Hell-Cat Maggie
Hell-Cat Maggie | |
|---|---|
 The Five Points circa 1850; no authenticated portrait of Maggie is known | |
| Other name | Hellcat Maggie |
| Occupation | Gang fighter (reported) |
Criminal status | Historical identity uncertain |
| Allegiance | Dead Rabbits (traditional account) |
Hell-Cat Maggie was the nickname of a woman described in later histories as a formidable Five Points fighter associated with the Dead Rabbits. Herbert Asbury's 1928 popular history places her among the gang's women fighters, while Gotham repeats the tradition.[1][2]
The famous details that she filed her teeth and wore brass fingernails come from colorful later accounts rather than verified contemporary documentation. Her real name, dates, and an authenticated portrait are not known.
References
- ↑ Herbert Asbury, The Gangs of New York (Alfred A. Knopf, 1928), chapter 1.
- ↑ Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace, Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 (Oxford University Press, 1999), p. 634.