We often think of pirates as a group of daring seagoing criminals who roamed the world’s waters in search of treasure and prizes that could be taken from other seafaring vessels or wealthy coastal towns. The Hudson River doesn’t usually conjure up images of ships flying the Jolly Roger or the capture of prizes from unsuspecting merchant vessels and wealthy homes along the shore. However, this is precisely what the Charlton Street Gang was about.
The Charlton Street Gang was a group of tough kids from immigrant backgrounds in Lower Manhattan. They haunted the west side docks and were involved in nefarious activities such as theft, river piracy, street fighting, knife fighting, armed robbery, assault, murder, and raiding small cargo ships on the North River of New York Harbor. Not consistently successful, the gang often faced resistance during their crimes.
In 1869, they were skillfully led by street mugger Sadie “The Goat” Farrell. Tougher than a two-dollar steak and as vicious as a hungry gator, Sadie earned her nickname and her living by head-butting her victims before robbing them. As the leader of the Charlton Street Gang, she added an extra dose of boldness and strategy to the gang’s efforts.
Eventually, the shipping vessels on the Manhattan west side dockyards became so well protected that the gang could no longer carry out their usual activities. In 1869, a century after the golden age of pirates, they stole a sloop. They relocated their piracy operation upriver, where they began raiding merchant ships and homes along the Hudson River, from the Harlem River in New York City to Poughkeepsie, New York. It is said that they even went so far as to fly the Jolly Roger and force some of their victims to walk the plank.
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Sadie the Goat and her Hudson River pirates sailed up and down the Hudson and Harlem Rivers, raided river traffic and small villages, robbed farmhouses and even some riverside mansions, and at times kidnapped men, women, and children for ransom. She and her men continued their activities for several months, stashing their loot in various hiding spots until they could be gradually disposed of through fences and pawn shops. By the end of that summer, the farmers and local villagers had begun resisting the raids, attacking the gang with gunfire. The group eventually abandoned the sloop, and Sadie returned to the Fourth Ward.
Remember that the Charlton Street Gang did not hold a monopoly on river raiding along the Hudson River. There was significant competition that spanned several hundred years. Additionally, historical events and facts have often been obscured by folklore and legends. Many details, especially those concerning individuals like Sadie the Goat, may be distorted. In any case, it certainly makes for an intriguing story.
The Sojourner