Edward Lyons was a
New York City gangster in the 19th century. Born in Ireland July 15, 1839, he immigrated to America as a child and settled in
Lowell, Massachusetts. A burglar and bank robber, he learned his criminal trade in
New York City. He was sentenced to
Sing Sing Prison, from which he escaped in 1872 with his wife,
Sophie Lyons
Sophie Lyons (December 24, 1848 – May 8, 1924) was an American criminal and one of the country's most notorious female ''thieves, pickpockets, shoplifters, and confidence women'' during the mid-to-late 19th century. She and her husbands ...
. After serving multiple prison terms he became a notorious hustler and
conman.
Ned learned to understand how people think and react, and although impaired by extreme
near-sightedness, he was capable of quickly identifying liars, earning himself a high powered position among the gangs of New York. Physically, he had a strikingly large head.
References
Further reading
*Asbury, Henry. ''The French Quarter: An Informal History of the New Orleans Underworld''. New York: Alfred A. Knoff, 1936.
*Davidson, Shayne. ''Queen of the Burglars: The Scandalous Life of Sophie Lyons''. Jefferson, N.C.: Exposit Books, 2020.
External links
The Willimantic Chronicle - Year of 1884 imprisoned at Springfield
Edward Lyons, alias Ned Lyons, Professional Criminals of America by Byrnes
British emigrants to the United States
Gang members of New York City
Escapees from New York (state) detention
Criminals from New York City
1839 births
1906 deaths
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