Nicholas Saul
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Saul was a prominent nineteenth century criminal and one of the early leaders of the Daybreak Boys
, a New York City
street gang.
One of the founding members of the Daybreak Boys, Saul led many of the gang’s early raids, many of which were before sunrise, later earning their nickname, on the Hudson River
and East River
waterfront. At its height during 1851 to 1853, the gang earned an estimated $200,000 under Saul's leadership.
The gang began operating as river pirates during this time. Saul's violent raids would often see the crew murdered and the ship scuttled after stealing its cargo. However on a raid with gang members Nicholas Howlett and Bill Johnson on August 25, 1852 against the William Watson, the gang became engaged in a gunfight with crew members, eventually alerting local detectives. A police pursuit of over 20 officers chased the men from the East River to Pete Williams' Slaughter House Inn where they were forced to surrender to police after a three hour siege. Saul and Howlett were later convicted of the murder of ship watchmen Charles Baxter and sentenced to be executed. On the day of their execution a crowd of over 200 gangsters and politicians, including William Poole
and Tom Hyer
, paid their respects shaking hands with the men as they were brought up to the gallows. They were hanged
in the Tombs Courtyard
on January 28, 1853.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E04E3DE153EE13AA15757C2A9679C946292D7CF
Daybreak Boys
The Daybreak Boys was a New York street gang during the mid nineteenth century.Formed in the late 1840s, by 1852 the teenage Daybreak Boys were suspected by police to have been responsible for 20 to 40 murders between 1850 and 1852 as well as stealing goods estimated at $200,000. The gang was said...
, a New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
street gang.
One of the founding members of the Daybreak Boys, Saul led many of the gang’s early raids, many of which were before sunrise, later earning their nickname, on the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
and East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
waterfront. At its height during 1851 to 1853, the gang earned an estimated $200,000 under Saul's leadership.
The gang began operating as river pirates during this time. Saul's violent raids would often see the crew murdered and the ship scuttled after stealing its cargo. However on a raid with gang members Nicholas Howlett and Bill Johnson on August 25, 1852 against the William Watson, the gang became engaged in a gunfight with crew members, eventually alerting local detectives. A police pursuit of over 20 officers chased the men from the East River to Pete Williams' Slaughter House Inn where they were forced to surrender to police after a three hour siege. Saul and Howlett were later convicted of the murder of ship watchmen Charles Baxter and sentenced to be executed. On the day of their execution a crowd of over 200 gangsters and politicians, including William Poole
William Poole
William Poole , also known as Bill the Butcher, was a member of the New York City gang the Bowery Boys, a bare-knuckle boxer, and a leader of the Know Nothing political movement.-Early life:...
and Tom Hyer
Tom Hyer
Tom Hyer was an American bare-knuckle boxer. He was a champion of boxing in America from September 9, 1841 to 1851....
, paid their respects shaking hands with the men as they were brought up to the gallows. They were hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
in the Tombs Courtyard
The Tombs
"The Tombs" is the colloquial name for the Manhattan Detention Complex, a jail in Lower Manhattan at 125 White Street, as well as the popular name of a series of preceding downtown jails, the first of which was built in 1838 in the Egyptian Revival style of architecture.The nickname has been used...
on January 28, 1853.
Further reading
- Asbury, HerbertHerbert AsburyHerbert Asbury was an American journalist and writer who is best known for his true crime books detailing crime during the 19th and early 20th century such as Gem of the Prairie, Barbary Coast: An Informal History of the San Francisco Underworld and The Gangs of New York...
. The Gangs of New York. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1928. ISBN 1-56025-275-8 - Sifakis, Carl. The Encyclopedia of American Crime. New York: Facts on File Inc., 2001. ISBN 0-8160-4040-0
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E04E3DE153EE13AA15757C2A9679C946292D7CF