The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-03
DEATH OF YAKEY YAKE, TOUGH
HE WAS THE LEADER or A
CHERRY HILL GANG.

Hunted out OF New York by the Police, He
Took Refuge in jersey City-He Hal
His Good Points and Never Counselied
violence in Rebbery-Eiis Co0perage.
John Brady, who under the sobriquet OF
sYakey Yake' was once famous as gang
leader on Cherry Hill, died yesterday In
Jersey City, whittier he had gone to escape
the vigilance OF the New York police On
the occasion Of his last arrest Yakey Yake
was discharged in the Tombs police court
and turning to a crowd Of gangsters await
ing him in the street he said:
Jersey fer mine fer the rest OF me lie.
lean stick me beak in town no moro widout
do cops slammin' me-
SO saving, he HE'D himself TO Jersey and
did well at his trade, that OF cooper. and
at the same time managed his business
In this city from a distance. Brady was
only 20 years old, but had started In when
quite Young to do things that caused the
police to camp on his trail. Although
reputed to be a very bad man, Yakey Yake
wasn't near as dark as the police pictured
him. He was better at fourishing revolver
than at using one. His fists and club
were preferred as weapons.
However, he had personality peculiarly
attractive to the boisterous youth OF his
kind and In this way established follow
t,ing. He was OF that type which some
folks term snatural-b born leaders In
this capacity he perhaps was even more
dangerous factor than II he had been q
thorough thug Many youth who took
Yalxey Yake's teachings as gospel Is now
eojourning at Sing Sing and other such
places. But that Is no fault OF Brady's.
Brady never went to prison. The most
severe punishment ever meted out to him
was a ten dollar fine In the police court.
One thing In Brady's favor is that he
never counselled his adherents to violence
in order to rob. The fights he start ed
and were nss snd
other gang leaders he never used his gang
to corral young girls and profit by their
shame. All during his career. as plug,
ugly he worked at his coopering trade and
worked hard. Before he had attained his
majority Brady owned and operated a
small cooperage shop In Peck Slip. He
staked this all one day on turn OF card
against horse and express wagon owned
by another young man. Brady won. and
:. when Ne retired to a quiet life In jersey the
gang leader owned two hourtshing BUSH
nessee.
Brady. began early as an apprentice
jockey, but became. too heavy for this yo-
. catlon and, returning to. the Gap the
of Cherry street, he took up the trade q
a cooper Brady Joined the Cherry Hill
gang, but deserted when that organization
moved their headquarters to Chatham
Square, took the name Of the Five Points
Gang and became thieves and highway
men.
Brady returned to the Gap and organ
lied gang OF rough but fairly honest young
fellows, and they came to be known az tho
"Yakey Yakes.' The. Five Points Gang
split into factions. and out Of them grew
the Monk Eastman and Paul Kelly gangs.
Both, on different occasions, tackled the
Yakey Wakes. but each time did SO to their
sorrow. 1t became well known that both
the Eastznans and the Kellys preferred to
do their fighting north Of Catharine street,
no thorough had been the treatment received
from Brady and his followers.
. Brady earned his nickname owing to the
excitement OF q German bartender, who,
suffering from q battered nose, became
confused In the pronunciation OF Jack"