 She and Lyons were prominent underworld figures in New York City during the post-American Civil War era as associates of Marm Mandelbaum, Lyons being a member of Mandelbaum's "inner circle" during the 1860s and 1870s.She eventually retired from criminal life and spent her later years involved in the rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents, and providing financial assistance and housing for reformed criminals and their families.Her autobiography, "Why Crime Does Not Pay" (1913), was published and distributed by publisher William Randolph Hearst.