| Founded | c. 1840 |
|---|---|
| Founded by | Martin Bowe |
| Founding location | New York City, New York, United States |
| Years active | 1840-1860 |
| Territory | New York waterfront |
| Ethnicity | Irish-American |
| Membership (est.) | 6 (est.) |
| Criminal activities | Organized crime |
The Bowe Brothers were a criminal family in New York City during the early-to-mid-19th century. The gang was headed by Martin Bowe, owner of the Catherine Slip sailors' home Glass House, and included Jack, Jim and Bill Bowe. All were well-known shooters, cutters and thieves in New York's Fourth Ward [1] and often led waterfront thugs in raids on dockyards and ships anchored in the East River. The brothers were also fences and disposed of money obtained by other waterfront gangs. [2]
One of their men, Jack Madill, served as a bartender at the Glass House for over a year before his arrest for the murder of his wife. He had killed her in an argument when she refused to help him rob a drunken sailor and was sentenced to life imprisonment [1] [2]
References
- ^ a b Moss, Frank. The American Metropolis from Knickerbocker Days to the Present Time. London: The Authors' Syndicate, 1897. (pg. 102)
- ^ a b Asbury, Herbert. The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the New York Underworld. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1928. (pg. 49-50) ISBN 1-56025-275-8