chance
To gain meself a name;
I'll clean up the Hudson Dusters,
and reach the Hall of Fame."
He lost his stick and cannon,
and his shield they took away.
It was then he remembered,
Every dog had his day.
The Hudson Dusters loved this poem so much, they printed up hundreds of copies, and distributed them on the streets of Greenwich Village, even dropping one off at the Charles Street Station House where Patrolman Sullivan was assigned.
By 1916, the Hudson Dusters had dissipated, as most of their gang members were either coke addicts, dead, or locked up in jail. Another Greenwich Village gang, the Marginals, led by Tanner Smith, took over the Hudson Dusters' rackets. The Marginals controlled the Village, until Tanner was killed by Chicky Lewis, inside the Marginal Club on Eighth Avenue, on July 29, 1919.
For all practical purposes, that was the end of a street gang presence on the Lower West Side of Manhattan.
I da “The Goose”
Ida “The Goose” Burger was a strikingly beautiful dance hall girl, and sometimes prostitute, who was the favorite of several members of the five-hundred-strong Gophers gang, which controlled New York City's Hell's Kitchen. The Gophers passed Ida the Goose around from boss to boss, and even down to the low-level members of their gang. Make no mistake, Ida belonged to the treacherous Gophers, and anyone who thought otherwise would be dealt with severely.
Jack Tricker was a saloon keeper/gangster, whom, after Monk Eastman was sent to prison for armed robbery, headed up one faction of the Eastman gang on the Lower East Side. Tricker owned a bar on Park Row in downtown Manhattan. But after it was closed by authorities (for basically being a den of iniquity), Tricker decided to branch out of the Lower East Side and into Hell's Kitchen, which was enemy territory. Tricker decided, that maybe, because of the Gophers' internal battles, they were not so tough anymore. In an act of defiance, Tricker bought the Old Stag Bar on West 28 th Street, smack in the middle of Gopher territory, and he renamed it the Maryland Cafe.
One of Tricker's men, Irish Tom Riley, somehow won the affections of the glorious Ida the Goose. Riley spit in the Gophers' face, when he took Ida away from the Gophers and brought her to the Maryland Cafe, where they immediately installed Ida as the main attraction - the “Belle of The Ball,” so to speak.
The Gophers sent an emissary to Tricker, demanding the return of Ida the Goose. Tricker told the emissary that he would not get involved, one way or another, and that it was their problem, not his. Immediately, threats spewed from the Gophers to Tricker's gang, who armed themselves heavily in anticipation of a street war. However, after weeks had passed and nothing happened, Tricker's gang relaxed a bit, thinking the Gophers were all talk and no action.
In October of 1910, four Gophers, one of whom was Ida's former boyfriend, swaggered into the Maryland Cafe. They approached the bar and ordered four beers, which they were quickly served. Six Tricker gangsters, who were sitting at a large round table nearby, were so surprised by the bold move, they sat transfixed and said not a word, let alone try to evict the invaders.
Outraged, it was Ida the Goose who spoke first. She screamed at the Gophers, “Say!! Youse guys have some nerve!”
The Gophers calmly finished their beer, then one turned around slowly, and said, “Well, let's get at it.”
The four Gophers each drew two guns, and they began spraying the bar's walls, mirrors, and tables with bullets. The two bartenders, who were not part of Tricker's gang, dived behind the bar for cover. Five of Tricker men's were shot and disabled. The sixth, who was Ida's newfound lover, Riley, was so far untouched and un-bloodied. Seeking refuge, Riley dived under Ida's flowing skirt.
Nonplussed, Ida stared down at Riley in disdain.
Then she shrugged her shoulders and said, “Say, youse! Come on out and take
To gain meself a name;
I'll clean up the Hudson Dusters,
and reach the Hall of Fame."
He lost his stick and cannon,
and his shield they took away.
It was then he remembered,
Every dog had his day.
The Hudson Dusters loved this poem so much, they printed up hundreds of copies, and distributed them on the streets of Greenwich Village, even dropping one off at the Charles Street Station House where Patrolman Sullivan was assigned.
By 1916, the Hudson Dusters had dissipated, as most of their gang members were either coke addicts, dead, or locked up in jail. Another Greenwich Village gang, the Marginals, led by Tanner Smith, took over the Hudson Dusters' rackets. The Marginals controlled the Village, until Tanner was killed by Chicky Lewis, inside the Marginal Club on Eighth Avenue, on July 29, 1919.
For all practical purposes, that was the end of a street gang presence on the Lower West Side of Manhattan.
I da “The Goose”
Ida “The Goose” Burger was a strikingly beautiful dance hall girl, and sometimes prostitute, who was the favorite of several members of the five-hundred-strong Gophers gang, which controlled New York City's Hell's Kitchen. The Gophers passed Ida the Goose around from boss to boss, and even down to the low-level members of their gang. Make no mistake, Ida belonged to the treacherous Gophers, and anyone who thought otherwise would be dealt with severely.
Jack Tricker was a saloon keeper/gangster, whom, after Monk Eastman was sent to prison for armed robbery, headed up one faction of the Eastman gang on the Lower East Side. Tricker owned a bar on Park Row in downtown Manhattan. But after it was closed by authorities (for basically being a den of iniquity), Tricker decided to branch out of the Lower East Side and into Hell's Kitchen, which was enemy territory. Tricker decided, that maybe, because of the Gophers' internal battles, they were not so tough anymore. In an act of defiance, Tricker bought the Old Stag Bar on West 28 th Street, smack in the middle of Gopher territory, and he renamed it the Maryland Cafe.
One of Tricker's men, Irish Tom Riley, somehow won the affections of the glorious Ida the Goose. Riley spit in the Gophers' face, when he took Ida away from the Gophers and brought her to the Maryland Cafe, where they immediately installed Ida as the main attraction - the “Belle of The Ball,” so to speak.
The Gophers sent an emissary to Tricker, demanding the return of Ida the Goose. Tricker told the emissary that he would not get involved, one way or another, and that it was their problem, not his. Immediately, threats spewed from the Gophers to Tricker's gang, who armed themselves heavily in anticipation of a street war. However, after weeks had passed and nothing happened, Tricker's gang relaxed a bit, thinking the Gophers were all talk and no action.
In October of 1910, four Gophers, one of whom was Ida's former boyfriend, swaggered into the Maryland Cafe. They approached the bar and ordered four beers, which they were quickly served. Six Tricker gangsters, who were sitting at a large round table nearby, were so surprised by the bold move, they sat transfixed and said not a word, let alone try to evict the invaders.
Outraged, it was Ida the Goose who spoke first. She screamed at the Gophers, “Say!! Youse guys have some nerve!”
The Gophers calmly finished their beer, then one turned around slowly, and said, “Well, let's get at it.”
The four Gophers each drew two guns, and they began spraying the bar's walls, mirrors, and tables with bullets. The two bartenders, who were not part of Tricker's gang, dived behind the bar for cover. Five of Tricker men's were shot and disabled. The sixth, who was Ida's newfound lover, Riley, was so far untouched and un-bloodied. Seeking refuge, Riley dived under Ida's flowing skirt.
Nonplussed, Ida stared down at Riley in disdain.
Then she shrugged her shoulders and said, “Say, youse! Come on out and take
Similar Books
