The Cherry Hill Gang was a New York street gang during the late nineteenth century. Formed in the 1890s, the Cherry Hill Gang were known as the "

dandies A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance. A dandy could be a self-made man who strove to imitate an aristocratic lifestyle desp ...

" of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

's underworld. Often wearing dress suits and armed with metal-weighted walking sticks, gang members were able to attack and rob wealthier victims surprising those who would have been suspicious of other poorer gangs of the period. Throughout the decade, rival gangs would attempt to compete with the gang's success. One incident in particular occurred when, after the

Batavia Street Gang Batavia Street Gang was a New York independent street gang based in the Fourth Ward during the 1890s. Affiliated with the Eastman Gang during the turn of the 20th century, they were rivals of the Cherry Hill Gang throughout the previous decade. D ...

announced hosting a party at

New Irving Hall New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

, the Cherry Hillers planned to arrive in expensive wardrobe. Not to be outdone, as hosts of the party, the Batavia Street Gang robbed Segal's Jewelry Store on

New Chambers Street Chambers Street is a two-way street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It runs from River Terrace, Battery Park City in the west, past PS 234 (the Independence School), The Borough of Manhattan Community College, and Stuyvesant High Sc ...

of 44 gold rings. The following morning however, shortly after selling the rings at a local pawn shop, over a dozen gang members were arrested by police while being fitted for suits at a tailors shop on Division Street, and spent that night in

The Tombs ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

while the Cherry Hill Gang and others attended the party. By the early 20th century the Cherry Hill Gang was regarded as the most vicious gang in the city. Their main rivals were the

Whyos The Whyos or Whyos Gang, a collection of the various post-Civil War street gangs of New York City, was the city's dominant street gang during the mid-late 19th century. The gang controlled most of Manhattan from the late 1860s until the early 1 ...

, but they fought just as vigorously amongst each other. Many Cherry Hillers such as Yakey Yake Brady,

Monk Eastman Edward "Monk" Eastman (1875 – December 26, 1920) was a New York City gangster who founded and led the Eastman Gang in the late 19th and early 20th century; it became one of the most powerful street gangs in the city. His aliases included Jose ...

and Bill "The Brute" Sanger formed sub-gangs of their own and feuded constantly over turf and power.

References

*Sifakis, Carl. Encyclopedia of American Crime, New York, Facts on File Inc., 1982 *"Cherry Hill Bad as Mining Camp", The Evening World, March 11, 1903 - http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030193/1903-03-11/ed-1/seq-12/ Former gangs in New York City {{Organized crime groups in New York City