Hanging Henry Gambrill: The Violent Career of Baltimore's Plug Uglies, 1854-1860Street gangs were rampant in the 1850s and nowhere more than Baltimore. Tracy Melton has gone back to the newspapers, court records and every conceivable original source to recreate this colorful period. Some of it is violent and grisly, but the reader also gets descriptions of clothing and everyday life of gang members, etc. And finally we have the spectacle of four men on the gallows in the jail yard (a yard still visible from I-83 North off Center Street) singing a farewell song to an enormous crowd of spectators on a blustery cold, gray April day. All appeals exhausted, 15,000 people on the surrounding hills, like an amphitheater. |
Contents
PROLOGUE The Unfortunate Condemned I | 1 |
ONE An Unlikely Parentage I I | 11 |
Two Nativists | 31 |
Copyright | |
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Hanging Henry Gambrill: The Violent Career of Baltimore's Plug Uglies, 1854–1860 Tracy Matthew Melton No preview available - 2005 |
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11 Holliday Alexander Levy American clubs American Party appeared April asked assault attack August ball Baltimore City Benton candidate citizens city council city's claimed Clipper corner Corrie's criminal court crowd Cyphus Daily Exchange David Houck delegates Democratic Eighth Ward engine house February fighting fire companies firemen friends Governor Henry Gambrill Henry Winter Davis Henry's indicted jail James January John English John Wesley Judge Stump July June jury killed later Levy Levy's Lexington market March marines Maryland McAleese Mount Vernon municipal election murder Naff nativist neighborhood newspaper night November October October 15 organized Pennsylvania Avenue pistol Plug Uglies police arrested police officers political politicians reform Republican Richard Harris Rigdon riot Rip Raps roughs September Shiffler shooting shot someone station house tavern Thomas Thomas Holliday Hicks Thomas Swann Thompson tion trial truck house Twentieth Ward violence vote voters Ward polls Washington Evening Star weeks Whitney William witnesses