"Each of the Five Corners is a finger, and when I close my hand, it makes a fist"
Bill "The Butcher"

Exactly 156 years ago, on March 8, 1855, a man who can rightfully be called America's first gangster, William Poole, who went down in history as Bill "The Butcher" Poole, died of a gunshot wound. It was he who became the prototype of the hero of Martin Scorsese's film "Gangs of New York" - Bill "The Butcher" Cutting.

Five Corners Square

In the second half of the 18th century, this area of ​​Manhattan was unremarkable, except for the swampy meadow and the squealing pigs that lived on a lonely farm located nearby. But gradually the city grew. The farm was razed to the ground, and a pond was dug in place of the swamp, where water from several streams flowed. Soon the pond also disappeared: it was covered with earth and turned into a square, to which five streets converged - Mulberry Street, Worth, Cross, Orange and Little Water.

By 1820 Five Corners Square began to fall into disrepair. This is largely due to the increase in the level ground water. Houses flooded, and the wooden structures of the "colonial times" rotted and collapsed. Therefore, all decent people preferred to move to drier places, and here, at the Five Corners, only those who had nowhere to go remained.

The mayor of the city, Edward Livingston, cursed the area, nicknamed it "the stinking pit on the body of the city" and ordered it to be made a "sump" for immigrants of the lowest category, after he personally made sure that the people here were harsh and immoral. When his carriage got stuck during the rain in one of the pits of the square, instead of helping the mayor, the inhabitants of Five Corners stared out the windows and made obscene jokes about the official.

The emigrants of the lowest category were those who, leaving the ship to the land of their new homeland, had nothing but dirty clothes in their souls. Such newly-minted citizens were automatically classified as vagrants, and arrest was due for vagrancy. But it was unprofitable to maintain such a number of prisoners, so they were simply settled in slums.

Over time, Five Corners Square degraded more and more, and its streets made a painful impression. Brick houses were covered with mud and slime. Stone buildings with broken glass and rotten sheds side by side with squalid huts, creating an intricate labyrinth into which the sun did not penetrate. Five Corners Square gave rise to images of poverty, rampant crime, despair and decline.

It was here that the family of English origin, who moved from Sussex, New Jersey, settled, in which William Poole, the first American gangster, was born on July 24, 1821.

His father opened a butcher shop in Manhattan, taught his son the trade and gave him a carving knife. Thus was born Bill "The Butcher" Poole.

It is known that Bill tried several professions. In the 1840s, for example, he served in the volunteer fire brigade on Hudson and Christopher streets, but his vocation is a butcher's knife, fisticuffs and ... politics.

"Dunno", "Dead Rabbits" and "Boys from Boveri"...
The most acute problem in the country has always been the problem of immigration. Until the second half of the 20th century, no one sought to come to Europe; on the contrary, many sought to escape from it.

The only country in which it was absolutely impossible to ignore the problems of immigration was the United States. Legislation regulating the influx of visitors appeared there in the early years of the existence of the state. Already in 1795, Congress passed an act of naturalization, which stated that only free people white race. However, in those days, such requirements of the law were not perceived as restrictions: mostly free people went to America - natives british isles, North-West Germany and Scandinavia, while the natives of the Black Continent did not go to America of their own free will, and therefore could not be considered immigrants. But already in 1798, the Acts “On Aliens” and “On Instigators” appeared, which allowed the president to expel any non-naturalized foreigner from the country if he was deemed dangerous to the state interests of the United States. And yet it was still far from a real fight against unwanted immigrants.

The situation changed in the 40s years XIX century, when the United States began massive influx immigrants from Ireland. The exodus of the Irish was associated with a severe famine that struck their island. Within a few years, about 2 million Irish people entered the United States. For the most part, these were ruined peasants who dreamed of endless free lands New World, however, many of them settled in New York and other cities on the east coast, where many thousands of Irish diasporas soon arose. The Irish were completely white and free, and they all spoke English, but they had one difference from most Americans at the time: they were Catholics. Soon, many newspapers began to convince Americans that the Irish had arrived in the country in order to create a network of Catholic parishes here, through which the secret dictatorship of the Pope would be established in America. Many ordinary americans were ready to believe it, since the Irish by their very presence increased competition in the labor market, which led to an increase in unemployment and lower wages. Soon an anti-Irish movement formed in the country, and soon it came to shooting, stabbing and pogroms.

The first blood was shed in Philadelphia, where a large Irish community settled. In 1842, the Irish Catholic Bishop Francis Kenrick sent a letter to supervisory board city ​​schools asking them not to force Irish children to read morning prayers according to the Protestant Bible. The letter caused an uproar among Protestants. Local anti-Catholic fighters said the "Papists" came to America to "abolish the Bible." In two years, the anti-Irish movement gained strength, and in 1844 the American Republican Party was already operating in the city, aiming to protect the country from the "bloody hand of the Pope." On May 3, 1844, party members staged a rally in the middle of a quarter inhabited by the Irish, who, naturally, did not want to listen to insults addressed to them and put the protesters out. But they returned with reinforcements, and pogroms began in the city. The Irish were not going to be offended, and soon real street battles were already going on in Philadelphia, and the opponents of the Irish even used cannons that were removed from the ships in the harbor. As a result, several people were killed, more than 200 were injured, and the total damage from the destruction amounted to $150,000.

The events in Philadelphia convinced the activists of the American Republican Party that their ideas were supported. This meant that the fight against immigrants could be done political career. And already in 1845, the party renamed itself the Party of American Natives and entered the national level. This party demanded that persons born outside the United States be prohibited from holding government posts, as well as to maximize the period of residence in the country required for naturalization. The party did not limit itself to political agitation and participation in elections. She soon got her own secret society which has been preparing assault squads. This society was called "Knowing Nothing" because their members were instructed to say that they "know nothing" about the existence of the society. By the way, the members of this organization were not only bandits. So, one of the "Dunno" was James Harper - one of the partners of the publishing house "Harper and Partners".

Map of spheres of influence of New York gangs.
in yellow areas under the control
"To the Boys from Boveri". For comparison: adjacent to them
dark green dot - "Dead Rabbits" territory

William Poole became the leader and brightest leader of the New York Dunno organization. By this time, he was already leading the Bowery Boys gang and was known as a cruel and fearless fighter. The nickname "The Butcher" did not come about by accident. Firstly, he was a hereditary owner of a butcher shop and masterfully wielded a knife, secondly, most of his henchmen in the Bowery Boys gang were also butchers, and, finally, this nickname perfectly reflected his character traits, among which the main place occupied intransigence and cruelty to enemies.

The name of the nationalist, anti-Catholic and anti-Irish gang comes from the verdant neighborhood of Boverie north of Five Corners Square, where brothels and brothels abounded. The "indigenous," as they called themselves, wore tall bowlers with blue ribbons on their crowns, black waistcoats and red shirts, dark-colored trousers, and heavy, high-heeled calfskin boots. Also their distinctive feature hair was greased. It was believed that this could help in a fight - in battle, the enemy could not grab the “indigenous” by the hair, they simply slipped out of their hands. The cinematic image of Bill "The Butcher" quite accurately portrays the image of the real "The Boy from Boveri".

The antagonists of the "indigenous" were the "Dead Rabbits" - a New York gang consisting of Irish immigrants.

Bill "The Butcher" had to fight with many factions for control of the city, but the fight against the "rabbits" was far beyond his business. In it he defended his political beliefs, in which there was no place for "come in large numbers" - taking away work from Native Americans and planting a religion and customs alien to them.

He died a real American, but not in the way you think

On October 23, 1851, the New York Daily Times wrote: “We learned that yesterday morning two notorious brawlers entered the Hotel Florence, on the corner of Broadway and Howard Street, without warning, seized the bartender, began to beat him and turned his face into blood jelly. These were Thomas Hyer, William Poole, and a few others. While some members of the gang held the bartender Charles Owens by the hair, others beat him in the face until his left eye popped out and the flesh on his cheeks was torn in the most horrific way. The crippled bartender was not Irish, and all his fault was that the owner of the hotel, Mr. Florence, did not pay for the "roof". However, in political struggle The "knowing nothing" used the same methods. Poole and his henchmen terrorized Irish voters, forced Irish officials to resign, and objectionable politicians to withdraw their candidacies from elections. This is what gives the right to call Poole the first gangster. He was not just a bandit who killed and robbed for profit, he pursued quite tangible political goals and his criminal activity was already then closely intertwined with business and politics.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party, fearful of the growing influence of the American Native Party, decided to win the votes of Irish immigrants. The headquarters of the New York Democrats soon became the Tammany Hall club, which quickly fell under the influence of the Irish diaspora. Fighting the violence of the Know Nothings, Tammany Hall relied on John Morrisey to direct the Dead Rabbits. In his youth, Morrisey stole cargo from ships that came to New York harbor, and by the age of 18 he had two charges of burglary, one of assault and bodily injury, and another of attempted murder. The leader of the "rabbits" challenged the leader of the Boveri Boys.

It should be noted here that in 1854 Bill "The Butcher" Poole was the New York boxing champion. At the same time, it is important to know that he became a champion long before the introduction of the rules of the Marquess of Queensbury (1867), which exist to this day. Boxing fights from the time of Bill Poole are a fistfight without gloves and protection, this is a duel in which you could kick, bite, gouge the opponent's eyes, and in general, the fights of that time often continued until the death of one of the opponents.

Yankee Sullivan

At that time, fistfights within the city were outlawed and were held in the docks, which were not considered urban areas. The most famous fighters were Yankee Sullivan, who managed to become famous in Europe and arrived to conquer America, Tom Hyer, John Morrissey and Bill Poole. Of all, only Hyer and Poole were indigenous, hated immigrants fiercely and were in the same gang. All of them met each other more than once in duels, until two contenders for the champion title were determined - John Morrissey and Bill Poole. The matter was complicated by the fact that their claims went far beyond sports. It was a war for territory and political supremacy.

Tom Hyer

In all the meetings in the ring with Morrissey, Bill "The Butcher" emerged victorious and in July 1854 the gangsters decided to sort things out once and for all during a boxing match. The meeting was scheduled for 7:00 am at the docks in Bovery Boys-controlled territory, the stake was $50 in gold.

Morrissey came with a dozen men. About two hundred "fans" came to support Poole.

During this fight, Bill "The Butcher" literally wore down Morrisey, and then began to finish off with heavy boots. When the Irish present tried to fight off their leader, the boxing match turned into a mass brawl. Superiority was on the side of Poole's supporters, and only the nobility of their leader saved Morrissey from death.

However, he was not going to give in just because he could not win fairly, and on February 24, 1855, he appeared in Stanwix Hall, located in a recently opened bar on Broadway, where at that time Pool played cards. Morrissey walked over to the table where Poole was sitting and spat in his face. The "butcher" immediately drew a revolver, but Morrissey asked him: "You wouldn't shoot an unarmed man, would you?" Poole swore and dropped the weapon to the floor. However, instead of a pistol, he took up a knife.

However, Morrissey's friend Jim Turner drew a Colt, rested it on his elbow, and pulled the trigger. But he aimed badly and hit himself in the arm. With a yelp, Turner fell to the floor. Lying on the floor, he fired again and hit Poole in the leg. The Butcher staggered under the impact of the bullet and attempted to grab another of Morrissey's companions, Lewis Baker. But he dodged and, when the Butcher fell, he pulled out a revolver and aimed at his chest.

It seems that now you are mine in any way, ”Baker said.

Murder of Bill "The Butcher" Poole

He fired twice, but the Butcher, having received one bullet in the heart and another in the stomach, still slowly got to his feet. He swayed for a moment at the bar, then pulled out a huge curved knife and went at Baker, yelling that he would cut out his heart.

The Irish hurried to retreat, and Poole managed to throw his knife after them, which stuck in the door frame. Only then did he collapse to the ground.

Subsequently, the participants in the fight from the "Dead Rabbits" - Morrissey, Baker and Turner were charged and tried to convict them three times before the jury dropped the charges against them.

After Poole's death, power in the city passed into the hands of the Dead Rabbits and Tammany Hall for several decades. The influence of the American Native Party soon faded, and Tammany Hall and the Irish diaspora behind it took control of the appointment of all city officials, began to actively rig elections, protect New York businessmen and lobby their interests in Washington. In particular, the gangster John Morrissey, with the support of Tammany Hall, became US senator and continued the fight for the rights of Irish immigrants in a new capacity.

Bill "The Butcher" lived with a bullet in his heart for another fourteen days and died on March 8, 1855 at his home on Christopher Street, leaving a wife and son named Charles Poole.

More than 5,000 people attended Bill the Butcher's funeral. He was buried in Brooklyn at Green-Wood Cemetery.

"Goodbye guys, I'm dying like a real
American" - last words Bill Poole
carved on his headstone

Bill "The Butcher" Pool
(July 24, 1821 - March 8, 1855)

The most brazen criminals that flooded New York were the owners of the gambling business. Their business was going unusually well, so well that they were able to unfasten quite decent sums to the powers that be. This most reliably protected their business from the transformations of the reformers. At the end of 1850, the "reformed" owner of the gambling house, Jonathan Green, was appointed chief executive agent of the New York Anti-Gambling Association. He was instructed to investigate the market situation gambling, and on February 20, 1851, he submitted a report on his work. Green's report included 6,000 gambling houses, 200 of which were elite establishments designed for very wealthy people, as well as several thousand so-called "lottery" houses, which are very popular with immigrants.

Most of the high-end gambling houses were on Park Place, Liberty and Wesey Streets, Park Row, Down Broadway, and Barclay Street. Jim Bartolf's establishment, known as the tannery, was at No. 10 Park Place. Jack Wallis, a Chinese, kept his famous establishment very close by. It was once the property of the Frenchman Jose and Jimmy Berry, but Wallis won it in toss. Other famous gambling houses were the houses of Handsome Sam Syudum and Harry Colton on Barclay Street, Hillman on Liberty Street, Pat Gern and Orlando Moore on lower Broadway, and Frank Stewart's house on Park Place. Gern was the most prosperous, but he himself was an incorrigible gambler, and all the income from his establishment quickly disappeared into the gambling houses of his competitors.

Many first-class places of entertainment, as well as many lottery houses, were rumored to have belonged to Reuben Parson or were under his "roof". Reuben was once the king of the gambling business, who was often called "the great American banker-pharaoh." A New Englander, Parson came to New York with a few thousand dollars and the intention of going into business and leading a life as righteous as his own. hometown. But he lost all the capital and was so impressed with the ease and speed with which he lost his money that he opened his own gambling establishment and quickly became rich. Unlike most of his friends, Parson was modest and dressed discreetly. He refused to team up with other gambling tycoons and rarely appeared in his establishments, in the management of which he showed a real financial genius. Parson never played again.

The heyday of the gambling business in New York fell on the 50s and 60s of the XIX century. “Park Row, Barclay and Wesey Streets are the Wall Street of this despicable business,” wrote the New York Herald. - Gambling here has already reached a larger scale than in London, and it is very likely that the strict measures to limit it, which are being taken in London and Paris, will attract many crooks from these capitals to our city. And along with the influx of fraudsters, we can expect, in turn, an increase in the number of robberies, robberies and other crimes. These swindlers, compared to whom a miserable pickpocket can be considered a respected person, mix with the elite of our city. They strut down Broadway in the morning, ride in carriages by day, dawdle at the opera in the evening, and swindle on Park Row and Barclay Street until five o'clock in the morning. They are the most graceful people in urban recreational areas.”

These elegant persons offered in their establishments a game called "pharaoh", as popular in those days as poker is today. “Playing pharaoh attracts the most attention from our police and public morality advocates,” Jonathan Greene wrote in his report. – The Americans like Pharaoh so much that it can be safely called a national game... Pharaoh's popularity in our city is growing before our eyes. The fascination of this game captivates representatives of all social classes.

All first-class establishments were filled with servants in livery, ready to satisfy any desires of the players. At times, actors from music halls and drama theaters gave performances on the stages. A contemporary writer described the luxurious establishments of Park Row as follows: “Mirrors of amazing size descend from ceiling to floor. The walls and ceiling are decorated not with tasteless daubs, but with paintings by the greatest masters. The furniture, wrapped in satin and velvet, pleases the eye with the richness of gold and rosewood. Dinner is served at six o'clock in the evening. Nothing in New York compares to elegant table setting. Silver and gold plates, expensive Chinese sets and rock crystal wonderfully complement the exquisite dishes on the table. There is a constant rivalry between the owners of the leading gambling houses in the sophistication and quality of dinner serving.

And in the early 1850s, in this paradise of thieves, bandits and crooks, John Morrisay appears, who was destined to become a famous bandit. As a professional boxer, he defeated Tom Heenan; then became the owner of several elite gambling houses in New York and Saratoga Springs, a member of the legislative chamber and the US Congress and (together with John Kelly) one of the leaders of Tammany Hall. In addition, Morrisay made a very decent fortune. Despite the fact that he came to New York in rags and penniless, John Morrisay became a very rich man. At the peak of Morrisey's career, his fortune was estimated at $700,000.

John Morrisay

According to rumors, Morrissey was born in Ireland, but for the first time they started talking about him in the city of Troy, New York. There he owned a bar and gained fame as a ferocious, cruel and treacherous street fighter. Morrisay visited New York several times before finally settling in the city itself. During one of his trips, he participated in an ambitious but impossible operation to destroy Captain Isaiah Rinders' establishment at 25 Park Row for temporarily leaving Tammany Hall and throwing his lot in with the Native American party. Reynders changed the name of his club from Empire to Americus and made it a hangout for bandit leaders who came under his banner. Notable among them were Tom Hyer, the former American heavyweight boxing champion, and Bill Poole, whom everyone called Butcher Bill. Butcher was the leader of a gang of West Side fighters who kept the area around Christopher Street at bay. Poole was considered by everyone to be a cruel and invincible hooligan, even the most ferocious bone-breakers from the Five Points and the Fourth District were afraid to fight him. Before putting together his gang and entering politics, Poole gained experience from the Bowery boys.

Raging in the club "Americus" Morrisey was severely beaten by Poole and other fighters from the "native Americans". But the strength and valor of Morrisey impressed Rinders so much that he ordered that the beaten man be taken to the best room of the establishment and looked after him until he recovered. After that, Morrisey was offered a job with Reynders, but he refused. The reason for his refusal was black hatred of Tom Hyer and Bill Poole. Morrissey returned to Troy to gather his strength, but within a few weeks he was back in New York, doing odd jobs around saloons and gambling houses, waiting for a chance to show himself. The opportunity finally presented itself to him. Fearing problems in the local elections and having heard about the Butcher's threats to attack the polling station with his gangsters and destroy all the ballots, the inhabitants of one area in the upper part of the city decided to respond to force with force, since they could not count on the help of the police. Rumor has it that they are looking for a man who would fight back Poole and his people.

The next morning, Morrissey contacted the chief of police and labored to gather men to guard the polling place and prevent Butcher Bill from interfering. On election day, Morrissey stood at the polling station with 50 of the strongest fighters from the Five Points, whom he promised to pay a dollar for a fight. Morrissey drew up his forces near the polling place and ordered any of Poole's thugs who appeared in sight to be brought to the ground.

Around noon, a large four-horse wagon loaded with 30 of Poole's most notorious bandits pulled up outside the polling place. The gangsters, led personally by Poole, quickly ran into the building. But they immediately froze when they saw Morrissey and everything that was prepared for their meeting. Poole and Morrissey met in the middle of the room and glared at each other with hatred. But, realizing that the quantitative advantage was not in his favor, Poole, along with his henchmen, turned around, climbed into the van and drove away. Morrisay won a significant victory without a single blow, although his slightly disappointed fighters still managed to hit three of Poole's bandits with bricks and knock them to the ground.

When the news of Morrisey's victory reached the ears of the Tammany Hall leaders, they welcomed him with open arms and gave him money, with which he opened a small gambling house. Having good income from successful business, Morrisey took his rightful place in the bottom line political leaders"Tammany" and became an assistant and colleague of such famous fighters as Jim Turner, Lew Baker and Yankee Sullivan. (The latter was a famous boxer who was later lynched by members of the "vigilance committee" in San Francisco. Sullivan's real name was Ambros.) All these people tried at one time to oppose Tom Hyer and Butcher Bill, but were broken by the all-destroying fists of the latter. A little later, in 1854, Hyer mercilessly beat Yankee Sullivan in an oyster bar at the intersection of Park Place and Broadway and repeated the beating already in a professional boxing ring a few months later. Naturally, Sullivan, Turner, and Baker shared Morrisay's hatred of "Native American" militants. Skirmishes constantly arose between the gangs of Morrisey and the Butcher.

In early January 1855, Turner and Baker went to Platt's Saloon, which was in the basement of the Vallac Theater at Twentieth Street and Broadway. There they saw Hyer, who was standing at the bar with a glass of strong rum in his hand. Passing by, Turner knocked the glass out of Hyer's hands with an elbow strike and in passing expressed doubts about its legitimacy. Hyer snapped, then Turner and Baker pulled out their revolvers and began to brandish them, urging Hyer to compete with them.

Hyer gently remarked that he did not want trouble, but Turner, emboldened by the enemy's similar mood, fired twice, scratching Hyer's neck. To this, Hyer pulled out his revolver, but instead of the opponents, he discharged it into the wall. Turning around, he saw that Turner was about to shoot again. Then Hyer grabbed the Tammany gangster and threw him to the floor with such force that the weapon fell out of his hand. At this time, Baker attacked Hayer from behind, trying to crack open his skull with the butt of his revolver. In response, Hyer threw Baker onto the prone Turner. When a policeman ran into the bar, Hyer demanded that Baker be arrested. But the policeman refused to intervene in the personal showdowns of the gentlemen. Seeing this, Hyer grabbed Baker by the scruff of the neck, dragged him up the stairs to the street, and beat him mercilessly. Lying on the floor, Baker managed to pull out a knife and, as Hyer dragged him to the exit, cut his fingers. But the boxer quickly knocked the knife out of him with a sharp kick. Leaving Baker unconscious on the street, Hyer went after Turner, but this hero threw his revolver and fled through the back door.

The fight at Platt's tavern caused a great stir in gangs and political circles. "Indigenous" and Tammanian militants armed themselves and walked around the city, boasting of their warlike intentions. A few days later Butcher Bill came for Baker to Canal Street, to a tavern called the "Pearl," and beat him terribly, trying, according to Baker, to gouge out his eyes and bite off his ear. The police had time to intervene, and Poole left the bar, loudly and verbosely promising to "make minced meat out of Baker." From that moment on, Baker did not part with a revolver day or night and went beyond the territory controlled by the gang, only accompanied by Turner or Paudin McLaughlin.

Paudin was another famous Tammany Hall fighter. His appearance was truly intimidating - in a fight with a gang of Five Points, his nose was bitten off. Paudin was reputed to be a master at working with heavy boots on an enemy defeated with a club, and for this he was highly respected in the underworld. Encouraged by the support of Turner and McLaughlin, Baker boastfully swore that he would kill Poole at once when he saw Poole. To this, Poole replied that if he got to Baker, then his miserable bloody remains would hardly be of interest even to the undertaker.

Morrissey saw Poole and Baker's confrontation as an opportunity to fulfill his boastful promise to beat the Butcher in hand-to-hand combat. By physical characteristics Poole and Morrissey were very similar. Both were over six feet tall and both weighed over 200 pounds. Pool was probably the more furious fighter, but Morrisey, in turn, made up for it with speed and thoughtfulness. Everyone knew that in order to watch the fight of these fighters, it would not be a pity to drive a thousand miles, so sports businessmen tried in every possible way to bring them together. However, they never fought. One evening, weeks after Baker had suffered so badly at the hands of Poole, Poole and Morrissey met face to face in a bar on Broadway. Morrisay bet $50 that Poole couldn't name a place where he wouldn't run into Morrisay. Poole named a pier on Christopher Street, in the middle of his gang's territory, and Morrissey silently handed over the money. Half an hour later, Morrissey said that Poole would not name another meeting place, and Butcher Bill suggested meeting at the pier on Amos Street, one block north of Christopher Street, the next day at seven o'clock in the morning.

This time, Morrissey accepted the challenge despite the advice of friends who warned him that he would fight in dangerous territory. Accompanied by a dozen of his men, Morrissey arrived at the wharf in a carriage, and suddenly they were attacked by a mob of 200 Poole thugs. Morrisey fought bravely, but he was nevertheless dragged to the pier and severely beaten. The fighter was saved by a detachment of Tammany Hall bandits, who were informed of the trouble that their hero got into. Poole did not appear on the scene at all, but a few days later, on the evening of February 24, 1855, he and Morrisay met at Stanwix Hall. It was a new bar on Broadway, off Prince Street, across from the old Metropolitan Hotel, which was then the center of nightlife cities. When Poole entered the bar, Morrissey and Mark Maguire were playing cards in the back room, but on hearing Bill's voice bragging about his prowess, Morrissey went out into the bar. Approaching Poole, Morrissey spat in his face, pulled out a flintlock pistol, aimed at Poole's head and pulled the trigger three times. But the flint did not strike a spark, and Morrissey asked someone from the crowd to lend him a gun. But no one answered the request, and Poole drew his pistol. Poole was about to fire when Maguire grabbed him by the sleeve and asked suavely, "You wouldn't kill an unarmed man in cold blood, would you?"

Poole cursed furiously and dropped the weapon to the floor. Then he pulled two huge curved knives from the dining room shelf, stabbed them into the bar, and invited Maguire to choose any knife to fight with. But Maguire politely declined, followed by Morrisay when Poole urged him to take advantage of the choice of arms. Poole, being a professional butcher, knew all about knives, and it was well known that he could throw a butcher's cleaver from 20 feet and cut through an inch pine board.

At that moment, Baker entered the bar. Seeing his friend, Morrissey rushed forward at the Butcher, but along with Baker, several policemen entered, who arrested Morrissey and Poole and led them out of the building. There were no indignant protests, no one wanted to get involved in a conflict with the police. As the people said then: "One was too scared, the other was too brave." On the street, the police released both fighters when they promised to go home and not go out until the next morning.

Morrissey, having been married for only a few days, immediately went home to Hudson Street, where he lived with his stepfather. He was not seen on the streets again that evening. But Pool, half an hour after his release, returned to Stanwix Hall in the company of his cousin Charlie Lozier and Charlie Neck's closest friend. The pretext for his return was a desire to apologize to the owner of the establishment, but in fact, Poole was looking for trouble. Meanwhile, Baker, after conferring with Turner, Paudin, and half a dozen other Tammany Hall fighters, decided to deal with the Butcher immediately. They went to the saloon around midnight and found Poole at the bar with Lozier, Shay, and other friends and acquaintances. Paudin, the last of the Tammany Hall fighters, entered the bar and locked the door.

Turner ordered a drink, and Paudin, moving along the bar, pushed Poole and, as Butcher Bill glared at him, growled:

“What was hatched, Bastard Bastard?”

Grabbing Poole by the lapels of his coat, Paudin spat three times in his face, provoking him to fight. The butcher calmly pulled five gold coins from his pocket and slapped them on the bar, in the process offering any Tammany Hall gunman with that kind of money to fight him. Paudina Pool declared unsuitable for a good fight. For a second, everyone froze, but suddenly Turner shouted in rage: "Come on!"

He pulled out a huge long-barreled Colt from his belt, put it on his elbow and pulled the trigger. But he aimed badly and hit himself in the arm. With a yelp, Turner fell to the floor. Lying on the floor, he fired again and hit Poole in the leg. The butcher staggered under the impact of the bullet and with outstretched arms tried to grab Baker. But he dodged and, when the Butcher fell, he pulled out a revolver and aimed at his chest.

“You seem to be mine now anyway,” Baker said. He fired twice, but the Butcher, having received one bullet in the heart and another in the stomach, still slowly got to his feet. He swayed for a moment at the bar, then pulled out a huge curved knife and went at Baker, yelling that he would cut out his heart.

Killing Butcher Bill

But, having walked only a couple of meters, he fell into the hands of Shay. Baker, Turner and the rest of the gang ran out through the main entrance, previously opened by Paudin. As he fell, Poole managed to throw the knife, but it stabbed into the door frame next to Baker's back. All accomplices in the murder surrendered to police two hours later. Only Baker crossed the Hudson and fled to Jersey. He hid there until March 10, after which he boarded the brig leaving for Canary Islands. George Lau, one of the leaders of the "Native American" party, put his Buckshot clipper at the disposal of the authorities, and a light, fast boat set off in pursuit of the brig. "Grapeshot" overtook the brig two hours later, the ship was searched. The police arrested Baker and brought him to New York in handcuffs. He was charged, as were Turner, Morrissey, Paudin, and the rest. They were tried three times, but each time the jury could not come to a unanimous decision. As a result, the authorities decided to stop the process, and Baker was released.

Despite his wounds, Poole survived for another two weeks, to the great amazement of the doctors, who claimed that a bullet in the heart was generally incompatible with life. But still, in the presence of Tom Hyer and other comrades who transmitted last news to the mourning crowd in the street, Butcher Bill died, saying with his last breath:

- Farewell, guys! I'm dying a real American!

The Native Americans gave Poole the most lavish funeral in New York history. More than 5,000 people rode in carriages or walked alongside the hearse. Half a dozen brass bands played mournful music as the grim procession marched from Broadway to Whitehall Street. On the shore of the bay, boats were waiting for the procession, ready to transport the deceased to Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn. All along the path of the hearse, the streets were completely filled with mute observers. Even after a few weeks, little was discussed in the city, except for the murder of Butcher Bill, his funeral, and the last words of the gangster. These words were often quoted throughout the city. New melodramas were hastily written for cheap theaters. At the end of all these works, the hero turned around with the American flag and hoarsely shouted to the applause of the audience: “Goodbye, guys! I'm dying a real American!"

John Morrisay retired from the professional boxing ring in 1857 after defeating Heenan. After that, he devoted himself to politics and the development of his business. The first gambling house that Morrisay opened with the proceeds of his gang activity was doing well. The income from this enterprise allowed him to open one of the most magnificent establishments in the city of that time. It was on Broadway, near Tenth Street, not far from the Holy Mercy Protestant Episcopal Church and Wanamaker's store. “With its table, service, cuisine and atmosphere,” wrote a contemporary writer, “nothing can compete this side of the Atlantic.” In 1867, Morrissey opened a posh gambling house and restaurant in Saratoga Springs. After the death of the owner, these establishments became the property of Richard Canfield, who was probably the most famous gambling tycoon in the history of America. John Morrisay always boasted that he "never landed an illegal blow or twitched a card in his life," but in politics he did not follow such principles so strictly. In 1877, William Tweed confessed that Morrissey carried out some fraud with the assets of his own party. Along with John Kelly, Morrisey became one of the leaders of Tammany Hall in the early 1870s. But after a few years he left the political scene. Morrisey's ties to the gangs also ended after a fight with Tom Heenan.

This film is long, diverse in plot and events, reliable and beautiful. And love, and betrayal, and revenge, and politics, and history. All this is very well combined in his large-scale film epic Martin Scorsese

The events take place in the middle of the 19th century. At that time, the streets of American cities were filled with various criminal groups that constantly fought for power in their areas. Once in Manhattan, there was a clash between a "native" gang and a gang of immigrants who had recently arrived in New York. As a result of the skirmish at the hands of the leader of the "indigenous" gang, Bill Cutting, who bore the nickname "The Butcher", the leader of the immigrants Wallon, called "The Priest", was killed. He was of Irish origin. He had a young son, who was subsequently sent to penal colony from which he was able to leave only sixteen years later. The young man decides to return to the area where he lived in order to take revenge on the leader of the gang for the death of his father. He soon realizes that it will not be possible to do this quickly and alone, because getting closer to Bill Cutting is not easy. Luckily, Amsterdam meets up with his childhood friend Johnny Sirocco. The guy helps him get close to the Butcher without arousing suspicion. Amsterdam now has the ability to kill its enemy. He decides to act more cunningly - to kill Cutting in front of his entire gang during the celebration of the next anniversary of the rule of the "indigenous". AT last moment Amsterdam is betrayed and his plan fails. After these events, the young man decides to gather all the available Irish factions in order to challenge the Butcher.

The idea for the film came to Scorsese almost forty years ago. While visiting friends, he accidentally saw Herbert Exbury's documentary novel Gangs of New York. Having opened the book, the director could not tear himself away from it, literally plunging headlong into the story that excites the imagination. The impoverished streets, mired in the blood of gang warfare, a country torn apart by the Civil War, the drama of human destinies...
Scorsese knew he had to make this film.

In 1977, Martin Scorsese was thirty-four years old. Self-confident, talented, and seemingly relentless in his aspirations. After two incredibly bold and brilliant films in a row, Dirty Streets and Taxi Driver, he decided the moment had come for his most ambitious New York story, a nineteenth-century epic about then-feuding immigrant groups. The main character was a young man named Amsterdam, who was supposed to take revenge on Butcher Bill for the death of his father.

The project promised to become large-scale. Scorsese didn't have a script then, but he knew the script would cost a fortune. And in June of the 77th, being in complete confidence that he would succeed, he wrote a two-page ad in Variety saying that Gangs of New York would be his next project.
But over the next few years, a whole series of big-budget ventures failed, including Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now and Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate. The studios panicked. For the "white crows", to which Scorsese undoubtedly belonged, green light changed to red. "It was the end of the director's power," Scorsese says now. "It was the end of an era where you could make films that were both expensive and provocative. At that time, it was impossible to make Gangs of New York."

For a quarter of a century, the director, patiently improving the script, has been waiting in the wings. On the different stages The readiness of the project to him showed interest from actors such as William Dafoe and Robert De Niro. It was thanks to De Niro that the green light was given to the project, but Bob himself dropped out of the project. Work on the painting began in 1999, but due to many misfortunes and coincidences, it dragged on for four long years. Initially, the premiere was planned for the end of September 2001, however, due to the unfortunate events in New York, the studio decided to wait.

Scorsese's painting is revealing. After the failure and recognition as a creative failure of his last film, "Resurrecting the Dead", "Gangs ..." began to redeem themselves in the eyes of the critics for the director. DiCaprio, who disappeared from the screens for three long years after the not very successful - commercially, of course, - "The Beach", should loudly announce his return ("Catch Me If You Can" was released in the USA five days after the premiere of "Gangs ..."). Yes, and Daniel Day-Lewis, who masterfully performed the role of the Butcher, generally left the cinema in 1997. Only the opportunity to work with the eminent classic again brought him back to the viewer.

Leonardo DiCaprio had no idea what "Gangs" would be about. He only knew that he really wanted to participate in this project. He recalls the first time he read the script for The Gangs while in Thailand preparing for The Beach. From the very first lines, he imagined that there would be a lot of weapons and a lot of blood in the film. But it didn't matter. He knew that he would definitely agree. He says that at the age of 17 he changed his agents because the new ones promised him to arrange a meeting with Scorsese.
Sitting next to him today, DiCaprio compares the physical challenges involved in making Titanic and Gangs of New York: "Both films were made under close tabloid surveillance. Both were budget overruns. Both were released." was postponed more than once. And both films were called failures of the year even before anyone saw them. But still, "Gangs" were filmed longer. "

Cameron Diaz recalls the fear that struck her as she flew to New York for The Gang's screen test from the set of Charlie's Angels. She was well aware that any significant young actress was virtually auditioned for the role of DiCaprio's character's lover Jenny Everdeen, even of the same level as Diaz. "I didn't want to make a complete idiot out of myself," says Diaz. "I didn't think about whether I would get the part or not. I just wanted to audition for Marty Scorsese."

Scorsese recalls how impressed he was by playing Diaz in Oliver Stone's "Any Sunday" and in those clips of "There's Something About Mary" that he saw on TV. But what finally bought him was what happened between Diaz and DiCaprio during the audition. "When she appeared, something happened to him. He kind of came to life," says Scorsese. chemical reaction". And then I thought that she could handle this role." Then he starts laughing: "None of the dialogue they read was in the script."

Robert De Niro refused to shoot this film due to his unwillingness to travel to Europe, where part of the film was filmed, due to his detention in 1999 in Paris on suspicion of international prostitution.
The role played by Cameron Diaz was claimed by Claire Forlani, Heather Graham, Monica Potter, Katie Holmes and Mina Suvari.
Harvey Weinstein had this to say about Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis when he agreed to join the film's crew: Four years without Daniel onscreen is too much.
During filming, Liam Neeson had an accident after hitting a deer on his motorcycle in suburban New York.
During filming in Rome, Leonardo DiCaprio had to sit in a hotel room for several days without getting out, so that crowds of girls who wanted to look at their idol left the nearby streets.

The main action takes place in 1861-1862; many historical issues American North: poverty of the general population; racism; influx of emigrants and negative attitude to them a significant part American society; corruption in government and political parties(tacit agreement between the leader of the Democratic Party, the real historical character"Boss Tweed" and Bill Cutting); the call to war of emigrants, who are often unable to even understand what values ​​they are fighting for, and poor representatives of the indigenous population who are not able to pay 300 dollars as a ransom; conscription riots.
When working out the historical basis of the tape, Scorsese used the popular documentary book by G. Osbury "Gangs of New York": some characters (in particular, Butcher Bill) were taken from there, but the details of their lives were significantly changed. The book contains Scorsese-inspired episodes of New York history such as gang wars, river piracy, the Dead Rabbit Riot, and the Draft Riot. Some of the film's settings (for example, the Old Brewery, where the first episodes take place) reproduce the illustrations from the book in detail.

Scorsese himself described the era as follows: "It was an unusual time for the working class and underworld. The time when society was divided into "tribes" that were constantly at war with each other. The first wave of immigrants arrived in New York from Ireland during the famine of 1840. More than 15,000 immigrants arrived in New York Harbor every week. They didn't have a job, they didn't have money, they didn't know the language. They mostly spoke Irish Gaelic. Being Anglo-Saxons, the locals insulted the Irish, as they considered themselves real Americans”; " Civil War hit New York in 1863 in a series of riots that were the worst in American history. They lasted 4 days and 4 nights. The rebels destroyed and burned everything in their path. On the second day, when the city was under siege, the first troops entered New York to crush the rebels.

New York in the 19th century was built on the Italian film studio Cinecitta. When George Lucas visited the set, he told Scorsese that such sets could now be drawn on a computer.
Most of the gangs mentioned in the film actually existed in New York.
Daniel Day-Lewis admitted in an interview that he was inspired by Eminem's music while preparing for the role. Ironically, it was Eminem who took the Oscar for best song, beating Bono and U2, who were also nominated for the song in "Gangs ...".
Once on the set, Irish actor Lime Carney did not take the word that Cameron Diaz was an expert in kickboxing. The actress demonstrated her skills, and as a result, the Irishman was taken out of working condition for several days.
For filming "Gangsters of New York" Leonardo DiCaprio gained 39 pounds.

The film's budget is about $97 million. Its size could not be reduced by any extraordinary methods - such as the "cumulative" sacrifice of Scorsese and DiCaprio, who in total lost 7 million of their fees.
The film was nominated for an Oscar in 10 nominations, but did not receive any of the awards. As possible causes such a decision by film academics was called:
bloody naturalistic details that caused rejection
the presence in the film of an "American idea", which could cause rejection due to the fact that the film's exit from production coincided with the war in Iraq
statement (immediately before the vote) by a former film academic who enjoys honor that the film must certainly be awarded, perceived as incorrect
Film academics have been reproached for their hostile attitude towards Martin Scorsese, which manifested itself in refusing to award him for many years. Only later, the tape "The Departed" brought Scorsese "Oscar" for directing.

On March 8, 1855, a man who can rightfully be called America's first gangster, William Poole, who went down in history as Bill "The Butcher" Poole, died of a gunshot wound. It was he who became the prototype of the hero of Martin Scorsese's film "Gangs of New York" - Bill "The Butcher" Cutting, to whom the scriptwriters of the picture came up with a speaking surname.

"Each of the Five Corners is a finger, and when I close my hand, it makes a fist"
Bill "The Butcher"

In the second half of the 18th century, this area of ​​Manhattan is not very remarkable, except for the swampy meadow and the squealing of pigs that lived on a lonely farm located nearby. But over time, the city grew and the farm was razed to the ground. A pond was dug in place of the swamp, where water from several streams flowed. Soon the pond also disappeared - it was covered with earth and turned into a square, to which five streets converged - Mulberry Street, Worth, Cross, Orange and Little Water.

By 1820 Five Corners Square began to fall into disrepair. This was due to rising groundwater levels. Houses flooded, and the wooden buildings of the "colonial times" rotted and collapsed. All decent people preferred to move to better places, and on the Five Corners, only those who had nowhere to go remained.

The mayor of the city, Edward Livingston, cursed the area, calling it "a stinking pit on the body of the city," and ordered it to be made a "sump" for immigrants of the lowest category, after he personally made sure that the people here were harsh and immoral. When his carriage got stuck during the rain in one of the pits of the square, instead of helping the mayor, the inhabitants of Five Corners stared out the windows and made obscene jokes about the official.

The emigrants of the lowest category were those who, leaving the ship, had nothing but dirty clothes in their souls. Such newly-minted citizens were automatically classified as vagrants, and arrest was due for vagrancy. But it was unprofitable to maintain such a number of prisoners, so they were simply settled in slums.

Over time, Five Corners Square degraded more and more, and its streets made a painful impression. Brick houses were covered with mud and slime. Stone buildings with broken glass and rotten sheds side by side with squalid huts, creating an intricate labyrinth into which the sun did not penetrate. Five Corners Square gave rise to images of poverty, rampant crime, despair and decline.

It was here that the family of English origin settled, who moved from Sussex to New Jersey. William Poole, the first American gangster, was born there on July 24, 1821.

His father opened a butcher's shop in Manhattan, where he taught his son the trade and gave him a carving knife. Thus was born Bill "The Butcher" Poole.

It is known that Bill tried several professions. In the 1840s, he served in the volunteer fire brigade on Hudson and Christopher Streets, but his vocation is a butcher's knife, fistfighting and ... politics.

"Dunno", "Dead Rabbits" and "Boys from Boveri"...

The most acute problem in the country has always been the problem of immigration. Until the second half of the 20th century, no one sought to come to Europe; on the contrary, many sought to escape from it.

The only country in which it was absolutely impossible to ignore the problems of immigration was the United States. Legislation regulating the influx of visitors appeared there in the early years of the existence of the state. Already in 1795, Congress passed an act of naturalization, which stated that only free people of the white race could become citizens of the young republic. However, in those days such requirements of the law were not perceived as restrictions. Mostly free people went to America - natives of the British Isles, North-West Germany and Scandinavia, while the natives of the Black Continent did not go to America of their own free will, and therefore could not be considered immigrants. But already in 1798, the Foreigners and Instigators Acts came into being, which allowed the president to expel any non-naturalized foreigner from the country if he was deemed dangerous to the state interests of the United States. And yet it was still far from a real fight against unwanted immigrants.

The situation changed in the 40s of the XIX century, when a massive influx of immigrants from Ireland began in the United States. The exodus of the Irish was associated with a severe famine that struck their island. Within a few years, about 2 million Irish people entered the United States. For the most part, these were ruined peasants who dreamed of the endless free lands of the New World, but many of them settled in New York and other cities on the east coast, where many thousands of Irish diasporas soon arose. The Irish were completely white and free, and they all spoke English, but they had one difference from most Americans then: they were Catholics. Soon, many newspapers began to convince Americans that the Irish had arrived in the country in order to create a network of Catholic parishes here, through which the secret dictatorship of the Pope would be established in America. Many ordinary Americans were willing to believe this, because the Irish, by their very presence, increased competition in the labor market, which led to higher unemployment and lower wages. Soon an anti-Irish movement formed, and it came to shootings, stabbings and pogroms.

The first blood was shed in Philadelphia, where a large Irish community settled. In 1842, Irish Catholic Bishop Francis Kenrick sent a letter to the city's school supervisory board asking them not to force Irish children to read morning prayers from a Protestant Bible. The letter caused an uproar among Protestants. Local anti-Catholic fighters said the "papists" came to America to "abolish the Bible."
In two years, the anti-Irish movement gained strength and in 1844 the American Republican Party was already operating in the city, which aimed to protect the country from the "bloody hand of the Pope." On May 3, 1844, party members staged a rally in the middle of a quarter inhabited by the Irish, who, naturally, did not want to listen to insults addressed to them and put the protesters out. But they returned with reinforcements and pogroms began in the city. The Irish were not going to be offended, and soon real street battles were already going on in Philadelphia, and the opponents of the Irish even used cannons that were removed from the ships that were in the harbor. As a result, several people were killed, more than 200 were injured, and the total damage from the destruction amounted to $150,000.

The events in Philadelphia convinced the activists of the American Republican Party that their ideas were supported. This meant that a political career could be made in the fight against immigrants. And already in 1845, the party renamed itself the Party of American Natives and entered the national level. This party demanded that persons born outside the United States be banned from holding public office, as well as to extend as much as possible the period of residence in the country required for naturalization. The party did not limit itself to political agitation and participation in elections. Soon she acquired her own secret society, which was engaged in the preparation of assault squads. This society was called "Knowing Nothing" because their members were instructed to say that they "know nothing" about the existence of the society. By the way, the members of this organization were not only bandits. So, one of the "Dunno" was James Harper - one of the partners of the publishing house "Harper and Partners".

Map of spheres of influence of New York gangs. Areas under the control of the Boys from Boveri are marked in yellow. For comparison: the dark green dot adjacent to them is the territory of the "Dead Rabbits"

The leader and the brightest leader of the New York organization "Dunno" was William Poole. By this time, he was already heading the Bowery Boys gang and was known as a fierce and fearless fighter. The nickname "The Butcher" was not accidental. Firstly, he was a hereditary owner of a butcher shop and masterfully wielded a knife, secondly, most of his henchmen in the Bowery Boys gang were also butchers, and, finally, this nickname perfectly reflected his character traits, among which the main place occupied intransigence and cruelty to enemies.

The name of the nationalist, anti-Catholic and anti-Irish gang comes from the verdant neighborhood of Boverie north of Five Corners Square, where brothels and brothels abounded. The “indigenous,” as they called themselves, wore tall bowler hats with blue ribbons on their crowns, black waistcoats and red shirts, dark-colored trousers, and heavy, high-heeled calfskin boots. Also, their distinctive feature was greased hair. It was believed that this could help in a fight - in battle, the enemy could not grab the "indigenous" by the hair, they simply slipped out of their hands. The cinematic image of Bill "The Butcher" quite accurately portrays the image of the real "The Boy from Boveri".

The antagonists of the "indigenous" were the "Dead Rabbits" - a New York gang consisting of Irish immigrants.

Bill "The Butcher" had to fight with many factions for control of the city, but the fight against the "rabbits" was far beyond his business. In it, he defended his political convictions, in which there was no place for "come in large numbers" - taking away work from Native Americans and planting a religion and customs alien to them.

He died a real American, but not in the way you think

On October 23, 1851, the New York Daily Times wrote: "We have learned that yesterday morning two notorious fighters entered the Florence Hotel, on the corner of Broadway and Howard Street, without warning, seized the bartender, began to beat him and turned his face into blood jelly. They were Thomas Hyer, William Poole and several others. While some members of the gang held the bartender Charles Owens by the hair, others beat him in the face until his left eye popped out and the flesh on his cheeks was torn in the most horrific way " . The crippled bartender was not Irish, and all his fault was that the owner of the hotel, Mr. Florence, did not pay for the "roof".

However, in the political struggle "knowing nothing" used the same methods. Poole and his henchmen terrorized Irish voters, forced Irish officials to resign, and objectionable politicians to withdraw their candidacies from elections. This is what gives the right to call Poole the first gangster. He was not just a bandit who killed and robbed for profit, he pursued quite tangible political goals, and his criminal activities were already closely intertwined with business and politics.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party, fearful of the growing influence of the American Native Party, decided to win the votes of Irish immigrants. The headquarters of the New York Democrats soon became the Tammany Hall club, which quickly fell under the influence of the Irish diaspora. Fighting the violence of the Know Nothings, Tammany Hall bet on John Morrisey, who directed the Dead Rabbits. In his youth, Morrisey stole cargo from ships that came to New York harbor, and by the age of 18 he had two charges of burglary, one of assault and bodily injury, and another of attempted murder. The leader of the "rabbits" challenged the leader of the Boys from Boveri.

It should be noted here that by 1854, Bill "The Butcher" Pool had become the New York boxing champion. It is important that he became a champion long before the introduction of the rules of the Marquis of Queensbury (1867), which exist to this day. Boxing fights from the time of Bill Poole are a fistfight without gloves and protection, this is a duel in which you could kick, bite, gouge the opponent's eyes, and in general, the fights of that time often continued until the death of one of the opponents.

At that time, fistfights within the city were outlawed and were held in the docks, which were not considered urban areas. Most famous fighters: Yankee Sullivan, who managed to become famous in Europe and arrived to conquer America, Tom Hyer, John Morrissey and Bill Poole. Of all, only Hyer and Poole were indigenous. They fiercely hated immigrants and were in the same gang. All of them met each other more than once in duels, until two contenders for the champion title were determined - John Morrissey and Bill Poole. The matter was complicated by the fact that their claims went far beyond sports. It was a war for territory and political supremacy.

In all meetings in the ring with Morrissey, Bill "The Butcher" emerged victorious and in July 1854 the gangsters decided to sort things out once and for all during a boxing match. The meeting was scheduled for 7:00 AM at the docks in Bovery Boys-controlled territory, the rate was $50 in gold.

Morrissey came with a dozen men. About two hundred "fans" came to support Poole.

During this fight, Bill "The Butcher" literally wore down Morrisey, and then began to finish off with heavy boots. When the Irish present tried to fight off their leader, the boxing match turned into a mass brawl. Superiority was on the side of Poole's supporters, and only the nobility of their leader saved Morrissey from death.

However, Morrissey was not going to give in just because he could not win fairly, and on February 24, 1855, he appeared at Stanwick Hall, located in a newly opened bar on Broadway, where at that time Pool played cards. Morrissey walked over to the table where Poole was sitting and spat in his face. The "butcher" immediately drew a revolver, but Morrissey asked him: "You wouldn't shoot an unarmed man, would you?" Poole swore and dropped the weapon to the floor. However, instead of a pistol, he took up a knife.

However, Morrissey's friend Jim Turner drew a Colt, rested it on his elbow, and pulled the trigger. But he aimed badly and hit himself in the arm. With a yelp, Turner fell to the floor. Lying on the floor, he fired again and hit Poole in the leg. The Butcher staggered under the impact of the bullet and attempted to grab another of Morrissey's companions, Lewis Baker. But he dodged and, when the Butcher fell, he pulled out a revolver and aimed at his chest.

You seem to be mine now,” Baker said.

Murder of Bill "The Butcher" Poole

He fired twice, but the Butcher, having received one bullet in the chest and another in the stomach, still slowly got to his feet. He swayed for a moment at the bar, then pulled out a huge curved knife and went at Baker, yelling that he would cut out his heart.

The Irish hurried to retreat, and Poole managed to throw his knife after them, which stuck in the door frame. Only then did he collapse to the ground.

Subsequently, the participants in the fight from the "Dead Rabbits" - Morrissey, Baker and Turner were charged and tried to convict them three times before the jury dropped the charges against them.

After Poole's death, power in the city passed into the hands of the Dead Rabbits and Tammany Hall for several decades. The influence of the American Native Party soon faded away, and Tammany Hall and the Irish diaspora behind it took control of the appointment of all city officials, began to actively rig elections, protect New York businessmen and lobby their interests in Washington. In particular, gangster John Morrissey, with the support of Tammany Hall, became an American senator and continued to fight for the rights of Irish immigrants in a new capacity.

Bill "The Butcher" lived with a bullet through his heart for another fourteen days and died on March 8, 1855 at his home on Christopher Street, leaving a wife and son named Charles Poole.

More than 5,000 people attended Bill "The Butcher's" funeral. He was buried in Brooklyn at Green-Wood Cemetery.

"Goodbye boys, I'm dying like a real American" - the last words of Bill Poole, carved on his tombstone

Bill "The Butcher" Pool
(July 24, 1821 - March 8, 1855)

Directed by Martin Scorsese. The film was nominated for 10 Oscars but never won.

The film takes place in 1862 and tells of a bloody confrontation between two factions led by Bill the Butcher Cutting on one side and Amsterdam Wallon on the other. For the film "Gangs of New York" the actors were chosen very well: Daniel Day Lewis, for example, received the highest praise in his address. This will be discussed later.

tie

Two gangs decide the outcome of their confrontation in final battle in Paradise Square: "indigenous", led by Bill Butcher Cutting, and immigrants, led by Reverend Wallon. During the fight, Cutting kills Vallon. The Butcher orders the Priest to be buried with honor, but at the same time outlaws his Dead Rabbit gang. Wallon's son hides the knife that killed his father. The boy is later taken to an orphanage.

In September 1862 Wallon's son returned to the Five Streets area. He finds the knife he hid earlier. The young man dreams of revenge. Amsterdam, as he now calls himself, is found by an old acquaintance named Johnny Sirocco. He gradually introduces Wallon Jr. to the local life of crime and helps him make connections. Amsterdam becomes a member of Johnny's gang. He is introduced to Bill, who now controls the streets. Amsterdam hides its past. He learns that many of those who were in his father's gang are now in the service of Bill.

Each year, Cutting celebrates the anniversary of the victory over the Dead Rabbits. Amsterdam plans to kill Bill during the celebratory ceremony. At the same time, enemies are trying to kill Bill, and, oddly enough, it is Amsterdam who saves him, gaining his trust. Cutting becomes Amsterdam's mentor and introduces him to a politician named William Tweed, who, by the way, really lived at that time.

Meanwhile, Wallon Jr. falls in love with Jenny Everedine, a thief and con artist. Johnny is also attracted to her. But Amsterdam's ardor cools when he learns that Bill is Jenny's guardian. However, after the assassination attempt on Bill, Amsterdam and Jenny have an argument that escalates into a passionate act of love.

Cutting decides to have a frank talk with Amsterdam. He tells how he was able to survive in a time of violence and fear. He says that the Priest was the last enemy standing in his way, Bill. It turns out that the Priest once defeated Bill and had the opportunity to kill him, but chose to leave him, disgraced, alive. This gave Bill the strength to return and raise his authority.

Finally, the date of the anniversary arrives. Amsterdam is ready to carry out his plan, but out of jealousy for Jenny, Johnny reveals his true origins and intentions to the Butcher. He turns out to be ready for an assassination attempt and injures Wallon Jr., but leaves him to live, just like the Priest once did with Bill.

Jenny saves Amsterdam and begs him to run away to San Francisco. He refuses and receives from former member the gang of "Dead Rabbits", the Monk, the crooked blade that once belonged to the Priest.

climax

Amsterdam recovers and signals the return of his father's gang, leaving the slaughtered rabbit in Paradise Square. Bill is furious, and he sends Lucky Jack, a former member of the Dead Rabbits gang, now working in the police, to look into the situation and punish Amsterdam. Jack cannot cope and dies in a fight with Wallon Jr. He puts the body on public display. In revenge, Bill kills Johnny. It comes to open confrontation, and the "Dead Rabbits" use force.

Around this time, W. Tweed, whom Amsterdam had previously met, comes up with a plan to reduce Bill's influence and power. To do this, he is ready to "push through", that is, ensure the election of Monk McGuin to the sheriff's office in exchange for Irish votes for him, Tweed, as a candidate in the future. After the election, McGuinn is elected sheriff, but Cutting kills him. Amsterdam calls the Butcher to a decisive battle.

On the same day that the fight between the "indigenous" and the revived "Dead Rabbits" took place, an uprising breaks out in New York. The army is called in to put it down. In addition, the city is being shelled from cannons. Many of the combatants die. Bill and Amsterdam are thrown aside. Cutting is wounded by shrapnel and is eventually finished off by Wallon Jr.

In the end, Amsterdam leaves for San Francisco in order to start life from scratch.

"Gangs of New York": actors

The cast was quite stellar. Top grades from the press was awarded the only this moment Three-time Oscar winner Daniel Day Lewis. "Gangs of New York" made him nervous before the premiere, the actor recalled. "But now I can say that the film was finished and I did my best," adds Daniel.

Day Lewis, who played the Butcher (Bill Cutting), was honored to win BAFTA, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Awards and was also nominated for an Oscar. Martin Scorsese later said that it was extremely difficult for him to persuade D. Day Lewis to take part in this project. However, the British actor has always approached the choice of roles very carefully. This explains his success, expressed in 3 gold figurines for the main male role.

It is interesting to know that, in preparation for filming, Day Lewis took lessons from butchers and studied a variety of historical sources. During filming, the actor was so fed up with the long hair that his character wore that he shaved his head right after finishing work on the film.

The role of Amsterdam Wallon was played by Leonardo DiCaprio. "Gangs of New York" and his performance did not impress some critics, who noted his lack of credibility as a gang leader.

An interesting fact is that during the filming (they took place in Rome), Leo had to stay in his room in his free time, as he was too a large number of fans wanted to see their idol with their own eyes.

Leonardo did not have to be persuaded to play this role for a long time. “He was unemployed at the time,” Scorsese recalled, “and was very excited to be in the movie Gangs New York". Just then, by the way, the famous duet DiCaprio - Scorsese was born, which continues to work to this day.

Cameron Diaz, who played con artist Jenny Everdeen, was in serious competition for the role. Katie Holmes, Claire Forlani and Monica Potter could have taken her place. In the end, after lengthy negotiations, Diaz agreed to take part in the project.

The director himself, Martin Scorsese, also starred in one of the episodes. His cameo was not even noticed by many.

In general, the actors who starred in "Gangs of New York" were warmly enough appreciated by the press.

Criticism

In addition to the above reviews, what else did the critics of "Gangs of New York" say? The 2002 film is full of superfluous and too natural, in their opinion, scenes of violence.

Conclusion

On average, from 7 to 9 points were the estimates of the publications of the film "Gangs of New York". Actors such as Daniel Day Lewis have been nominated for prestigious awards. The film is one of a kind and definitely worth watching.