief close to him, and asked him to pick it up. He politely did so, and meanwhile Mre Lyons' accomplices had made oif with eeven hundred d-il!a.».

At length it became perilous for her to remain longer in America, and she abandoned her husband and children. He died shortly after, and her son, who became a thief alio, died in prison. Her daughters were taken care of by some charitable people, who placed them in a cotfvent at Montreal, where tbey areata Ai fo T m fcyoa., »fc« k«. fete*

travelling about Europe, sever leaving a countiy till she fouud it too hot to hold her. lt was after visiting, witb profit, England, Germany, Austria, asd Russia, tbat Mrs Lyon?, under the name of Madame de Varney, came to Paris ,* but it was not long after her career here was cut short by the CTkampe-lljaeei incident. The police of a large number of countries of Europe and America wonld like to know her present address.