Biography's

When you think about gangsters in general women rarely come into play. However in the 1800’s there were countless notorious women roaming the streets or in this case the water. Sadie farrel born in 1869 was a gang leader and pirate better known as Sadie the Goat. At first Sadie was a low life mugger who according to lore would head-butt men in the stomach while her accomplice would proceed to sling-shot and rob them. The sworn enemy of Sadie, Gallus Mag, once engaged in a bar fight in which Sadie’s ear was bitten off. Leaving the land in disgrace Sadie decided to take her shenanigans to the water. Sadie encountered the Charlton Street Gang trying to board a sloop to no avail, upon seeing this she offered her services and became their gang leader. These pirates eventually acquired a larger sloop and began a sailing along the Hudson raiding, robbing, and kidnapping in small villages. These acts continued for several months until the villagers caught on and started firing upon them. After this Sadie returned home and made up with her long time foe Gallus Mag. Sadie’s ear was returned to her being kept in a pickle jar in the bar of Gallus. She wore it around her neck for the rest of her life.

Another ruthless gangster of the time was a man by the name of William Poole. William was a part of the infamous Bowery Boys who were an anti-Catholic, and an anti-Irish gang in the Five Points of New York. William better known as Bill the Butcher was an avid leader of the Know Nothing political movement. This movement was based on the idea that the country was being overwhelmed by Irish Catholic immigrants, who were thought of to be hostile and controlled by the pope. The Butcher was basically out there to kill every Irishman that he could which mainly consisted of the rival Dead Rabbits who were the Irish gang in the Five Points. The following excerpt shows the personality of The Butcher.

The New York Daily Times reported the following on October 23, 1851:

A Brutal Outrage in Broadway. We learn that at an early hour yesterday morning, two noted pugilists entered Florence's Hotel, corner of Broadway and Howard street, and without any provocation seized the bar-keeper and beat his face to a jelly. It appears that Thomas Hyer, William Poole, and several others entered the above hotel, and while one of the party held Charles Owens (the bar-keeper) by the hair of his head, another of the gang beat him in the face to such an extent that his left eye was completely ruined and the flesh of his cheek mangled in the most shocking manner. After thus accomplishing the heartless act, all of them made an effort to find Mr. John Florence, the proprietor of the hotel, with a view of serving him in the same manner, but not succeeding in their latter design, they found the hat of Mr. Florence and wantonly cut it into strips, and trampled it under their feet. The desperadoes then left the house, and in the meantime Mr. Owens was placed under medical attendance, and in the course of a short time he proceeded to the Jefferson Market Police, in company with Mr. Florence, where they made their affidavits respecting the inhuman outrage, upon which Justice Blakeley issued his warrants for Hyer, Poole, and such of the others who were concerned in the affair, and the same were placed in the hands of officer Baldwin for service. Since the above was written we have been reliably informed that the affray originated from the fact of the barkeeper having refused them drinks, after they had been furnished with them twice in succession.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Poole

http://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/girl-gangsters-of-19th-century-manhattan/