The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-11

Y
the shoulder. Kelly was arrested for that.
but was never tried, the injured man,
gang leader in embryo himself. refusing to
prosecute, with the explanations:
I'm get hunk on that blankety-blank
dago in me own way.
Several blood feuds Of similar origin arc
on the Kelly gangs hands. The gang 40
cepts them as proving the noble Instincts
of thei- leader az we'll as his proves and
reputation as q sport.
Whatever he was before then. however.
he first appeared on the Bowery six or seven
years ago, and an Italian bank was sum-
GENTLY hard up for a clerk to give him
Job He did the bank 8 business In the day
time and In the evening sought entertain
ment in the Bowery dives. At Billy tho
Dudes the DIRTY Rag McGurk's Sui
eide Hail. Eat-em-up-Jack McMAnus's,
and In the numerous 80 called social clubs
In the side streets. he very soon became q
familiar figure.
Now, the youth who frequents these places
must be able to take care Of himself In
fstic way, and Il he isn't big enough to
do It on his own account he must ally him
self with others who will help him do It,
The engaging manners Of the young Italian,
while gaining him the favor Of the tired
women who frequented MoGurk's and the
other dives, also earned him not few
thrashings from bigger and stronger COM
petitors 1t was during the regime OF the
Horton law, when boxing clubs. which
were merely small amateur prize fighting
associations, fourished everywhere on
tho East Side.
The slight young italian who was 90
often thrashed followed the fashion and
learned to box. He even acquired some rep
utation as lightweight scrapper. At tho
same time he made friends with other
tough youths who had q common need
OF mutual protection.
When one was thrashed, the bestower
Of the thrashing had to deal sooner or later
with the rest Of the coterie together. Fair
play In fighting as understood elsewhere.
has no place in the practice OF East Side
gangs.
So the Kelly gang grew. Association
was also useful in other ways. Its members
voted; in fact, were willing to vote as often
as possible. 80 long as they we're paid enough
for doing it.
Hence they were useful to the East Side
politicians, and standing together and
delivering the votes en- bloc. so to speak,
were able to command better price. They
were also useful In influencing, by means
too common to need explanation, other
voters And usefulness In politics brought
with it a pull which meant practical i'm
munity from punishment for small crimes.
1t also brought with it some money and
Discrimination for work Kelly soon gave
up his place in the bank.
Unity is strength in evil things as well
as in good ones. The friendship Of poll
ticians and ward heelers means for the
members OF gangs such as this easy and
congenial jobs, which are scarcely like
real work, in poolrooms and at the race
tracks, as runners and touts for question
able houses, as watchers at saloon doors.
and In hundred other ways by which a
living can be gained without its being
fairly said to have been earned.
Then association and large acquaintance
In dives and saloons make it easy to get
up 'rackets,' meaning balls and picnics,
and to make profit thereon by selling many
tickets for very inferior entertainment
Association and large acquaintance, COM
bined with a reputation for toughness,
render 1t easy to gain free invitations to
many other rackets, and even to make o
little money and to SECURE many free drinks
by acting as bouncers on occasion.
All these things have been known by
hn EoC n
years. They help such outlaw organiza-
lions as the Paul Kellys and the Monk
Eastmans to grow, just as constant impi-
cation in crimes large or small helps TO
bind their members together.
Immunity from punishment makes them
more daring, till youths who, alone and I'M
aided. would run from the blue uniform
carry pistols, hold up decent citizens. and
defy the law and the police in conjunction
till some strong official takes it upon him
self to read them a lesson and break up
their organization, sends its worst members
to Jail and ends the terror they have estab-
lished in the surrounding community.
When Paul Kelly first appeared on the
Bowery and took furnishings from tough
youths till he learned the ways Of seH-pro-
lection and mutual interest In lawbreaking,
there were gangs on the East Side which
had flourished before his time and which
had grown up exactly as his has grown
since, and from the same causes.
There were the Cherry Hill gang In that
historic district and the Five Pointers
In the territory north Of them. There
were the Yakey-Yakes, led by Yakey Yake
Brady in the region east Of the Bowery;
and there was a growing gang in which
Monk Eastman-now under indictment,
as it Is alleged, for half killing man
against whom richer man had grudge-
was the ruling spirit.
Each gang had it's homo field Of opera
lions and served its own set Of politicians.
Chinatown was the common battle-ground
In turn as each OF the old gangs became too
obnoxious for endurance and too bold in
defiance of the law, the police broke UP
the organization, and its members, hating
to turn to honest work. turned to the new
lenders, Kelly and the thug Eastman
Gradually it has come about that these
two control the strongest gangs on the Fast
Side and divide that long -suffering district
between them. East OF the Rowery is the
Eastman realm west Of the Bowery Paul
Kelly is lord of misrue And as two sets
of thieves, each bent on picking the latest
, pockets. are not likely To agree about the
division Of plumber. they have fought wheII-
ever they have met. and usually with other
weapons than fists; sometimes with results
serious to themselves but to 10 ono else
or course all tho East Side hears Of their
doings. Gangs do not hide their evil deeds
under hushel; the glamour of them is too
attractive IN their own instructed view
And every tough or would-be tough East
Side youth thrills when he hears that there
has been another battle between the rivals