William "Bill the Butcher" Poole
Continuing the subject of bad boys...In the 19th Century, William “Bill The Butcher” Poole was said to be the most brutal gang leader in New York. A butcher by occupation, Poole led a gang of street toughs on the Lower East Side. A dirty fighter, Poole would gouge his opponents in the eye. Having been a member of the Bowery Boys, Poole later formed his gang. His arch-opponent was another gang leader, John Morrisey, whom Poole severely beat on the night of February 24, 1855. Three of Morrisey’s cohorts retaliated and shot Poole in the heart. Poole, 33, lingered for two weeks before he died. His last words were purported: “Good-bye boys, I die a true American.” Poole’s funeral was huge, with reports of 6,000 mourners in attendance. After a procession through lower Manhattan, the cortege was ferried to Brooklyn and Green-Wood Cemetery. In 2003, Green-Wood unv...