Whyos

The Whyos were a criminal organization in New York City from about 1874 to 1890 and are counted among the five classic gangs in the city.

etymology

The name of the predominantly Irish gang is said to come from their recognition call "Why-oh". According to the academic Daniel Cassidy, however, the gang name comes from Gaelic , namely the phrase “uathadh uais” , which roughly translates as “the noble few”.

territory

In principle, their area covered the whole of Manhattan . The headquarters changed over the years. It was first in the Dry Dollar pub on Sullivan's Chrystie Street , then in the cemetery on Park and Mott Streets, and finally in the pub The Morgue .

history

The most famous leaders were Danny Lyons and Danny Driscoll . On July 5, 1887, Lyons shot and killed Joseph Quinn , ex-boyfriend of Lyons' newest capture, "Pretty" Kitty McGown , in the street after Quinn swore revenge on Lyons and found him. In the same year, Driscoll murdered an Irish immigrant named John McCarthy , who owned a brothel and robbed a prostitute named Beezy Garrity of her income (McCarthy's brothel was one of those types where the rooms had a little hiding place in the wall, where mostly a thief was lurking who relieved the customer of his belongings during or after his act of love). Garrity complained to Driscoll, who then wanted to take action against McCarthy. In the subsequent shooting, however, McCarthy escaped while Garrity was shot. Garrity succumbed to her injuries a few days later, but claimed on the death bed that McCarthy fired the fatal shot. In court, however, her mother testified that she had recently confessed to her in the hospital that Driscoll was responsible. Driscoll was arrested and hanged on January 23, 1888. Lyons, who had gone into hiding but was arrested by the police, was also hanged on August 21, 1888. With the deaths of both leaders in 1888, the Whyos lost their influence and in the following time the gang could not assert itself against the Eastman Gang , numerous members had been imprisoned, and so the gang ultimately fell. During its heyday, the gang was so influential that other gangs had to consult with them. Other Irish gangs like the Gophers and the Hudson Dusters held out longer, but were also defeated by the Eastmans , their successors, or the Italian Five Points Gang .

activities

Theft, including pickpocketing , pimping and violence, were the gang's sources of income. Much like the Eastman Gang, they had developed a price list for their brutal, illegal services . Probably the first of the Whyos to do this kind of "deal" was gang member Piker Ryan . He was also indirectly responsible for the fact that this price list came to the public and was published in the Police Gazette . Ryan was arrested by police after one of his crimes, who found the Whyo List in his possession. This included information such as: simple hitting costs 2, blue eyes 4, broken nose or jaw 10, knocked teeth with the help of a baton or a cut off ear 15, a broken leg or broken arm 19, a shot in the leg or a knife stab 25 and one Murder or a similarly demanding task $ 100 and up.

literature

• Herbert Asbury: The Gangs of New York . New York 1928, Alfred A. Knopf, ISBN 1-56025-275-8