The sun., 1919-07-27

nireu Dy crooked politicians 10 over
awe decent citizens at the polls broke
into the State Arsenal, then at Elm
and Franklin streets, during the cleo
ton excitement and at time when the
police were having troubles of their
own. These gangsters armed them
selves with muskets and proceeded TO
rule the city. or at least such portions
OF It as they cared to grace with their
murderous presence. Several persons
were killed and others wounded more
or less seriously before the State and
city authorities called out the militia
and dispersed them. But as usual the
politicians came to their aid, and there
IS no record Of any convictions, ex-
cept, perhaps, a few for such minor
offences as disorderly conduct.
A Famous Gang Battle.
Two rival gangs appeared in the
field in the following year, 1898, one
Of them composed Of men of American
ancestry, while the. other was known
as the O'Connell Guards and composed
mostly OF Irish immigrants. The
O'Connells and the American gang
sters came to blows on June 81, 1885
at Grand and Crosby streets. and had
a roysl battle which lasted for hours
in spite of the efforts Of the Municipal,
Police, as the city's law enforcing body
was known at that time. During this
battle several gangsters, according to
the old records. suffered such injuries
as smashed heads, eyes gouged out
ears chewed off and tongues pulled
out, while a passerby named DR.. VIII
lam Mccartney was struck on the head
by a. brick and killed. Bricks and
clubs and fists were the principal
weapons, because the pistol was q
crude affair then and to use a knife
was considered ungentlemanly and not
giving the other fellow a fair chance
The fight between the O'Connelli
and the Americans comes near rival
ling the one fought twenty years later
between the Dead Rabbits and the
Five Points. The fight ragged and
spread as far as Pearl and Chatham
streets-at that time Chatham stree,
was the name of the present Park Row
where it finally subsidized, only Il
break out again the next day In a
Bowery resort known as the Green
Dragon, near Broome street. Gangs
that were rivals of the Five Points
frequented this place. and not only die
they become involved in the fight blu,
the Five Points themselves also scented
the battle and camo en- masse to the
fray. The Green Dragon was wrecked
This battle became known as the Five
Points riot, and was probably the
largest gang fight that had taken
place in New York up to that time.
A Gangster in Congress.
Two of the noted gangsters of the
days before the civil war were Bill
Poole and John Morrissey. Morris.
sey was a slugger, the leader of a
political gang which was invaluable
for its work at the polls at election
times, and from this he graduated
naturally into a gambling house keeper
whose triumphs were even greater
than those of Richard Garfield in later
days. But Morrissey abandoned the
gambling in time, and at last went
to Congress. When he died in 1875
he was a member of the State Senate
In 1S49 Morrissey went to Cali
fornia In the gold rush. expecting to
make a fortunei He was unsuccess-
full. but when he returned to New
York after an absence of two or three
years he found Bill Poole installed as
leader Of the True American party
or know Noth!ngs." a rival faction
to that part of the Democratic organi-
affnYa al I'M, -
gangs Of the two men had many
bloody battles on the Bowery and
other parts OF the East Side, and the
murder of Poole in the old Stanwix
Hall, resort in 579 Broadway, near
Niblo's Garden and the Metropolitan
Hotel. was a direct result of this gang
rivalry.
Poole was butcher by trade, with
stall In the Washington Market, but
he became interested in sports and the
sporting world. and rose to such emf
hence that besides commanding q
gang he owned a saloon known as the
Bank Exchange Cafe, at Broadwa =
and Howard street. He was big
man, Of magnificent physique, and
wore a sweeping black mustache of
the type affected nowadays by moving
picture comedians and called the wal
rus" But in those days such a mus
tache was the last word in style.
Poole was a fighter. n deadly rough
and tumble bruiser who was idolized
by the gangs of the Greenwich Village
district for his .undoubted prowess.
The old timers on the Bowery, the
old men who cherish gang history,