THE CITY GANGS
For over sixty years the people of New York have been afflicted with
mercenary bands of lawless thieves and hoodlums who are known to the
authorities as “Gangs.” The only justification for their existence is
robbery, murder and revenge. They fight their murderous battles on the
streets of the city, and during the melee assault and rob the people,
after which they flee with the plunder. Whenever they get into trouble,
the alderman, district captain or some other ward “heeler” comes to
their rescue, and they in turn do good service for him on election day
as repeaters, stuffing ballot boxes, and assaulting voters. Each gang is
supposed to belong to some political party, who are able to wield
considerable “pull” in time of trouble.
More than once they were responsible for a reign of terror in many parts
of the city. They were known to the police as “gangs,” perhaps on
account of their clannishness, for whenever they participated in any
local fight or riot, they usually stuck together and fought like tigers
for what they called their own rights. It is more than likely that some
of the gangs were bound together by an oath which placed each member
under pains and penalties not to reveal their secrets. Whatever these
oaths were, we are unable to say, but we hardly think they were as rigid
as the oaths of the Molly Maguires or the Mafia?
The police records of the old New York gangs of fifty years ago, show
them to be mercenary, corrupt and dissipated, and often revelling in
riot and bloodshed; and when they desired to carry out their evil
purposes, they did not scruple at robbery or murder. For years they have
had full sway in the city on account of politics, but when their conduct
became unbearable, and oppressive, and all irenic measures failed to
break them up, the police were appealed to, came upon them unexpectedly,
clubbed the leaders, and sent many of them to prison for long and short
terms.
The most notorious of these predatory bands was known as the Whyo Gang.
They usually “hung out” in the vicinity of the Five Points, Baxter,
Leonard and Centre streets. This part of the city was then known in
police parlance as “The Bloody Sixth Precinct.” For nearly a hundred
years, crimes of every description, including a large number of
robberies, burglaries and holdups had been committed here. For nearly
three-quarters of a century, the Sixth Precinct was known as the hotbed
of crime, and the Whyo Gang found it a profitable field for their
labors.
The Whyo Gang was made up of young pickpockets and thieves of the worst
character, and many of them, if not all, spent years in jail. Two
leaders of the Whyo Gang, Dannie Lyons and Dannie Driscoll, were
convicted of the crime of murder, and hanged in the yard of the Tombs
Prison. Lyons was executed August 21st, 1886, and Driscoll January 23d,
1888. The gang had robbed and murdered scores of inoffensive people on
the streets of the city, whose untimely end will always remain a
mystery.
“The Bloody Sixth” no longer carries the same reputation it did forty
years ago. No doubt much that was said and written of it was not all
true; nevertheless, it furnished more murders than any other five city
wards. It ought to be remembered that the “Sixth” contains the Five
Points, Mulberry Bend, the Criminal Courts Building, and the Tombs
Prison, where so many “tough” characters are harbored? The population at
the present time consists largely of Italians, Jews, Polaks and Chinese.
It has a great many squalid tenements, low dives, groggeries, gin mills
and several opium dens.
The Slaughter House Gang held forth in the Fourth Ward, and had its
headquarters over a squalid gin mill at the corner of Water street and
James Slip. It was run by a band of desperate characters, who terrorized
the neighboring water fronts. Captain Allaire took energetic means to
break it up, and succeeded only when he landed the piratical ring
leaders in prison.
The Cochran Roost Gang held forth at the corner of East Thirty-sixth
street and First avenue. It is said that this gang had pledged
themselves to kill policemen on sight. They laid wait for young and
inexperienced policemen on dark nights with bricks and stones in their
pockets. They usually hid themselves in alleyways and flat roofs, and
many sanguinary battles took place between them and the police, in which
they were usually worsted. Their headquarters were reached by climbing a
broken down staircase or ladder, which they could hoist up with a rope,
which led to an old shanty on the corner of First avenue and
Thirty-sixth street; hence the name, Cochran’s Roost.
Handsome Harry Carlton, the last man who had the “honor” of being hanged
in the yard of the Tombs Prison, December 5th, 1889, prior to the
installation of the Electric Chair in Sing Sing Prison, was known as one
of the brilliant lights of the Cochran’s Roost Gang.
The gang known as “The Forty Thieves” held forth at Forty-second street
and Eleventh avenue. They had a local notoriety.
The Hell’s Kitchen Gang had their headquarters on Thirty-ninth street
and Eleventh avenue. They usually fought negroes with guns, while the
negroes in turn fought them with razors. The negroes and whites are far
from being friendly in this neighborhood, and many battles have taken
place in recent years.
The Gas House Gang was on Eighteenth street, near First avenue.
The Poverty Hollow Gang and the Dead Rabbit Gang were both on the East
Side, in the neighborhood of Thirty-fourth street and Avenue A.
The two murderous associations of recent times are the Paul Kelly and
Monk Eastman Gangs. The former held out on Cherry Hill, while the latter
had their clubhouse on Stanton street, near the Bowery. A noted police
official of experience, in speaking of the many efforts to break up the
Monk Eastman and Paul Kelly Gangs, said that when these murderous
ruffians were arrested by the police and taken before certain
magistrates, the “pull” they exercised was so great that nothing could
be done to them. As long as these gangs existed, it was impossible to
have an honest election in New York. In later years they belonged to
powerful political organizations, and were used for the purpose of
controlling the city and State elections.
A few years ago Monk Eastman and some of his “pals” were sent to Sing
Sing for a term of years for assault and robbery. The organization is
still in existence, but is quiet.
The other leader, Paul Kelly, died some time ago of wounds received in a
street battle. On his death bed he refused to say who shot him, but he
left it with the members of the gang, when they come out of prison, to
avenge his death.
The most recent criminal band that has sprung into prominence the past
few years, is known as the _Five Points Gang_. During the hot summer
spell they start out at night, robbing and assaulting East Side
storekeepers, and people who are asleep around their doors. In one night
they were able to get away with more than two thousand dollars. Several
of the gang are now in prison, while many of the leaders are still at
large.
Party politics is the one thing that fosters the Gang System in New
York. As soon as the police arrest any of the gang leaders, they are
aided in court by District Captains and leaders who have a solid pull
with the Magistrate or Judge. After their discharge, they repeat the
same lawlessness, until some person gets killed, when they are sent to
prison.
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