Henry Street Gang
Encyclopedia
The Henry Street Gang was a Chicago
street gang of the late nineteenth century.
Formed by Chris Merry in the early 1890s, the Henry Street Gang was based in Chicago's Southwest Side committing armed robbery against local merchants and street peddlers. Based along Maxwell
and Halsted Street
s, the gang often stole from local businesses while posing as push cart vendors. The gang developed a method of robbery known as the "kick in" where Merry and six members would pull up to a local store and, with one man staying with the wagon and two lookouts outside, Merry and the other members would kick in the entrance and haul off the stores merchandise onto the wagon. The gang continued to raid Southside neighborhoods for several years until Merry was hanged for murdering his invalid wife. The gang disappeared within some months thereafter. The gang's "kick in" robbery would later be used during the 1930s by Depression-era criminals such as John Dillinger
and others.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
street gang of the late nineteenth century.
Formed by Chris Merry in the early 1890s, the Henry Street Gang was based in Chicago's Southwest Side committing armed robbery against local merchants and street peddlers. Based along Maxwell
Maxwell Street
Maxwell Street is an east-west street in Chicago, Illinois that intersects with Halsted Street just south of Roosevelt Road. It runs at 1330 South in the numbering system running from 500 West to 1126 West. The Maxwell Street neighborhood is considered part of the Near West Side and is one of the...
and Halsted Street
Halsted Street
Halsted Street is a major north-south street in the American city of Chicago, Illinois.-Location:In Chicago's grid system, Halsted street marks 800 West, one mile west of State Street, from Grace Street in Lakeview south to the city limits at the Little Calumet River in West Pullman...
s, the gang often stole from local businesses while posing as push cart vendors. The gang developed a method of robbery known as the "kick in" where Merry and six members would pull up to a local store and, with one man staying with the wagon and two lookouts outside, Merry and the other members would kick in the entrance and haul off the stores merchandise onto the wagon. The gang continued to raid Southside neighborhoods for several years until Merry was hanged for murdering his invalid wife. The gang disappeared within some months thereafter. The gang's "kick in" robbery would later be used during the 1930s by Depression-era criminals such as John Dillinger
John Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger, Jr. was an American bank robber in Depression-era United States. He was charged with, but never convicted of, the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana police officer during a shoot-out. This was his only alleged homicide. His gang robbed two dozen banks and four police stations...
and others.
Further reading
- Asbury, Herbert. The Gangs of Chicago: An Informal History of the Chicago Underworld. New York: Alfred A. Knoff, 1940. ISBN 1-56025-454-8