Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-01-08

@S time when lied McGann
EA was not the leader of the
Ryan street gang.
Red was born in Ryan street. The
country in which his childhood was
spent was bounded on the north by
Houston street and on the south by the
Battery. Its arterial river was the
Bowery. The Bend was his school, his
religion, his kingdom. Reds memory
retained only faint imprint of the
patient, careworn face of his mother.
He had only an indistinct recollection
Of wake over her coffin, at which the
occupants of tenement house got
little more drunk than usual. He re-
membered n man with a black coat
who came the next morning and read
something out of u book-Red had long
ngo forgotten what-before "dey took
her away" The man had glanced at
Reds dirty face and the group of d.
sheveled women watching tie dead
wagon.
''She is better where she is" had been
his only comment as he disappeared
around the corner.
All this happened long time ago. 1t
was about three months before Reds
father did his first time" Ever since
| then Reds father had habit of ap-
| pearing on Ryan street at irregular in
tervals with his hair cropped very
| short and consuming desire to avoid
being seen by policeman. Such hab-
its were not at all exceptional in Ryan
street, and the fact that Mr.. McGann
was able to come home ut all was an
argument so much to his credit that
Red constantly spoke of 1t with pride.
| Reds title of leader had not been
conferred or thrust upon him. 1t was
the result of 16 years of blows and bat
ties with any would be usurper who
made bold enough to try ito boss de
| gang"
Red may have had some other name,
but neither he nor anybody else knew
it. 1t came from the shocks of auburn
hair which partly hid his long, thin
face. He was understood and wiry, as
Stun children usually are. He was
freckled and rather round shouldered.
No stretch of the most powerful mag
nation could ever call Red either hand
some or hero. In fact he would not
have been at all complimented had any
one ever attempted it. He was just q
tough, rejoicing in his toughness, the
kind of boy who is the bane of police
mems lives and the incorrigible of east
side missions. 1t is harder to tell what
Red did not do for a living than what
he did. There was scarcely any phase
of youthful avocation in which he had
not dabbled. He had sold cigarettes or
excursion steamers, he had peddled tipl
on the race track, he had sold tickets
on commission for east side balls and
had blacked boots and carried the hand
luggage of incoming travellers. What
he didn't know about the worst end Of
New York was not worth knowing. Il
wouldn't be exactly truthful to say
that he often went through long periods
of financial stringency and hard times
because he never had any good times
His life was spent in successful insist
ing upon living.
Ryan street trails Its twisted length
of asphalt pavement and tenemen
houses into Butterick place. 1t doe.
not proceed directly, for doing thing.
in direct course is no more the habi
of the streets than it is of its inhabit
ants. In order to get to Butterick plac,
you walk up Il little narrow extension
of Ryan street called Shinbone alley.
1t was at Shinbone alley that Rec
McGann's kingdom came to suddel
stop. Once across the narrow flag
stone boundary line and you were il
the domain of Barney Muller. In But
terick place Barney's sway was as ab
solute as Reds was in Ryan street
All of the Butterick gang swore by hin
and worshiped him. Barney was abou
two feet taller than the rest. He ha
dull yellow hair and broad shoulders
the result of his life on the docks as
stevedore's helper. In girth and weigh
he was far the superior of Red. Ban
ney was something of prizefghter il
his way and sometimes talked vaguel
to an admiring crowd about belts an
! gate receipts.
Between Barney Muller and Red Nj
Gam there was an undying hatred
such as only monarchs can know
There were not many things in lif
that Red Mccain loved, but there wer
several things that he hated, and at til
head of the list was the name Of Bal
ney. Their feelings for each othe
were shared by their followers. Scarce
[ ly q pleasant summer evening passe
on the Bend without clash betwee
''de two gangs" Nobody knew exactl
what they were fighting about. No on
cared. The only certainty was tha
whenever number Of Ryan streetel
made q raid across the border into til
hinterland of Shinbone alley from til
dozen tenement houses would issue
number of Barney's men to give thel
battle royal. Black eyes and broke
heads We're the inevitable sequences
The conflict usually lasted until til
policeman on the block came on til
corner, when, with "S-sh-de cop!
the combatants would scatter to til
four winds. Barney and Red frequen
ly led their forces in person. Physica
ly Red was no match for the leader {
Butterick place. Sad as the knowlede
was to him, Red usually avoided q tri;
three occasions when Barney had Co
nered him Red gave him one right han
blow and fed. But In strategy an
finesse the Barneys were no match fc
the Reds.
Crouching behind a brick wall or tn
n