John "Johnny the Mick" Walsh (February 8, 1852 – October 16, 1883) was an early
New York City gangster and leader of the
Walsh Gang Walsh may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Walsh (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname
Places
* Fort Walsh, one of the first posts of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
* Walsh, Ontario, Norfo ...
. Forming the ''Walshers'' in the late 1870s, Walsh's violent tactics would dominate the
Bowery in several years. Walsh would soon become involved in what would become a long a bitter feud with
Johnny Irving
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females.
Variant ...
's
Dutch Mob The Dutch Mob was a New York pickpocket gang during the late nineteenth century.
Formed during the late 1860s by Little Freddie, "Sheeny" Mike Kurtz, and Johnny Irving, former members of the Italian Dave Gang, the Dutch Mob soon became one of the ...
during the early 1880s as the two fought over the Bowery. On three occasions, the two gang leaders fought each other in knife fights although these proved inconclusive. The police refused to interfere in the gang war, as was general policy at the time, preferring to allow the gangs to wipe each other out.
The final showdown between Walsh and Irving occurred on October 16, 1883 when, as Walsh was drinking in
Shang Draper
Thomas "Shang" Draper (1839–1883) was a criminal shanghaier, saloon keeper, and criminal gang leader in New York City along the city waterfront.
Criminal career
Shang Draper ran a waterfront saloon in his native New York City, where he perfo ...
's saloon on Sixth Avenue, Irving and Billy Porter entered and confronted Walsh. After an altercation between the two, Walsh shot and killed Irving. Porter in turn killed Walsh and was then shot by Draper. Although Porter survived, neither he nor Draper were charged with either Walsh or Irving's death.
Further reading
*
Asbury, Herbert. ''The Gangs of New York''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1927.
*Sifakis, Carl. ''The Encyclopedia of American Crime''. New York: Facts on File Inc., 2005.
External links
Our Police Protectors: History of New York Police - Chapter 16, Part 3by Holice B. Young
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, Johnny
1852 births
1883 deaths
Gang members of New York City
Criminals from Manhattan