New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-16
THE OLD NETWORK GANGS.
ORGANIZED BANDS THAT WERE ONCE A
TERROR TO THE RIVER FRONTS.
THEIR PRACTICALLY COMPLETE SUPPRESSION BY
THE POLICE WITHIN TEN YEARs-THE
"wHYos' AND SOME OF THE OTHER
FAMOUS ORGANIZATIONS OF
LAWBREAKERS.


LAwBREAKERs.
1t IS a noteworthy fact that gang rule In New
York Is at an end ard has been fairly put down.
The days of the gangs that downtown. uptown. on
the North and East River fronts and near Them
kept the city in state Of terror over and at the
present time there IL not single gang worthy OF
the name from the Battery to Westchester. Little
bands of misguided youths continue to skulk IN
unused cellars, on corners and in the shadows or
lumber and stone yards. but the depredations Oh
these arc few. their Cutrages insignificant ana
they do little than worry the police off and on
They by means the legitimate successors or
the old time gangs that nourshed In the sixties
and seventies
Ten years ago saw the beginning Of the last de-
termined stand of the NewYork police against the
power of the gangs that then dotted the town In
a hundred different places. There was not nearly
so much terrorism at that time there had been
ten to twelve years before that. for many OF the
old time offenders had been sent to Jail by the
mercess tracking of the bluecoats on patrol and
Central Office detectives. But there were enough
gangs In 1854. at any rate. TO incite New-fork
newspaper to devote nearly page to detailed de-
scription of them under the faring headline Gang
Rule in New-York," and at least dozen different
bands of famous young ruans held certain districts
of New-York under their sway. Two forces brought
about their eventual subsection and scatteringone.
the never-ending Tariness of the officers who
marked every leader in their minds and kept track
of him for years until they could fasten some crime
definitely on him and send him up; the other the
gradual building up of the city bringing peaceabe
foreigners from the south of Europe into the Sums
and rookeries and driving out the turbulent ones,
filing meanwhile the vacant lots uptown with tall
tenement blocks which offered no refuge for the
law breakers.
SO gradually It came about that the backbone OF
the gangs was broken. leader after leader going
up to Sing Sing for a term Of years, and old and
historic haunts being cleaned out with iron hand
There Is no beat in New-York City to-day which
patrolmen have to traverse in pairs. Yet twenty
thirty and even so late twelve or thirteen years
ago there streets in various parts or the town
I'm which II would have been absolutely UNSAFE Tor
n policeman to venture alone at any time after
nightfall For of the nest marked features or
old time gang rule in NewYork was that good
proportion of the tenement jewellers In the region
where each gang had its ''hang-out" actually SYM
pathzed with the young rufnans who were continu-
ally waging war against law and order. and would
protect them every time against the police Indeed,
a blue uniform in those days in tho sums was tar
get every sort of abuse. even from some or the
districts respectable" citizens.
IN THE GAS HOUSE REGION
Perhaps the bes, instance to-day of the complete
subsection OF the gangs is in regard to the GAG
House Region" bounded By Twenty seventh-st.,
There 1t Is still desolate and forbidding place
after nightflll Besides the gas works there are
lumber Yards. ard curvng. dlsma river 'front.'.
once IL was a centre OF lawessness; twenty years
ago one OF the blacklist danger spots OF the city.
In outward appearance 1t Is not so very different
now but raid after raid period OF years. mas
accomplished rs work. and at present a sober man,
though he be unarmed. can walk at the edge
81. the river s.fely at any time OF the evening or
night
one by one every leader OF the three or four gangs
that once made night horrible there has been sent
70 Jail. and in this district as IN every other
quarter OF the town. when one Of these leaders
has served hi. term and come back to newborn
ma is watched and az the first indication OF his
building up following he Is promptly ana eneT-
retc,lly made 10 feel the weight OF police oppres-
sion
Another reason for the complete rounding up
Of gangs to-day is tina; the police force is much
large and better organized than II was quarter or
century ago. Beats that used to be covered py
single officer have now been divided up and given
TO TWO and even three men. This has had It's erect,
and an effect that is most marked and positive.
These gangs we're picturesque in nomenclature and
deeds Rough and lawless. cruel and merciless as
they were composed Of young brutes VINO. IN most
cases were nothing nor less than savage AMI
,,als ,b.y did time and again. some clever things.
which while they caused the blood OF honest citi-
IONS IN boil over, nevertheless made these honest
citizens say that the young fellows were might!
smart and that IL was a great pity that so much
inventive energy cou! not be directed along decent
limos instead OF being purely criminal and destruc-
tive
From 1865 to 1876 with the exception OF the mar
r,,. sr,n Of fine houses handsome stores and whole
s,l. warehouses in the centre OF Manhattan ISL
and there was hardy a district or Ne"-1orN 'hat
vas safe from the depredations or some one Oh
these scores of gangs. Which one OF them was
y a
sible TO say for the honor is divided one MOS
f,mous of ALL possibly, were the "Whyos ana the
"De,d Rabbits" that located in the vicinity OF the
historic old Five Points, ran their courses o. o'.',
without mercy and without ieir NO pohcen"" I'D"
the slightest terrors for them Il wouIi' "hei t'es
n,ar. IN their prime have taken whole platoon
of the force to cause them a tremor Ihey
,,,,,D. otbcr c,ncs coming out victorious because
-, ,b,ir supcr,or numerical strength and their brute
,,r,e They made It practically Impossible for any
n, - co,oplain against them. for the reason that
any one who did would have the rest OF MS iie
made a terror Tor him by night ana py Gay
olever nhrase-maker once spoke OF the mus'c'.
49,, ., "Whv-Oh! Why-Oh" that the members o.
ME great gang used to trill out on the approach
40 a policeman as the "light-infantry puse-cal u
crime" Thrilling in the extreme was this oa"shee-
IKE shrek that frequently used 10 ''is ou' 80
night in the old sixth Ward or thir,y yea ar"in.
If was a signal OF the cr.m.na, on post wat" ,h
hts romrodes who we're actually committing the
crime that danger was At hand ,. ,.ora
NV every Wnyo is in jail or dead, though tEere
NAV be one or two of the minor members VINO nave
M S:rr,cf or are now dragging out wretched eX-
istences as hab:tual drunkards somewhere iar
dowutown There the original Whyo Gang o.
o,"n.v.nye wears back and a later one that rose
~ iis ful height fifteen years ago. The headquar-
Tors of both we're in old Worth-st The sang muir
t 80 s,oIe dld every sort of crime. little and big,
w yln,. innumerable fences. and finding no petty
,hievery that came their way too small Tor them'
Danny Drscoll afterward hanged for murder, was
the stealing of a watch out of the pocket OF iat
s:erman asleep on his doorstep. a moment later
The king had jumped on Second-ave: horsecar
and SELLING the reins from the drivers hands and
rras,,nr the whip drove that down the street
ar a terrific pace flashing the animals to gallop,
needless of the conductors bell and the cries OF the
passengers. ,, -.
SPACE Is lacking to tell Of the many exploits OF
Driscou Daniel Lyons Owen Bruen Hoggy
Walsh and Shea The decline Of the gang began