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Marion “Kiki” Roberts & Legs Diamond
Marion "Kiki" Roberts, real name Strasmick (Strasmich) was born in Boston in 1909. When she was young her dream was to become a star. She would also become involved with Jack "Legs" Diamond. When Marion was eight years old she came eighth place in a beauty contest in...
John Martorano Kills “Indian Al” & His Gang
Alfred "Indian Al" Notorangeli was an a bookie and an “earner” from Somerville who made a poor career choice and would pay for it with his life. His death came in the form of John Martorano. One weekend "Indian Al" murdered the wrong bookie, one connected to Mafia...
Monk Eastman From Public Enemy to National Hero
Edward "Monk" Eastman (1875 – 1920) was a New York gangster and founder of the Eastman Gang, which became one of the most powerful street gangs in New York City. Of course Monk Eastman wasn't Irish, he did live in a time when the Irish, Jews and Italians worked and...
Faction Fighting in New Orleans
Irish society in the 18th century saw a rise in violence known as faction fighting. Faction fighting was a type of recreational violence that was semi-organized pitched battles occurring usually at fairs and religious celebrations. Faction fights had its own set of...
The Manhattan Savings Institution Bank Robbery 1878
The Manhattan Savings Institution Bank Robbery. On October 27, 1878 The manager of the Manhattan Savings Institution found the vault empty and nearly $3 million in currency and securities was missing. In real dollars it remains the largest bank robbery in history. The...
Baltimore’s Plug Uglies, Rip Rap’s & Election Violence
During the 1850s, political clubs with names like the Plug Uglies, Rip Raps, American Rattlers, and Blood Tubs formed in Baltimore, Maryland which earned it the nickname Mobtown largely due to the intimidation, riots, and murder. This was mainly due to Irish &...
Thomas F. Byrnes – Head of the NYPD Detective Unit
Thomas F. Byrnes was an Irish-born NYPD officer, who served as head of the New York City Police Department detective department from 1880 until 1895. Byrnes gained national attention for his exploits and some credit him with the technique "The Third Degree" Born...
Egans Rats – The St. Louis Mob
Egan's Rats were an organized crime gang that had a considerable amount of power in St. Louis, Missouri from 1890's until 1924. The gangs criminal activity included bootlegging, labor slugging, voter intimidation, armed robbery, and murder. Although they were...
Joseph Vincent Moriarty – The Numbers Racket
Joseph Vincent Moriarty also known as Newsboy Moriarty, was a mobster and ran a numbers racket in Hudson County, New Jersey who controlled the numbers racket. He was known as "Newsboy" because in his youth he sold papers in the bars and restaurants around his his...