Bowery Boys
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- For the group of actors who made a series of films between 1946 and 1958, see The Bowery Boys.
The Bowery Boys were a nativist, anti-Catholic, and anti-Irish gang based North of the Five Points district of New York City. The most famous of the Bowery Boys was not, in fact, William Poole, also known as Bill the Butcher. Citing directly from Herbert Asbury's book, Gangs of New York, the most famous of the Bowery Boys was a man who was only referred to as Mose. He was described as "at least 8 feet tall and broad in proportion, and his colossal bulk was crowned by a great shock of ginger-colored hair, on which he wore a beaver hat measuring more than two from crown to brim. His hands were as large as the hams of a Virginia hog, and on those rare moments when he was in repose they dangled below his knees; it was Skysey's habit to boast pridefully that his chieftain could stand erect and scratch his kneecap. The feet of the great captain were so large that the ordinary boot of commerce would not fit his big toe; he wore specially constructed footgear, the soles of which were copper plates studded with nails an inch long. Woe and desolation came upon the gangs of the Five Points when the great Mose leaped into their midst and began to kick and stamp; they fled in despair and hid themselves in the innermost depths of the rookeries of Paradise Square." It was debatable whether he was real or not. His real name was never recorded and there were many stories that told of his great strength and power. All information regarding him can be found in Asbury's book.
Bowery Boys were mostly single males who frequented the saloons and brothels of the Bowery and dressed in black stovepipe hats, red shirts, black flared trousers, high-heeled calfskin boots and black vests with oil-slicked hair.
The Bowery Boys often fought Irish gangs from the Five Points such as longtime rivals the Dead Rabbits and were affiliated with the "Know-Nothing", or "American", political party which lasted from 1849 to 1856 and the Republican party. It is noted that whether the above information is true or not, Asbury's book clearly states that the gang was most famous for helping the Native Americans party. The party, which ultimately replaced the Whig party in New York, had nothing to do with the "Native Americans" of today. It consisted mainly of "native born Americans" and was opposed to the election of foreigners to office, but clearly in favor of equal rights for all. Originally, it was a branch of Tammany Hall, but decided to go on its own after many disagreements. The Bowery Boys, deciding to align itself with the Native Americans party, had many fights with the O'Connell Guards, who decidedly aligned itself with Tammany Hall.
During the New York Draft Riots of 1863 the Bowery Boys took part in much of the looting while fighting with rival gangs. By the end of the decade, however, the gang had split into various factions as the Bowery Boys gradually disappeared.
The term Bowery b'hoy more generally referred to any tough boy or young man, usually of Irish extraction, who lived in the rough parts of Lower Manhattan. The term, Bowery B'hoy, sometimes referred to the gang and it was, as quoted in Abury's book, a "sufficient indication of its racial origin."
The book and the movie titled Gangs of New York record the flavor of the group.
See also
