Sonka the Goldhand. Interesting facts from life and a short biography of the famous thief. Queen of Thieves Sonya - golden pen Sonya golden pen biography

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Mysterious Sofia Bluvshtein - Sonya - Golden Hand...

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the so-called “Blue Magazine” was published in Moscow under a dark cover. In the few copies that accidentally fell into my hands, I became acquainted with stories, short stories, feuilleton novels, entirely dedicated to the category of outlaw people: all kinds of swindlers, shipping cheats, “billiard kings,” merchants of human goods and other shady personalities. Much more fascinatingly, this world was represented by the fair sex; provincial touring actresses, chansonettes in search of an engagement, elderly ladies with a brood of young and pretty girls, beautiful and chic adventurers, sometimes accompanied by a young, elegant, shaven and powdered gigolo, were described.

Among this aristocracy of vice, the first place is occupied by the adventures of the notorious Sonya the Golden Hand, which made a splash from Warsaw to Harbin. Her popularity was unheard of. The end of the career of the brave raider was exile to the island of Sakhalin, where, after serving her sentence, she remained to live, maintaining a “duvan”, i.e. buying stolen goods.

Gradually, Blue Magazine, having taken possession of her nickname and embellished the legend, began to portray Sonya as a lady of the demimonde, a chic high-flying adventuress, with a rich wardrobe, jewelry and a collection of false passports in the name of baronesses and countesses. "Blue Magazine" glorified the image of the heroine, her beauty, intelligence, tact, courage and truly devilish dexterity. Her personal charm and power of suggestion bordered on the miraculous.

We must not forget the main thing: Sonya the Golden Hand, as a figment of the Blue Magazine’s imagination, was a product of crazy years late XIX
and the beginning of the twentieth century, the only era in the history of Russia of unprecedented industrial and financial takeoff, a hysterical stock exchange, new quickly rich people. Life flowed under a golden rain: the wars of 1905 and 1914 gave birth to a legion of millionaires, they were in a hurry to live and in a hurry to feel... From now on everything was allowed, crazy money destroyed all barriers - excitement and gold on the green cloth of tables, unprecedented revelries, sleepless nights and women , women... princesses and models, cocottes in diamonds and sables, champagne with ether, cocaine and tango - the dance of love and death, and the poet of our time - pale Pierrot - Vertinsky.
There is little reliable information about Sofya Bluvshtein.

According to some, she was born in Russian Poland, in Warsaw, according to others - in Odessa. One date of her birth is 1859, the other is 1869. Neither her nor her maiden name, nor the place and date of death. Only one thing is known - that she was born in a poor decent Jewish family and married a professional thief Mikhail - Mikhel - Blyuvshtein. The marriage soon broke up due to constant adultery Sophia. But her high-profile lawsuit during her reign Alexandra III, in 1886, was covered by all Russian and even foreign newspapers. As a result, she was convicted and exiled to Sakhalin, where she was seen by Chekhov and famous journalist Vlas Doroshevich. Both left their impressions of her and the place of her imprisonment.

One thing is surprising - that even in modern times Sonya has a considerable number of fans. Monument from expensive stone unexpectedly appeared at a famous Moscow cemetery. Again there is no date of death, nor an indication of the place where the famous adventuress died. The myth about Sonya continues to live.

Alla TER-ABRAMOVA, Moscow–Paris

Who are you, Sonya - Golden Hand?

There were legends about this woman. They loved her, they worshiped her, they fawned over her. Books were written about her and films were made. The most brilliant houses in Europe opened their doors to her...

So who is she, Sofya Ivanovna Bluvshtein, Sonya the Golden Hand, the queen of the thieves’ world?

The whole life of this amazing woman was surrounded by secrets and mysteries, in the emergence of which she herself was largely involved.

According to one version, Sonya was born in 1859 in large family the poor Jewish barber Shtendel in Berdichev. After the death of her mother, and later her father, four-year-old Sonya was taken to Odessa, where she was raised by her unloved stepmother. Having run away from her stepmother at the age of twelve, the smart and pretty Sonya ended up in the service of famous artist Julia Pastrana. The brilliance and luxury surrounding Julia gave rise to envy and a thirst for enrichment in the soul of the future swindler, which served as the impetus for the start of a dizzying career as a thief...

According to another version, Sophia’s criminal talent awoke after an unsuccessful romance with a young Greek - the son of a famous shopkeeper in Odessa. Then the young lovers ran away from home, taking a decent amount of money from one of the shops of their Greek father. However, the money did not last long, and along with the money, love evaporated. The failed lover returned to the family hearth, but Sonya...

However, the third version, compiled by various historians based on surviving metrics, materials from criminal cases and eyewitness accounts, is considered to be the closest to reality.
So…

Sofya Ivanovna Bluvshtein, nee Sheindlya Sura Leibovna Solomoniak, was born in 1846 in the family of a small merchant in the town of Powonzki, Warsaw district. The family was not distinguished by its integrity - they dealt in stolen goods and were involved in smuggling. Feiga's older sister's husband was repeatedly convicted of theft, and Feiga herself was a talented thief. Well, tell me, how could little Sheindley (the girl came up with the name Sophia herself) grow into a virtuous, God-fearing bourgeois? And Sonya honed her skills, moving among the best local thieves.

The parents dreamed of seeing their girl as a respectable mother of the family, so that she could escape from the filth in which they themselves lived. The persuasion had an effect, and in 1864, eighteen-year-old Sonya married the venerable grocer Isaac Rosenbad. At first, she diligently tried to play the role of a good wife and even gave birth to Rosenbad’s daughter Sura-Rivka, but her patience did not last long: after a year and a half family life Sofya Rosenbad, taking her daughter and 500 rubles from her husband’s grocery store, disappeared in an unknown direction.

Sonya was first arrested on April 14, 1866 in a hotel in the city of Klin. She was accused of stealing a suitcase from the cadet Gorozhansky, whom she met on the train. But Sonya was not convicted, since from the courtroom she was handed over on bail to a certain Lipson, the owner of the hotel, whom she managed to charm during her short stay in Klin. After this incident, Sonya became cautious...

Sophia wasn't there beautiful woman. This is how she was described in police documents: “Height 1 m 53 cm, pockmarked face, moderate nose with wide nostrils, wart on the right cheek, brunette, curly hair on the forehead, mobile eyes, impudent and talkative.” And yet, Sophia enjoyed incredible success with men. She married several times, having been Sofia Rubinstein, Sofia Shkolnik, Sofia Brener, and Sofia Blyuvshtein...

After the Klin failure, Sonya moved to St. Petersburg, where, together with Michel Brener, she carried out a series of thefts. There in St. Petersburg, together with the famous thief Levit Sandanovich, she tried to create her own criminal group. Apparently it was during this period that a new method of hotel theft, “Guten Morgen,” was invented. The method was as simple as it was ingenious: elegantly dressed, impeccable Sonya entered the victim’s room and began looking for money and jewelry. If she was caught in the act, she would be embarrassed, apologize, and pretend that she had the wrong number.

Sonya never left her room without loot; if necessary, she could even sleep with the victim and saw nothing wrong with that. This method was worked out by her to the smallest detail and she practically did not know the details.

In the seventies, Sonya, realizing that she had become somewhat familiar in St. Petersburg (and not on the same scale!), she and several accomplices went to Europe. Warsaw, Vienna, Paris, Leipzig – the geography of Sonya’s crimes knew no bounds. Despite the lack of education, she had a sharp mind and strong intuition. In addition, over the years of her vigorous activity, Sofya Bluvshtein perfectly mastered the languages ​​- German, French, Polish. The fraudster easily posed as a Russian aristocrat traveling abroad. The doors were open to her best houses high society... The wave of crimes that swept across Europe made the whole world talk about Sonya.

The Golden Hand (Sonka received this nickname in thieves' circles) was particularly scrupulous. She carefully prepared for each crime. The best thieves in Europe worked on her team; in her arsenal there were many devices necessary for work: false nails, where the fraudster hid small jewelry stones, shoes with special heels, to which they stuck “on time” Jewelry, the dress was a bag where Sonya hid the loot... But the main thing in her arsenal of all kinds of tricks was undoubtedly her acting talent, which helped her get out of any situations.

Sonya's reputation in the criminal world grew every day. In 1872, Sofya Bluvshtein received an offer to join the largest club of Russian scammers, “Jack of Hearts,” and a few years later she headed it. The club's activities extended to the entire territory of Russia.

Sonya got caught several times, but she always managed to avoid punishment. In 1871, it fell into the hands of the Leipzig police, who chose to immediately get rid of it by transferring it under the supervision of Russia. However, Russia did not want to get involved with her, and Sonya was expelled from the country... In 1876, she “fell asleep” in Vienna, but she managed to escape from custody with the help of a warden who was in love with her... Having fallen into the hands of the Krakow police, Sonya manages to rob her( !) lawyer, who, despite this, did not refuse to defend her, and Sonya got off with only a two-week sentence...

But soon luck turned away from her. In 1880, after a high-profile trial, Sofya Bluvshtein was convicted by a Moscow court and sent to Siberia, but she managed to escape from there. And again, all of Russia started talking about Sonya. She robbed jewelers, bankers, industrialists...

In 1885, Sonya’s luck changed again, this time completely. After robbing several large jewelry stores, she was captured and, after a long trial, sentenced to hard labor.

On the day of the sailing of the Katarzhan women, there was nowhere for an apple to fall on the Quarantine Pier embankment. It was Odessa who came out to say goodbye to Sonya the Golden Hand.

She tried to escape from hard labor three times - three times unsuccessfully. After the third attempt, Sonya died...

...At the beginning of the twentieth century, after Sonya’s death, a wave of crimes swept across Europe again, the style of which was surprisingly reminiscent of the famous swindler. What a surprise it was Russian police, when a sensational announcement appeared in all the newspapers of the world that the famous Sonya, the Golden Hand, had been captured by the police of one of the countries. She introduced herself as the wife of the Erz-Duke, and to the police she called herself Sophia Beck. But nothing was found out - the fraudster escaped from the convoy, charming one of the guards...

In Moscow on Vagankovskoe cemetery there is a monument brought from Italy depicting a beautiful woman under three palm trees. There are always fresh flowers and scatterings of coins on the grave. They say that under this monument lies Sonya the Golden Hand. They say…

Grave of Sophia Bluvshtein

In the biography of this famous adventuress, truth, lies, secrets and falsifications are so intertwined that it is now difficult to figure out where the truth is, where is fiction, and where beautiful legend. There are several versions of the fate of Sonya Zolotoy Ruchka, and each of them is as fascinating as an adventure novel.

Sonya Zolotaya Ruchka in the image of a noble lady

No wonder the name of the swindler and her life story are immortalized in books, films, TV series and crime stories. The queen of the underworld of the 19th century became famous not for the number of scams, but for the fact that she elevated ordinary theft to the rank of the art of thieves, which, as we know, always balances on the brink of vice and nobility.

Childhood and youth

Sheindlya-Sura Leibovna Solomoniak is the name Sonya received at birth. The future star of the underworld was born into a Jewish family in 1846 in the village of Powązki (Warsaw province, Kingdom of Poland, Russian empire). This is confirmed by official court documents. But then facts alternate with myths.

The parents were small traders, either smuggling or buying stolen goods, which is quite reasonable, given the innate criminal talents of the children. It is known that Sheindli-Sura’s sister, Feiga, was also a noble thief.

The girl declared her thieving abilities early: at the age of 13-14 she had already committed petty thefts. And at the age of 18, calling herself Sofia Ivanovna, the girl flies out of her native nest in search of a better life.

Crimes

In 1864, in Warsaw, Sonya charms the grocer Isaac Rosenbad, who became her first husband. Soon the young woman gave birth to a daughter, Sura-Rivka. It would seem that it was time to become the mother of a family, but the newlywed had the wrong character - she was drawn to wealth, adventures and revelry. In a word, after a year and a half, the girl took 500 rubles. she ran away from her husband’s shop and left the baby in his care.

According to one version, the fugitive was accompanied by a certain recruit Rubinstein. The couple went to Russia, where they began a criminal enterprise, wandering around Russian cities and Europe.

The first detention of Sonya, indicated in the sources, dates back to 1866. A woman was detained in the city of Klin for stealing a suitcase. The criminal got out of it, repenting that she had taken the item by mistake, and she was released.

Then Sonya “lit up” already in the capital. In St. Petersburg, together with her lover Mikhail Brenner, she cleaned out the dachas of aristocrats, and then used the talent of a born actress, which miraculously sprouted from criminal soil.

Sony's know-how has become the new kind hotel thefts called "Guten Morgen". The principle is as follows: Sonya checked into a hotel under the guise of a rich lady, looked closely at the guests, planning victims in advance. In the morning, while it was still dark, the thief sneaked into the room, deftly cleaned out the sleeping man and retreated. If the “victim” woke up, Sonya began to make excuses: they said she mixed up the number in the dark. And those who were too distrustful had to be appeased with the help of female charms. The main thing for Sonya was not to leave without a trophy.

The late 60s and 70s were literally golden years for the young criminal. By this time, Sonya already had a signature style and a thieves' creed. First of all, she never took on small matters. Only the premonition of a big jackpot evoked those same demonic lights in her eyes - sure harbingers of success.

Sonya prepared for a large-scale scam for a long time, carefully thinking through the details. An integral part of her plans was the “theatrical” component: disguises, wigs, makeup, special attributes, hired “artists” and even trained animals were used.

So, to rob jewelry stores, Sonya came up with special shoes with hiding places built into the heels to hide the loot. The thief herself walked around with long nails, under which she cleverly hid gems. Sonya taught her pet monkey to swallow larger pebbles, and at home she gave her “companion” an enema.

For some time the woman operated on first class trains. Realizing what it is vehicle simply filled to the brim with “money bags”, Sonya, as a passenger, sat in the compartment with the gentlemen and used her feminine charm, and sometimes a couple of drops of sleeping pills. By morning, the victim discovered an empty compartment and an equally empty wallet lying on the floor.

Trains, hotels, and jewelry stores were the main “area of ​​activity” of the swindler. And each time the woman managed to escape the clutches of the police. Success turned Sonya's head: in the early 70s, she decided to go to Europe: take a break and explore new horizons.

Here the fraudster poses as a Russian aristocrat, which is beyond doubt due to her manners. It’s phenomenal, but Sonya, who did not receive proper upbringing and education, spoke several languages ​​perfectly, had good manners, refined taste and competent speech. In a word, she had the best houses of the Old World at her disposal, and the thief managed to take advantage of this.

Leipzig, Vienna, Warsaw, Krakow, Odessa. In these cities, the adventurer was repeatedly detained by the police. However, each time she escaped right from under the noses of the gendarmes or got off with a meager sentence. Over the course of 10 years of criminal “tours,” Sonya became an honorary member of the criminal club “Jacks of Hearts” and the uncrowned queen of the thieves’ world, Sonya the Golden Hand. The woman adored her nickname and considered it more important than titles and awards.

The people have also heard about Sonya's tricks: newspapers enthusiastically describe her scams and publish photographs. Such popularity was not good for the criminal. Her thieving enterprises became less frequent, her beauty began to fade. In short, in 1880, Sonya’s star was already declining.

In that fateful year Sonya found herself in the dock for the first time and, after a high-profile trial, was sent to hard labor in Siberia - the village of Luzhki in Irkutsk region. A year later, the woman escaped and was captured only in 1885 in Smolensk, having managed to commit a number of thefts. Sonya escaped from the Smolensk prison, having fallen in love with the warden. But this time she was not free for long. In 1888, she was transported from Odessa to Sakhalin Island, from where the woman never returned, although she made attempts to escape.

Personal life

The turbulent personal life of the famous criminal was an integral part of her criminal existence. Sonya had many cohabitants from a criminal background who became faithful accomplices in her scams. At the same time, the woman had an ordinary appearance. Here's how Sonya's contemporaries described her:

“small (153 cm), thin, pockmarked face, wart on her cheek, but lively, intelligent eyes and charming manners.”

Three marriages of the swindler are known: with grocer Isaac Rosenbad, a wealthy Jew from Dinaburg Shelom Shkolnik, card sharper and thief Mikhail Blyuvshtein, in whose marriage Sonya gave birth to two more daughters - Tabba and Mikhelina.

However, all the marriages meant nothing to Sonya compared to the only love of her life - Wolf Bromberg, nicknamed Volodya Kochubchik. The 20-year-old lover turned out to be femme fatale for Sonya and became her “swan song”.

The Odessa swindler and thief turned out to be a hardened gigolo: he carelessly spent and lost all the money of his middle-aged mistress. Sonya could not cope with her destructive passion and again gave her beloved diamonds and pulled them out of gambling houses.

To get rid of his annoying girlfriend, Kochubchik ratted her out, and in a very extravagant way. He presented Sonya with a luxurious gift - a velvet cloth with a blue diamond, which he bought from a jeweler under the “false mortgage” of the mansion. A day later, Kochubchik returned the diamond to the jeweler, demanding that the deal be cancelled. Having carefully examined the brought stone, the jeweler was horrified to discover that it was a fake. The sharpie “honestly” told the police when they arrived that he was acting on Sonya’s orders. So the woman began wandering through hard labor.

Death

It is unknown how the legendary thief met her death and where she is buried. The main version says that Sonya died of a cold on Sakhalin after an escape attempt in 1902 and was buried in the local cemetery at the Aleksandrovsky post.

According to another, Sonya lived last days with daughters and grandchildren in Moscow. This legend is probably believed by those who visit the grave and monument at the Vagankovskoye cemetery, which supposedly belong to Sonya. The dilapidated memorial is covered with inscriptions and requests: young thieves ask Sonya for good luck in “business.”

• Sonya loved to live in luxury: her favorite vacation spots were Crimea, Pyatigorsk and the foreign resort of Marienbad (today the Czech city of Marianske Lazne).
• Before her death in 1899, she converted to Orthodoxy, and after her christening she was given the name Maria.
• A description of the convict Sophia Bluvshtein is in the book “Sakhalin Island”: the writer personally met with the criminal in 1890.

• The noble deeds of the thief are also known. So, while working in the hotel, Sonya discovered a sleeping young man, next to whom lay a pistol and a suicide note, in which the young man repented of wasting government money on medicines for his sick sister. Sonya, without thinking twice, left a large sum on the table and left. Another time, Sonya, having learned that she had robbed a widow with two daughters, returned the money.

Memory

• 1914 – silent film “Sonka – The Golden Hand” (actress Nina Goffman)
• 2007 – TV series “Sonka – Golden Hand” (actress)
• 2010 – TV series “Sonka. Continuation of the legend" (actress Anastasia Mikulchina)
• 2013 – series “Time Loop” (actress Liana Ermakova)

Biography of Sofia Bluvshtein, obituary, life and death. When she was born and died Sonka the Goldhand. Monument at Vagankovskoye Cemetery. Photo and video.

Years of life

born 1846, died 1902

Epitaph

The earthly path is short,
The memory is eternal.

Biography of Sofya Bluvshtein

B Iography of Sonya Zolotoy Ruchki- the story of a woman who became famous thanks to her very dubious talent. Still, it's hard not to admire or be surprised by how deftly tricked me around my finger men, guardians of the law, naive ordinary people and even strict jailers, this little charming woman. To this day Films and TV series are being made about the talented fraudster, the life of Sonya Golden Hand, whose nickname speaks for itself, seems so incredible.

Sonya's story is full of secrets and mysteries that are still unknown reliable dates birth and date of death of Sonya Zolotoy Ruchka. It is possible that she did not die at all on Sakhalin Island, but somewhere in Odessa or Moscow, having managed to escape from prison and leaving a fake friend in her place. All her life There were all sorts of legends about Sonya- they say, she lived in a Turkish harem, opened a school of thieves in London, had an uncountable number of lovers and robbed in all the cities of Russia and Europe! According to official data, she born in Warsaw. Since childhood, Sophia had the gift of theatrical transformation and an adventurous character, which determined her fate.

Sonya was married several times, and either her husbands were cheaters themselves, or she made them so, forcing her to participate in her machinations. She was first seriously arrested when she was already about 30 years old, then she was exiled to a remote village in the Irkutsk region, but soon fled from there. Afterwards, she ran away more than once, and often not without the help of guards who were in love with her. After another attempt to escape, Sonya was even shackled. In 1980 I met her Anton Chekhov, then he wrote: “This is a small, thin, already graying woman with a rumpled, old woman’s face. She has shackles on her hands: on the bunk there is only a fur coat made of gray sheepskin, which serves her both as warm clothing and as a bed. She walks around her cell from corner to corner, and it seems that she is constantly sniffing the air, like a mouse in a mousetrap, and her facial expression is mouselike.”.

The death of Sonya Zolotaya Ruchka, according to prison authorities, occurred in 1902. The cause of death of Sonya Zolotoy Ruchka was a cold. But even then there were rumors that the fraudster had long escaped from prison; there was constant information that she had been seen in different cities Russia and Ukraine. The funeral of Sonya Zolotaya Ruchka took place at the Aleksandrovsky post, in the same place at the local cemetery, there was the grave of Sonya the Golden Hand, on the site of which a residential sector has already been built today, so it's impossible to visit her.

Life line

1846 Year of birth of Sonya Golden Hand (Sophia Solomoniak-Blyuvshtein-Shtendel).
1860 Beginning of criminal activity.
1865 Birth of daughter Sura-Rivka Rosenbad.
1875 Birth of daughter Tabba Bluvshtein.
1879 Birth of daughter Michelina Bluvshtein.
1880 Arrest in Odessa for major fraud, transfer to Moscow.
December 10-19, 1880 Trial above Sonya Zolotaya Ruchka, a link to a settlement in Siberia.
1881 Escape from the place of exile.
1885 Detention of Sonya Zolotaya Ruchka in Smolensk, sentence to three years of hard labor.
June 30, 1886 Escape from Smolensk prison.
1888 Another arrest, sentence to hard labor on Sakhalin Island.
1890 Meeting with Anton Chekhov.
1898 Liberation, settlement in the city of Iman.
1899 Departure of Sonya Zolotaya Ruchka to Khabarovsk, return to Sakhalin Island.
July 1899 Baptism according to the Orthodox rite with the name Maria.
1902 Year of death of Sofia Bluvshtein (the exact date of death of Sonya Zolotoy Ruchka is unknown).

Memorable places

1. Powązki, microdistrict in Warsaw (former village), where Sofia Bluvshtein was born.
2. The city of Odessa, where Sonya Zolotaya Ruchka was arrested in 1880.
3. The village of Luzhki, where Sonya Zolotaya Ruchka was exiled for major fraud.
4. The city of Smolensk, where she was captured in 1885.
5. City of Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky ( former post Alexandrovsky on Sakhalin Island), where Sonya was sent in 1888 and where Sonya the Golden Hand was buried.
6. Dalnerechensk (formerly Iman), where Sonya Zolotaya Ruchka remained in the settlement in 1898.
7. Vagankovskoe cemetery, where the monument to Sonya the Golden Hand is located.

Episodes of life

There are several legends about Sonya the Golden Hand, indicating that she was not devoid of compassion and kindness. For example, once Sonya saved a young man from suicide who was involved in a scandal involving the theft of government money. Another time, she found out that she had robbed a widow, a mother of two children, on a train, and sent her the stolen money back by mail with an apology.

Monument to Sonya the Golden Hand

Sonya Zolotaya Ruchka still enjoys love and popularity in criminal circles, and simply among young people who dream of getting money quickly. Thus, at the Vagankovskoye cemetery there is a sculpture of a woman by an unknown Italian master. For some reason it is believed that this is the grave of Sonya Zolotoy Ruchka, although she is buried on Sakhalin Island. But precisely to this monument to Sonya Zolotoy Ruchka on Vagankovsky all year round visitors flock, leaving notes and inscriptions asking for help to get rich (the symbolic monument is called a cenotaph).

Condolences

“She was distinguished by such charm, such charm, such internal energy that she surpassed most criminals not only in Russia, but throughout Europe. She knew how to subjugate everyone around her to her will.”
Anastasia Mikulchina, actress who played Sonya the Golden Hand

Documentary film “Sonka the Golden Hand. End of the legend."

In 1868, the famous queen of thieves came to Dinaburg, where she married a local rich man, an old Jewish man, Shelom Shkolnik.

How did the nickname “Sonka the Golden Hand” come about?

Queen of Crime Sonka the Goldhand She never offended those who were poorer, but she believed that it was a sin not to profit at the expense of big bankers, jewelers and rogue merchants.
Her thieving career unfolded simultaneously with the development railways. Starting with petty thefts in third-class carriages, the talented thief moved to class compartment carriages. Therefore, it is not surprising that Sonya the Golden Hand ended up in Dinaburg. Here in 1868 she married an old, wealthy Jew, Shelom Shkolnik, who was destined to briefly become her second husband. Having robbed the poor man, the charming swindler leaves her Dinaburg husband for a card sharper, whom she soon exchanged for the famous railway thief Mikhel Blyuvshtein. However, she did not wear these marriage shackles for long. The husband, who regularly found either military men or aristocrats in the marriage bed, could not stand it and filed for divorce.

Your nickname "Sonka the Goldhand" The thief received, for her wild luck, charming hands with sleek, feathered fingers. Under her long nails she hid precious stones stolen from jewelry stores. Under her bag-style dress, Sonya managed to carry whole rolls of fabric out of the shops. She owns the invention original way hotel thefts, called "guten morgen", or simply "s Good morning" Dressed in elegant outfits, Sonya checked into decent hotels and carefully studied the guests, noticing the rich and the careless. Having outlined the victim, early morning she calmly entered the rooms in silent felt shoes and took out all the most valuable things. If the guest woke up, the thief pretended that she had the wrong number, blushed, flirted - for the sake of business, she could even sleep with the victim. Moreover, Sonya did it so sincerely and naturally that it was impossible to resist her.

It can be said that she life path was lined with robbed men.

Sonya the Golden Hand, creator of the thieves' common fund

According to eyewitnesses, Sonya the Golden Hand was far from beautiful. This is how she was described in police documents: “Thin, height 1 m 53 cm, pockmarked face, moderate nose with wide nostrils, wart on the right cheek, light brown hair on the forehead, curly, brown eyes, mobile, bold, talkative.”

Nevertheless, Sonya enjoyed great success among men. Her charm was akin to witchcraft. Without receiving an education, Sonya easily spoke five languages. Traveling around Europe, she introduced herself as either a countess or a baroness, and no one had the slightest doubt.

The right to be considered the birthplace of the famous swindler is claimed by Odessa-mama, gangster Petersburg and the town of Powonzki in Warsaw district. Her real name at birth was Sheindlya-Sura Leibova Solomoniak. Sonechka’s family, let’s face it, was still the same: buying stolen goods, smuggling, and selling counterfeit money were commonplace. Her elder sister Feiga, who had three husbands, was also a thief, but she was far from her younger sister.

At the age of 18, in Warsaw, Sonya married a certain Rosenbad, gave birth to a daughter, Sura-Rivka, and immediately left her husband, robbing him goodbye. With a certain recruit Rubinstein, she fled to Russia, where her crazy career as a thief began. In January 1866, she was first detained by the police on charges of stealing a suitcase, but Sonya cleverly got out that she had grabbed the suitcase by mistake. It was at this time that Sonya the Golden Hand made her first attempt to create a gangster brigade in St. Petersburg, for which she brought the famous thief Levit Sandanovich to the city. It is believed that the idea of ​​the first thieves' common fund and helping comrades in trouble with money collected in a pool belongs to Sonya herself. Sonya the Golden Hand also ran schools for young thieves in Odessa and London.

Sonya always acted alone, disdained to deal with small matters and, despite the fact that she skillfully knew how to transform, could not stand impromptu speeches. She carefully prepared and thought about each case.

The lovely thief invented a method of stealing by distracting the victim for sex - this method later became known as “hipes”. The "hipes" usually worked in pairs - the woman would bring the client to her room and please him in bed, and her partner (a "cat" looking after the interests of his "cat") would clean out the pockets of the unlucky lover's clothes. The scammer worked inventively and artistically. It was simply impossible to suspect a lady dressed in luxurious furs and gold jewelry. It used to be that Sonya would go into jewelry stores with a trained monkey. Pretending that she was choosing diamonds, she secretly gave a pebble to the animal. The monkey obediently swallowed it or put it behind its cheek, and at home the jewel was removed from the pot. One day a rich lady came into a jewelry store. While looking at the most expensive diamond, she accidentally dropped it on the floor. While the salesman, sweating from exertion, crawled on his hands and knees, looking for the stone, the customer left the store. There was a hole in the heel of her shoe filled with resin. So simply, stepping on the diamond, Sonya did her next job.

Volodya Kochubchik

But soon luck turned away from her - Sonya fell in love. The handsome young thief Volodya Kochubchik (in the world Wolf Bromberg, who began stealing at the age of eight) quickly adapted to living at the expense of his mistress. He lost everything Sonya “earned” at cards, but she had to be nervous, take risks, make mistakes, until in the end she got caught. Although there is a version that Volodya Kochubchik himself sold and handed over Sonya to the police.

After a high-profile trial in Moscow, the Golden Pen was convicted and sent to Siberia. The thief fled, and again all of Russia started talking about her. Sonya continued to fleece rich fools. After several high-profile robberies of jewelers, she was sentenced to hard labor, from where she tried to escape three times and failed three times. After the second time, she was caught, punished with fifteen lashes (women were never punished so cruelly in hard labor) and shackled, which she wore for three whole years.

And Volodya Kochubchik, who betrayed her, was released six months after the trial and went to Bessarabia, where he very profitably invested the jewels Sonya had stolen into houses and vineyards.

Monument from the lads made of white marble

There are many legends about Sonya's death. Her life in hard labor allegedly did not end, and she died in 1947 in Odessa as a very old woman. According to another version, she died in 1920 in Moscow and was buried at the famous Vagankovsky cemetery.

At her grave, with money from Rostov, Odessa, St. Petersburg and even London thieves, an unusual monument was erected by Italian craftsmen: a female figurine made of white marble stands near tall forged palm trees. True, over the past twenty years, out of three palm trees, only one has remained, and Sonya is standing without a head. They say that during a drunken brawl the statue was dropped and the broken head was carried away.

There are always fresh flowers and coins scattered on the grave, and the pedestal of the monument is covered with inscriptions: “Solntsevskaya lads will not forget you”, “Yerevan bandits are mourning”, “Rostov remembers everything”. There are also such: “Sonya, teach me how to live”, “Mother, give happiness to Zhigan”, “Help, Sonya, we are going to work”...