The Slaughter House Gang, known as the Slaughter Housers, were a prominent street gang in New York's Fourth Ward during the late 1840s to the mid-1860s.
The Slaughter Housers, known for their violent muggings and murder, were infamous for luring an unsuspecting victim into a local dive bar where he would be robbed and sometimes murdered. However, if the victim refused to enter, the gang would follow the victim until passing a window where a woman would dump a bucket of ash, blinding the victim, and he would be attacked and pushed into a cellar door. The victim would then be robbed of everything of value, including his clothes, and thrown onto the street. The leading member of the gang was George Leese, a known river pirate and mugger involved in staging Fourth Ward illegal bare-knuckle prize fights. The Slaughter Housers remained the dominant gang in the Fourth Ward until after the American Civil War when police finally managed to drive the gang from the neighborhood.
Further reading
- Sifakis, Carl. The Encyclopedia of American Crime: Second Edition Vol. II (K-Z), Facts On File Inc., New York, 2001