1839: Edward Coleman and 'The Forty Thieves'

You are listening to one nation under crime, a historical chronological, true crime podcast. Each week we go through our nation's history and discuss one case from each year, starting in 1800. I'm Kayla and I'm Leah. That was a big sign we're to the day or day of episode 42 whoop that's how long we made it. We made it where as old as me. So we are, we are officially to episode 42, which is exciting and funny enough phenomena. There is something that refers to 40 in our case. 

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What is it? You'll see. But when I tell you the sources, you're going to know what this week's case is referring to. Okay. I'm ready. Hit me. We'll say referring to, I guess I'm curious. You should be honestly, so our sources for this week, first up the Irish mob.com. Well now Bowery boys history. Okay. And I sense a vein gangs and annotated blog. 

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Well, so you can kind of see where this is going. Can gangs of New York. Maybe we shall see, we are in 1839 for this week. Not quite to 1840s yet, but we're getting there. We're getting there. I'm a cusp right on it. So our events in 1839 for this week, January 2nd, this is in France, but there's a reason that I included it as we will see. There's always a method to your madness. There always is. There's gotta be some lots of madness there. Exactly. There's got to be so on January 2nd, the first photo of the moon was taken by a French photographer named Louis Jacques Ducker. 

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Nope. Do Garr, which established the guara type photo process. And it was the most common photographic process in the world for the next 20 years. Did he capture any of the beavers unknown? I could not find anything about the beavers. It's unfortunate, but it really is. I was hooked it. You know, they might've gone underground and into hiding into hiding. So on January 12th, anthracite coal was used for the first time to smelt iron Pennsylvania, and they use Pennsylvania charcoal instead of plain anthracite. 

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Anyways, thanks take your work. So anther site has a higher quality compared to charcoal. So they took anthracite coal instead of just doing charcoal because anthracite has a higher quality compared to charcoal, which actually makes it harder. And it produces more energy when it's burned. Okay. It also does not ignite easily and it has less impurities, which this is all, this is important because this sparked the industrial revolution in north American and Europe, huh? 

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Because it made what they were using more durable gotcha. Than what they had before. On February 11th, the university of Missouri was established in Columbia, Missouri, big surprise that it was in Missouri, but it made it the first public university west of the Mississippi river, ah, February 12th, the Eris duke war occurred, which was a boundary dispute between Maine and new Brunswick. Eris duke means beautiful river, but this war had a more humorous name. 

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Oh dear. The pork and beans war. Omar sounds like a smelly war. It's either because of the Lumbermen's diet or because that was the regular ration given to British soldiers. But it was a route and date and time. This must have been because it's also known as a bloodless war. Oh, ma. And apparently some super funny things happened from what I looked into. We're probably going to do a USBs on it because funny antics ensued, it was a time it was a time. 

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So yeah, we're probably going to get into that in USBs. So that, that is exciting. Also for any of our patrons out there, high patrons, they just got a new episode. So if you want to be part of their group, you can go and you can do that too. Speaking of USBs while we're on that topic, they're the cool kids in the room they are. And I will say that the USBs is quite interesting. Always is always. So then on February 18th, the Detroit boat club was, and it still exists. Hmm. On February 20th, Congress prohibited dueling in Washington, DC, just, just Washington. 

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But it's still legal in New Jersey because everything is legal in New Jersey. Yes. February 24th, the steam shovel was patented by William Otis and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania steam shovel. Yes. For trains. You know how they have like the shovels were there. Yeah. Yeah. So it was checked. It was patented. Gotcha. Probably better than using your hands. I'm assuming February 25th, Seminole natives and black allies were shipped oh, from Tampa bay, Florida to the Western portion of the United States, because why not? 

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Right. Oh, okay. Got it. Oh, that was yeah. March 5th. Longwood university was founded in Farmville, Virginia. There's really a place called Farmville, Farmville, Virginia. Interesting. March 7th, Baltimore city college was established in Baltimore, Maryland. And it became the third public high school in the United States. Hmm. March 23rd. I found this amazing. Okay. Amazingly the first recorded use of the phrase. Okay. 

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Occurred in the Boston morning post. Okay. Stands for old O L L Corett K O R R E C T, which means. All right. And it was a, like, it was like a weird, so funny way of like, when you say bass ackwards, it was a funny way for them to make fun of the phrase. All correct. And they would say old, correct. It's like a funny way to say it. And that's where the phrase okay. Came from. That's kind of funny. So, okay. It means all correct. 

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Well, there you go. So now we know now, you know, you, you got some, you got a fun fact for the day we have been enlightened. It's always, it's always a fun time. June 7th, the Hawaiian declaration of rights was signed June 17th. The king of Hawaii issued the edict of toleration, which gave Roman Catholics freedom to worship in the Hawaiian islands, the Hawaiian Catholic church and the cathedral of our lady of peace was later established as well. Which was very interesting because this was also still during a time where Roman Catholicism was very predator prejudiced against, I guess, is the best way to say it. 

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They were, they were very looked down upon for being Catholic. So this was still during that time. So it was very interesting that they gave that, you know, in Hawaii, which is not even spit away. So July 3rd, the first normal state school was opened in the United States. Exactly. Does that name, you know, it would have been nice to know normal state school. I mean, were the other ones abnormal? I guess so, but Lexington, Massachusetts is where that opened. It began with three students, not a very large school. 

00:09:42

That's not normal. You know, I'm just going to go ahead and say, this is what it is. August 8th, the beta theta PI fraternity was founded in Oxford, Ohio. There you go. September 6th, the great fire occurred in New York. It was one of three fires which occurred in the middle of an economic boom, which covered seven teen city block. It killed two people and destroyed hundreds of buildings with an estimated $20 million in property damage. Then I'm amazed that only two people lost their lives. 

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That is the equivalent of $544 million today. I mean, that is like, yes, people, but I am amazed and thankful. Yes. That only two people lost their lives because I mean, with that amount of damage and a main, just 17 city blocks, right. I mean, when you really think about it, we've been to New York. So Butch, I mean, it's obviously was not what it is now, but still you had a lot of, I mean, for it to be actual city blocks. Yeah. That means that's a lot. That is amazing. It is amazing. So I, yeah, that's a lot of money to $544 million this week. 

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And next week, we're going to get into some numbers of some of well, not bad numbers in, in the fact that you have to do math, but you're going to get me nightmare. We're getting into numbers that are astonishing, like shocking large numbers related to events. And so I have to math. Nope. Okay, good. So, and then coincidentally or not, coincidentally, not sure. September 29th, the great fire of mobile Alabama occurred. I've been there. Me too. The date is a little bit of a misnomer because it was actually four large fires that between September 29th and October 9th, the Republican compliance of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania reported quote, a very destructive fire occurred at mobile on the night of the seventh, which destroyed about 500 houses, amounting mounting in value to about half a million dollars. 

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We are also informed that on the night of the eighth, another fire occurred at the same place, which destroyed a number of other valuable buildings, Beautiful houses. And by the way, if you are going to mobile and you use any sort of GPS that speaks to you, it will say <em></em> Mobile, mobile. She says, Montgo Mary. I know She's not gone. Every time it gets me. Cause they go and veer west towards Montgomery. I'm like, no, no, That's not right. It's it's Montgomery like Montgomery, Montgomery, you gotta, like, you gotta get, you gotta get a little Cajun and a little Southern in there to say it correctly, but it is mobile. 

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So yeah, mobile. Yes. She really needs to get it together. As far as how to say things. I don't know. I have a Southern, Southern scenery, you know, I'll be happy to take to record for that. I think I'd be great at it. I don't know my boyfriend sometimes cusses Siri out. So I mean, it, I wouldn't know he was cussing me. You'd Feel it from your inside. I promise you now I promise. I promise if, if you were doing it, you'd feel it in your soul in on we'll have to wash a Man. I mean, Yeah, good luck in October of the same year. 

00:13:48

And it just says October the whole month, the whole month Robert, which that's actually a long time to stand in this one place. So who knows? Robert Cornelius took the first photographic self portrait in the United States. And I put, is this technically the first selfie? I mean, it's the first photographic soul Portrait I would Say. So I would think so. He's sitting, No, it was Called that and stood there for an entire month to do it. I mean, They really still, then That's a long time to say that still. I mean, That's when they took the death portraits, you know, I'm talking about, Well, it's like, how in is it Mexico? 

00:14:34

Where they do the, where they like prop the person up? It's there it is. And I'm not like saying this. It is a Hispanic culture thing and it is in south America. And like north America, south America, like central. And I'm not sure if it's Mexico or I'm not sure if it is another Hispanic country, but where it's like, where they like would basically like sit them in their favorite recliner. And like, they would have like a cigarette in their hand or like, however they were in life. They like set them so very similar to the dad's portrait. It is Leah is out. 

00:15:17

Count me out. Nope, Nope, Nope. Look Leanne. And I, we think the same on this, but we've also had a conversation about funerals and I'm going to go ahead. I'm going to look. It needs to be said, we're on the topic. It's not a hot take, but it needs to be said, do not go to a funeral and look at the person and go, they look so good. They're dead. They don't look good. I'm sorry. It drives me insane. Oh, they look so good. 

00:15:57

Oh, they do. Cause I'm pretty sure they'd look better alive, but that's just me. That's again, not a hot take from my perspective, but apparently it is because I look we've established. He tried in different ways. We've established the tragedy has befallen my life in many ways. So I've been to my fair share of funerals and it never fails. One, one, they look so good. No, they don't too. They look peaceful because they're dead. 

00:16:38

I'd be at peace too. I can't with you. I don't, I don't understand it. I understand people grieve in all kinds of ways, but also I don't need to see you. I don't already told Leah that if she goes before anybody else, it's going to be me and her husband standing beside her and the first person that comes up and says, she looks so good. I'm going to look at him and go. She did. And just move on. I'm going to be the, I'm going to be the one at the end of that receiving line, just waiting on my moment for them to go. Cause you know, I'm so much more ancient than her. 

00:17:20

Shoot it. And you think, you think Michael's going to outlive me? I don't know. But if he does his, his death wishes will actually be fulfilled instead of you. Well, funnily enough, last, last night, this man, he says, oh apparently there's another way that you can, you know, Dispose of a party, take care of a body. I don't know what you call it. Is it a Body form? No, no, no, No. Apparently it's Aqua nation. And I said separate there. 

00:18:00

I don't want you to tell me anything else about it because that sounds terrifying. Any software there? I might, I might donate my body to science. I'm not sure there's actually a book. It's right behind my laptop right there. That's called death. Sacre that's about the body form is fascinating to me. But anyway, I don't know how we got on that topic, but do you not know? Don't look, but here's the one caveat. Here's the one caveat I will. I'll give this to you. Okay. If they're in an urn, you say they look so good. 

00:18:46

I'm going to say fire. She looks fire. I mean she looks, Stop it. Look. Here's all. Here's what, here's what I want. She's peaceful in there too. You know why? Because she can't talk clothes. I in quite a Somali Ruby anyway, closed casket, Starlight Linleys And white roses. My boyfriend has already said that I have full permission for a Scandinavian funeral Pyre. 

00:19:26

Awesome. He goes, I go, I don't really know how I would do that because it's going to be a little awkward. If I like go there and I'm like, Hey, I'm Anita's body. And they go, why? And I'm going to have to say, because we're putting him on a boat and we're pushing him out in the boat. And then someone is going to take an arrow on fire and we're just going to open flames. And that's how he wanted to go. I said, I don't think, I don't think they're going to let me do that. And he goes fine. So just tell him that you need, you just need like a body double. And I go, oh, that sounds so much better. I need you to make an effigy of my significant other, because I need to burn the effigy again. 

00:20:06

That works. They're gone. It's fine. I said, I'm not real sure which one would sound worse, but he has. He has said he, he was like, I don't want to be buried in the ground, all this other stuff. But we had a, we had a conversation about, about that. And then we had the conversation about you and your husband. And I said, I said, I already know what I'm going to do. And he was like, he goes, what? And I said, well, you know, Leah, she won't let her husband ha have the funeral and the, the end of life that he wants. So here's my plan. I said, I said, he's going to outlive. Leah, Do you have plans for me? Have, y'all have y'all discussed This. 

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Michael's going to be fine with it. It's fine. It's fine. I said, Leah's Leah can have her wishes. That's fine. Then Michael is going to be a tree. I'm going to bury him beside Leah so that it can, it, it can grow next to her. And I said, and then the tree roots are eventually going to get to the coffin. And then it's just like a friendly reminder of like name, your name, your name here. Still here, still here, said, he's weird. 

00:21:31

I said, he's still going to be filling her up in the afterlife stopping. Hey, it's better than that. It's better than that couple that we a talk that we already did an episode on that wanted to be buried together with his like hands or his head on her chest. That was a good one anyways. Sorry. We actually we'll talk about them again next week. Really? Yes. Interesting. It is. Okay. Sorry. Wow. October mint trail, October 20th, Margaret Fuller was appointed as editor of a new transcendental magazine called the dial. I just thought it was super interesting that a woman was appointed an editor of a magazine at that time. 

00:22:17

Margaret, also a fantastic name. That was my granny's name. Margaret's a good name. Nickname, Peggy for Margaret. Yes. Yes. November 11th, the Virginia military Institute was founded in Lexington, Virginia, November 13th, the Liberty party convened in New York as the first us anti-slavery party. I like them. November 27th, the American statistical association was founded in Boston, Massachusetts, December ed, is that statistics. 

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That's why I was brushing over it very quickly because it's math up. And I want to, I know what statistics are and you know what? The statistical association is, statistics. You look it up December 18th, the first. And this is why I said what happened at the beginning is going to come back December 18th. The first celestial photograph of the moon was made in the United States in New York city by John Draper. So the end of the year was the U S at the beginning of the year was France. But it was because of that, that it happened in the U S so that's why I had to do the one in France to do that undated events for this year, the first us law. 

00:23:49

Oh gosh, I forgot about this snarky comment. I'm sorry. The first us state law permitting women to own property was passed in Jackson, Mississippi, how kind I put in parentheses, probably the only time Mississippi will be the first on any list. Look, if you're from Alabama and we do have quite a lot of Alabama listeners, you totally understand because, Hey, we're not 50th. We're always 49 because Mississippi is right behind us. And so look, Hey, good, good for Mississippi. They, they got, they made it. And then the other is the Episcopal high school was founded in Alexandria, Virginia, which was the first Episcopal high school in the state. 

00:24:37

We have our births in 1839, February 9th, Laura Redden, searing. She was a Def poet and journalist who published her first book of poetry in 1864 under a pseudonym Howard Glenndon in Glenndon. Minnesota was founded in 1872 and it was named in honor of the writer. Cool. She was in Aquarius, July eight. I don't like that side. Everyone knows this name. We will cover him in a USBs episode. 

00:25:18

Don't you worry? That might be the longest episode we ever record. I'm intrigued. I have feelings so I can tell if you could see how high her eyebrows were, are something like that. John D Rockefeller, ah, for those who are not aware, he is an oil industry, business, magnet, and philanthropists. He is considered the wealthiest American of all time and the richest person in modern history. He lived until he was 97 mysteriously. 

00:25:58

Anyway, I'm sorry, what was that? He had look, when my boyfriend comes, I'll get him on the ranch. Oh goodness. Another YouTube say no, no, it's not. It's not a YouTube thing. This is actually like, he had like multiple open heart surgeries and heart replacements. Mm. In his home. Hmm. Weirdly enough. All of his donors were like Olympic athletes. Hmm. Weird. And he's the wealthiest man in American history. 

00:26:40

Anyways. Interesting. He's a cancer. And I put in parentheses, oddly don't know if I want to claim he's a July cancer. So that's different than a gene cancer. So anyways, that's what I'm done with he's. He's interesting. There's an, I talked about it in the episode where we, we talked about the first bank robbery in the United States. We briefly touched on John D Rockefeller and the Rockefellers. If you're wondering, is it that Rockefeller? Yes. As I just said, wealthiest family in history, pretty much other than probably, I don't know the queen, but, but that's not the Queen's money. It's the country's money. Don't don't get me started. 

00:27:21

Okay. Continue. I'm just saying it's owned by the crown who wears the crown, who, who wears it out anyways. We all know that, but he's also a big reason of why the pharmaceutical industry kind of pushed in the way that it did have like pharmaceuticals being extremely expensive and for the pharmaceutical industry to be pushed over holistic medicine because they realized it was making them money. There's a whole lot that goes to it. That, that he's an interesting individual. So yeah. Eventually he'll be a USBs episode. Not sure when, but don't worry. 

00:28:02

We will discuss just you. September 2nd, Henry George was born. He's a writer, politician and political economist. He inspired the economic philosophy known as Georgia ism, which was the belief that people should own the value they produce themselves. But that the value derived from land should belong equally to all members of society. And that a single tax on land would create a more productive and just society he's makes my head hurt on him. He's a Virgo. 

00:28:42

And December 12th, Caroline lake Quinner was born. You may know her as Caroline Ingles. Oh, she is an American pioneer and the mother of Laura Ingalls Wilder. She is a Sagittarius. We know a lot of Sagittarius is, which is very interesting that the Sagittarius Sagittarius probably they're a stubborn. I can tell you that. I can say that I, I had one. 

00:29:24

So she's our deaths in 1839, February 26th. We have Sibi. Nope. Yep. No civil Ludington. And honestly, honestly, a movie needs to be made about her trademark. If it hasn't been done, if you do it, I will see you. Can you just call trademark is, was like shotgun. It's what we're doing. This is what we're doing. Now. She is a heroine of the American revolutionary war. She was the daughter of a Colonel in the colonial militia, Henry Luddington when she was six here, knew that would have been amazing when she was 16, not six. 

00:30:17

She made an all night horseback ride to alert militia forces in the neighboring towns of what is today's Putnam county. And she was coming to warn them of the burning of Danbury Connecticut by British forces. And she actually saved an entire group of militia men by riding through the night to warn them pretty much she's. She is the 16 year old Paul Revere. Cool. So that, you know, she, she, she is that, she's just very interesting. You're going to like this name April 2nd, has the Kaia let, do you like it in Nils? 

00:30:59

He's an American editor and publisher of the Baltimore based national weekly news magazine, the Nils weekly register and the weekly register. Wonder if they called him his let's see, pull it like his, his friends or his family. I don't know. I it's back then. I don't feel like nicknames were a thing. You know what I mean? My mom, anyways, May 11th, Thomas Cooper died. He was an Anglo American economist and the, he was a college president and a political philosopher. He was described by Thomas Jefferson as one of the ablest men and America by John Adams, as a learned in genius, scientific and talented madcap. 

00:31:43

And do most Malone stated that modern scientific progress would have been impossible without the freedom of mind, which he championed throughout life and many hung out with some pretty, pretty, pretty important people. All I can say is when I look at the name Dumas, that's not what I think. Anyway. Sometimes we revert back to our 12 year old selves. I live there December 4th, John limi. He was an Irish born American merchant who pioneered Philadelphia's trade with the Spanish colonies in the Americas. He was a founder of the insurance company of north America and the Hibernian society and Hibernian society, which we discussed it before. 

00:32:31

And I think you said, what is that? It's not about bears hibernating mean it is an Irish Catholic organization and the members must be male Catholic and they have to be born in Ireland or they have to be of direct Irish descent. I'm counted out on all three, all three meet here. I mean, so Bri to our case for this week, January 12th, 1839, Edward Coleman, the leader of the 40 thieves gang was hanged at tombs prison. After being convicted of brutally beating his wife, Anne, I thought Ali Baba had the 40 thieves. 

00:33:16

We are digging into one of my favorite topics this week. There are a few niches of crime that I find absolutely fascinating. And I have mentioned this one in a couple of episodes before specifically organized crime. The mom gangs. If the first thing that comes to mind is the book turned movie called the gangs of New York. Then you are on the right track. That's the subject of this week's episode is actually the first criminal named in Herbert Asbury's book. But they also claim a few titles such as the oldest criminal gang in New York city and the first Irish gang with an established leader. 

00:34:09

I've discussed it before I was in the mob in a past life. I have to be. Hm. I have to be either that or I was married in. I'm just saying I, I have, I look, look, I'm just saying the words. We're going to take a long walk off shore up here and you and some cement shoes it's come out of my mouth before. We're going to take a long walk off a short pier, you and some cement shoes. And we're going to see how you feel about it. Then. It's pretty good. 

00:34:50

We got to see how you feel. Then you sleep with the fishes just saying it's pretty good. I there's something about it. You just gotta love it. Gotta look. You gotta love Al Pachino too. Anyways, I've grown a new respect for Al Pachino in the past few weeks. Not that I didn't know who he was, chill out. People I've seen Indiana Jones now. And I know Chino is the chill out. We we've just for some weird reason, been on an Al Pachino moon place, a distinction that you know, that Al Pachino is not Indiana Jones because some people are going to come, correct? Yes. I know that's Harrison Ford. Okay. 

00:35:31

You said that sentence. And I know, you know, but some people, no, no, no. I'm aware that Harrison Ford, I have seen all three Indiana Jones movies. And if you tell my boyfriend, there are four, he will say you are wrong because the forest one is garbage. So I have not seen the fourth one. It really is not worth watching. It was a disappointment. There were some funny lawns, but it's not. Yeah, but we just watched an alpha Chino movie night before last, we watched the heat while we technically finished the heat, we had watched started it like seriously six months ago. And we had like 30 minutes of it left. That might be so long. 

00:36:11

It's three hours long. I don't think I've watched it. It's a long one. And, and we're watching it. And I, and I just looked at it and I went, Hmm. So Al Pachino is the good guy in this one. Interesting. Not what I expected because you know, he's always like in the mob or he's Scarface or he's like, you know, and in this one he's a cop. And I was like, huh, I don't know how I like it. I don't think I like it. I don't like it. I don't like it. That's a term we watched is a Donnie Brasco movie with Johnny Depp and opportunities. I haven't really am telling you the truth. 

00:36:51

Everlyn I watched a lot of his movies. Sorry. Anyways. That's that's, that's not my genre. I'm just saying I find them all fascinating. Also side note that does relate. If you are on Wikipedia and you were looking into gangs and mobs and things of the such at the bottom, there is a list of mops and gangs. And there they're split up by ethnicity. Whether they're, Italian-American all those sorts of things. Interesting. Of course we have the five families, which everybody should know who the five families are. 

00:37:34

You've got the Lou Casey's you got the Gambinos. You've got like, that's the mob, like the crime family there. Lee is looking at me like she has no idea, Amos. I do know that there are families out of the car, but it's called the five families. Like those are the five families around everything. So you'll see all these sections and it's like active in a list, inactive. And I'm like, does that mean, or incarcerate? Just not, not running anymore. And so, but I'm like, Hmm. So y'all are just going to put active lists of moms. Okay. All right. Cool. All right, there you go. 

00:38:15

Don't think that's whatever. So the, yeah, the area that we are in for this episode is called five points. It was a neighborhood located in lower Manhattan. And for anyone who knows about Manhattan, the Northeastern and Eastern portion of was five points is now encompassed with like Chinatown and where the civic center is. This area was extremely populated dangerously. So, and it was described as disease ridden crime infested, slums. 

00:38:57

Lovely. And it was a part of NYC culture for over 70 years. Hmm. Seven zero. Anyway, that's just a couple of years, there used to be a 48 acre pond in the middle of the area called collect pond, which was the main source of drinking water for earlier European settlements. If you think back to episode one, we talked about Lisbon and Meadows. That was where the well was. That's where the whole, like everything took place in Lisbon in this area. An article of clothing found near that. Well, I don't know Leah was there. 

00:39:37

I think maybe what wasn't warm your hands with of need to be more specific. I think it was a Muff. Mm mm. Beaver mouth perhaps bipedal tailless beaver Muff. That was it. Got it. Just making sure we're on the same page. So anyways, when this pond was eventually filled in it, Lisbon and Meadows was kind of on where this, this area was, it kind of like fed into it. Anyway. It's very confusing because when you look at a map back then you, it is literally like a massive pond, just like dropped in the middle of the city. 

00:40:20

That's just gone. Like now just gone. Yeah. We'll find out why. And it's not great. So at the beginning of the 17 hundreds, businesses started forming around the pond in order to use the water, but the contaminated wastewater of the businesses around the pond flowed back into the pond and it created a major pollution problem and made the pond and environmental health hazard by 1811, the pond was filled in and homes were built on top of it. This didn't work because the landfill was not engineered properly. 

00:41:02

And the buried vegetation began to release methane gas. Oh no, the instinct, oh, it's bad. The unstable ground caused foundations of homes to shift. And the unpaved streets were mostly buried in mud and excrement. We'll just say all kinds of excrement the middle. And upper-class abandoned the area by the early 1820s, impor immigrants flooded into the area, the numbers soared in the 1840s, when many Irish Catholics fled during the famine at the height of occupation of five points, only certain areas of London's east end vide with it. 

00:41:49

And if y'all know anything about the east end in London at this time, that's how bad we're talking. Yeah. Yeah. It's they had a lot of things in common, the massive population density disease, the infant and child, mortality rates, unemployment sex work, violent crime, and other classic ills of the urban destitute. Charles Dickens once visited the area, wanting to see five points for himself. His description of the scene appeared in his book, American notes. He said, quote, all that is loathsome, drooping and decaying is here. 

00:42:35

Some considered five points, the origin of the American melting pot though. And it consisted primarily of freed slaves and Irish, whether they were Irish Americans or Irish immigrants, it was kind of both, there were tensions between the two communities, but it is the first large scale instance of racial integration and American history. Hmm. It was forced. What was, well, it was, it was, but it was the first time that it was truly like, there was really a, like, it was, it was there. So I thought that was all in fact, think about it. It's because it was the two, the two people I remember we talked about the fight that I think was in Chicago, or it was in a previous episode where we talked for, it was freed slaves and Irish Catholics started fighting against each other for work. 

00:43:29

And we didn't cover it. Cause it was, it was a lot, but, but yeah, two classes that, that were casts out and they do talk about it. I don't think that I put it in here. Eventually. What ended up happening is that the freed slave community eventually migrated to what is now Harlem. And that's kind of how they ended up separating from one another. So anyways, five points is alleged to have had the highest murder rate of any slum at that time in the world. Oh, ma according to an old New York urban legend, the old brewery that was in the area formerly <em></em> brewery from the 1970s, which was an overcrowded tenement on cross street, which has about a thousand people, oh, is said to have had a murder a night for 15 years. 

00:44:32

Gosh, until it's demolition in 1852. Oh my goodness. This area is also home of other famous mobsters, such as Paul Kelly, the founder of the five points gang, Johnny Torino, Al Capone, lucky Luciano and John Morrissey leader of the dead rabbits gang dead. Reddit's The 40 thieves is who we are going to focus on. And they were actually allies with the dead rabbits. And we actually have an episode on the dead rabbits later. We're getting into mob times. So we, we have a few episodes coming up that we are going to discuss the mob. 

00:45:15

We're going to discuss different portions of gangs, different crimes that, that align with that. You'll kind of notice when we start to go through history, you'll kind of notice where we are because we're all of a sudden getting into mobs, but then we're going to take like a real sharp left-hand turn and go to like Western crimes where we're going to get into like the Jesse James and we're going to get into doc holiday and all of that kind of stuff. So you you're, you're, it's interesting. It's interesting to see kind of where we are in history and like what crimes are the biggest at that time. It's just, yeah. So right now and Interesting to see what's happening at the same time, but where it's happening. 

00:45:57

Exactly. You may not realize what's happening at the same time, but it's just in different places and how different things are. Yeah. Different places. So it's rumored that the 40 thieves took their names from Ali Baba and the 40 thieves, which is a folk tale from 1001 nights, which is a collection of middle Eastern folk tales. The group formed in 1825. And as I said before, it is allegedly allegedly the first known and oldest criminal street gang in New York city, the gang was primarily made up of Irish and Irish Americans and Irish, specifically Irish immigrants, not Irish American, their presence was a menace of five points and they were terrorized the neighborhood itself. 

00:46:45

However, do not get this gang confused with the 40 thieves that formed in London in 1828, they are not affiliated. Oh, they are also certainly not affiliated with the all female oh London gang called the 40 elephants, but also use the name, the 40 thieves. I would not call myself an elephant. They operated from 1873 to 1950. There was also a criminal gang in Philadelphia later that used the same name and another gang made themselves known in the same year. 

00:47:26

I put as the OGE 40 thieves ha. And they are the Kerry Odians. They were also a primarily Irish group whose name comes from county, Kerry, Ireland. Okay. And they are allegedly allegedly the second oldest criminal gang in New York city and the 40 thieves beat out the Carione ans like by just a few months, as far as like who's the first. And trust me, if you look up the <em></em> real bitter that they were not the first, but they were allies with the 40 thieves. So there's that Edward Coleman, the head of the 40 thieves originally based the gang in new York's lower east side, the gang's main purpose was to rebel against their social status. 

00:48:15

But the members soon turned to crime to better their situation. They met at a grocery store on center street, which was owned by Rosanna peers. This was an interesting grocery store. This is an excerpt from Herbert Asbury's book, the gangs of New York section one of chapter two quote, the first of these speakeasies was established about 1825 by Roseanne appears in center street, just south of Anthony. Now Wirth street piles of decane vegetables were displayed on racks outside the store, but Rosanna provided a backroom in which she sold the fiery liquor of the period at lower prices than it could be obtained in the recognized saloons. 

00:48:59

This room soon became the haunts of this is a direct quote and it's not a word people use anymore. Thugs, pickpockets, murderers, and thieves. The gang known as the 40 thieves, which appears to have been the first in New York with a definite acknowledged leadership is said to have been found in Rosanna peer's grocery store. And her backroom was used as its meeting place and is headquartered by Edward Coleman and other eminent chieftains there, they received the reports of their henchmen and from its dimly lit corners, dispatched the gangsters on their warlike missions on their warlike missions. 

00:49:40

Here's the other question, am I Roseanne appears in the last life look, she runs like a bat, a speakeasy selling, selling liquor at low rates. She's not encouraging gang activity, but she's not condoning it. Girls trying to make some coin. I'm just saying, don't try to put a business woman down. I mean she needed support too. Anyways, there were quotas that the gang had to meet and they included a rather strict system where members had to bring back a certain amount of stolen goods or be thrown out. 

00:50:29

This system made it very competitive among the members because veterans were competing against a younger members for the higher positions, five points desperately lacked the aid of government support due to the high crime rate and violence. And the 40 thieves saw this as an economic opportunity as they established relations with Tammany hall. Now Tammany hall is very confusing. It's yes. A building. Yes. A group. It is a government group, but also put into the category of gangs. 

00:51:09

That's a whole lot. So yeah, Tammy hall was a corrupt bureaucracy. You which provided community services in exchange for money and support from its residents to fund their corrupt agendas. Then there was the juvenile 40 little thieves. Oh, which I love honestly, they were in apprentice street gang of the original 40 thieves and they ended up outlasting their mentors. They continued to commit illegal activities throughout the 1850s before eventually joining the later street gangs following the American civil war in 1865, the 40 thieves were not able to sustain themselves long-term though. 

00:51:53

And by 1850, the gang had dissolved and members went into other gangs or got out completely. I put whether that was in a body bag or not is unknown. I mean, probably not in a body bag, probably just, you were just thrown in. I was going to say there were thrown into the sand, but we're not in London. So the Hudson, the huts, the demise of the 40 thieves could likely be due to the death of their leader. Edward Coleman in 1839. There isn't much known about Edward's early life. From what I can find, we do know that he was the head of one of the first gangs in New York city and that he was the first Irish established leader. 

00:52:33

However, it isn't his crimes related to the gang that sentenced him to death about RO Edward had been involved in the 40 thieves for about 15 years before meeting and marrying a hot corn girl named Anne in 1838. You're not saying that she was hot. Like she sold corn. That was hot, hot corn girls were often Irish American immigrants or freed women who sold ears of hot corn on the streets, which was the street food of choice in New York at this time. I'm so perceptive. But I met, she was cute. She has another nickname. 

00:53:15

What is it? Good they're they are kind of like the first street vendors. Although the name seems in nature, it does not derive from anything of that sort. A lot of people did say that they did and there could have been some of that going on. There was a book by Solon Robinson called hot corn life scenes in New York from 1854. And that's to kind of describe the entire hot corn girls scene as to what it was. There is debate on this. 

00:53:57

Like I said, though, the other theory is that hot corn girls doubled as murderous sex workers who drew Johns in with their seeming innocence. And for anybody who doesn't know what a John is like, you should know what a jaundice, but that's someone coming for services. And you know, John DOE John Smith. Gotcha. John's yeah. So Anne was not Irish and she is described as mixed race and from Haiti, they called her another word. I don't know if I, if it is Acceptable, I don't think it's negative as bad as some other words are. 

00:54:46

Right. But don't know how except did it is. Does that make sense? I mean, it does. I Understand what you're saying. It's a word that starts with an M I'll go as far as to say that for people who are not aware. Cause I hate to, like, You don't want to say it. I Don't. Yeah. I don't know because I personally would not think that would be something that someone would want to be In literature that I have read and in period pieces that I have seen, It seems like a word Derogatory, But it is derogatory. Yes. Especially in new Orleans, it was very derogatory. 

00:55:26

Good to Not say I don't. But that, that was how she was described. So it said that she is Haitian, but that she, she was mixed, which I gotta say this. Sure. She was beautiful. I was just about to say mixed children. Oh my God. They're gorgeous. I mean, children are gorgeous sometimes in general, but I mean, All children are not because that's true. I worked, I worked at a daycare and sometimes people will come in for a tour and they would have their sweet, precious baby. And all children are precious and said they would have their sweet NIU, little offspring, I would say, oh, how precious? 

00:56:09

Because you can always say, oh, how beautiful, because it's not, it's not always true. But sometimes you look like a shriveled little That's true. I will say though, I have some friends that are not right. That I know that have they are, you know, her husband is black and she is white. Those children. Let me tell you models. I mean, God, they are gorgeous and it's just like, they're born. And I'm like, you even look cute after you were born. Like, cause trust me, I, my daughter was very cute a few days after she was born. 

00:56:54

Right after not so much. I mean, well, there's also the traumatic event. I wouldn't expect her to look great. But I think to be said for a C-section baby and the non transection baby, because C-section babies, if it's a planned C-section and then they don't, you know, in around or if they have around her head. Yeah. So anyways, it said that she knew all kinds of things here. It said that she was mixed race and all I can think of is she must have been freaking gorgeous. I'm sure. Because her nickname was the pretty hot corn girl. And there again, specifically the pretty ones she was the hot, hot, she was the hot, hot, hot corn girl smoking hot girl Moke and ha ha. 

00:57:46

There is also speculation that Edward was actually black and he was not of Irish descent at all. I could only, yeah, I don't, I don't understand because of everything that I've read, but I had to put it in there because a lot of sources do you say that that that's a big possibility? I don't think it's accurate, but I had to put it in there just because it is what it is. This is another quote from section two of chapter, one of the gangs in New York, where they described the relationship between Edward and Anne quote, the hot corn girl became one of the most romantic figures of the five points. 

00:58:26

And her favorites were eagerly sought out by the young bloods of the district who fought duels over her and celebrated her beauty and sparkling wit in song and story. The earnings of the best looking girls were considerable. And as soon became the custom for a five points hero with a low thing for labor to send his young and handsome wife into the street each night, carrying a Cedar bucket filled with roasting ears while he cruised along in her wake and her old brick bats at the young men who dared flirt with her, the first hanging in the tombs grew out of such a situation. 

00:59:08

Edward Coleman was one of the original gangsters of paradise square and became enamored of a young woman known throughout the five points as the pretty hot corn girl. He married her after fierce fights with dozens of protesting suitors dozens, dozens girl was getting it just saying Kayla was Mary Rogers was too. I'm just saying, look, look just saying these women, get it. Girl girls got to eat just saying, but yes. 

00:59:52

Dozens of protesting suitors. So this is a fight. There is little information on what happened next. While the story of Anne is widely known due to Asbury's book and in gang history in general, the exact story isn't fully known, which in a sense might not be a bad thing. After Edward and Ann married, Anne was still working as a hot corn girl. As her husband, Edward was entitled to her earnings. However, when she did not earn as much as expected trigger warning, guys, if you want to just skip forward, Edward, beat her to death. 

01:00:37

Recent theories suggest that he slashed her throat. Almost decapitating her. Oh, ma but the widely known story is that he beat her to death. She was found alive, but then Daryl, but then later died of her injuries. Okay. Hello? They hadn't even been married a year. So she working, she work in girl. She making her own money. Just wait till you hear what the papers said. You want to know what they said first? No you okay. Okay. Because you get mad again. After that, it's fine. She's making her own money. 

01:01:19

He was all going, going fine. And as you get spirited, I give him money over to him because they were married. Yes. It's how things went during this time. Don't you know that well, But it still makes me angry. I mean, I'm just saying, I would expect that, you know, during this time the hustle was, you didn't have to work after you Got married because I'm just Saying, so was on him. The papers said jealousy and infidelity were the motive for the murder rather than anything. Financial quoting Edward himself saying that he killed her quote because she slept with another man. 

01:02:06

It was not his fault, obviously. I mean he killed her. So Edward was quickly arrested and convicted of murder. The Christian advocate in journal reprinted, a full transcript of the given by the judge when Edward was sentenced to death. This is a portion of what the judge said. Quote, upon the solemn occasion. It is unusual though. It can hardly be necessary to admonish you of the importance of preparing yourself to meet your creator circumstance. As you are with your days, empathetically few, a numbered with this world and all its allurements receding from your view and the prospect of another opening upon you. 

01:02:49

It is not in human nature to be insensible to the importance of preparing it, to meet your creator to him. Therefore let your most fervent supplication be raised for. He will soon be your all. You will have none left. Bud him. Edward was taken to the newly constructed tombs prison in five points. The tombs formal title was the New York halls of justice and house of detention. As it housed the city's courts, police and detention facilities, it was a notable example of adoption revival, architecture, although opinion, very greatly concerning that validity. 

01:03:33

Charles Dickens he's back again. He described it as, or he said not quote, what is this dismal fronted pile of? Sorry guys. I got to say, I got to say a bad word, but you know, it makes me a little happy. What is this dismal fronted pile of bastard, Egyptian like an enchanters palace and a melodrama. Dang. I mean fine. Thanks chip. I mean it seems a little hobby, to be honest, the prison was well-known for its corruption and was the scene of numerous scandals and escapes during its early history. A fire destroyed part of the building on November 18th, 1842, the same day that a notorious killer was due to be hanged done. 

01:04:24

Done. We are covering him in a few episodes. Would you like to know who he is? Yes, I would. John C Colt. Yes. Of those Colts. Yes. So interesting. Also convicted murder in New York city politician, William J Sharkey. That's up the name I've love it. He earned national notoriety for escaping from the prison on November 22nd, 1872 disguised as a woman must have been an ugly woman. There you go. 

01:05:04

He was never captured in his fate is unknown, but as to Edward Coleman on January 12th, 1839, Edward Coleman sealed his fate and became the first man hanged in the tombs prison. Mm Well, I mean, I'm sorry. He, I mean, he, honestly, It was not remorseful, not mad about it. It was full. So I mean he just said, yeah, did it. And So that is our first dip into gang culture in the United States at this time, like I said, we will be coming back. And this was an interesting one because even though we were in New York city and we were in Manhattan, we got to talk about a specific area that we did not, we haven't been in before. 

01:05:50

So while it is a less angry on him, well, sorry. I guess that's what this podcast is for to make you angry, Angry. I mean, But again, we do have a USBs episode that just came out. You will find it all interesting. I will say that it is the first of something that other people thought the first was something else. If that's vague enough for you, I can say that it is Y exactly. 

01:06:29

Exactly. I can say that it is widely thought that there was one thing that was the first in the United States and it was not. So it's an interesting tale and I hope they all enjoy it for our Patrion members. We have a website where you can find any and all Owen, UC information you were looking for. It is one nation under crime.com. We are one nation under crime on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and at Owen, UC pod on Twitter. If you love our podcast, as much as we do, please follow us and recommend us to everyone, you know, and see if you feel like it. I mean, you should feel like it because if you love us, you want other people to know about us. 

01:07:12

So you can share the love And go leave us a five-star review on apple podcasts. You should, as I said before, we do have a Patrion and USBs episodes are coming out there. If you would like to also be a cool Patrion subscriber, there are a few tiers that you can join and you can decide whether you would like to be a Patriot, a founding father and Owen, UC loyalest, whatever you prefer. Go ahead, go join, have fun vehicle kid. And we thank you guys for listening to this week's episode of one nation under crime. We will see you here. Same time, different crime next week. 

01:07:55

And remember there isn't always Liberty and justice for all. Especially if you run a street gang and you marry him. Yeah, Yeah. Unfortunately.