Speaker 1: There's a lot of mystery surrounding Dan cev Like all
Speaker 1: history that blends with folklore, some of the finer details
Speaker 1: have changed over time. It's even likely that cev might
Speaker 1: have created part of his own cd, if not legendary status,
Speaker 1: all by himself. There are facts he was born in
Speaker 1: Maine in eighteen sixty five, and his father worked as
Speaker 1: a schooner captain. At twelve or thirteen, he ran away
Speaker 1: from home and found work on board steamers. From there,
Speaker 1: he joined the U. S. Navy and served three years.
Speaker 1: Eventually he wound up in Wisconsin, where he got married
Speaker 1: and took a job as a deputy marshal for the
Speaker 1: Bureau of Indian Affairs. By the eighteen nineties he had
Speaker 1: settled down on a small farm in Milwaukee. Then one day,
Speaker 1: his perfectly normal life took an odd turn. Dan Cevie
Speaker 1: abruptly sold his property, abandoned his wife and two children,
Speaker 1: and began a career on the water. He earned money
Speaker 1: the old fashioned way for a mariner at the time,
Speaker 1: transportation services for loggers, trappers, and lumber mills, although the
Speaker 1: real money came from his side hustle, smuggling, poaching, and
Speaker 1: the occasional bootlegging, and his appearance made him as notable
Speaker 1: as his services. He stood six ft four with two
Speaker 1: fifty pounds of muscle, and spoke with a strong New
Speaker 1: England accent. It was a physique that made him a
Speaker 1: gifted brawler, and if his fists weren't enough, he also
Speaker 1: carried a pistol. With all that, it's easy to say
Speaker 1: that he had a reputation, although he often complained that
Speaker 1: the worst stories were just rumors. Folks said that he
Speaker 1: would extinguish other boats guidelights, causing them to run aground.
Speaker 1: Once vulnerable, the ship's made for easy boarding and looting.
Speaker 1: Of course, he claimed that he hadn't done anything wrong.
Speaker 1: The boats were shipwrecks after all, And if that action
Speaker 1: sounds like a pirate to you, and then you're not alone.
Speaker 1: Take for example, the events of nineteen o eight, when
Speaker 1: officials arrested him for that exact crime. Apparently, on June
Speaker 1: eleven of that year, dan Sev and two of his
Speaker 1: sailors met R. J. Mc cormick, the captain of the
Speaker 1: Nellie Johnson, a lumber schooner, at a local tavern. The
Speaker 1: drinks flowed heavily and once McCormick and his crew were
Speaker 1: sufficiently drunk, CV and the others made off with their ship.
Speaker 1: He first set out for Chicago, where he hoped to
Speaker 1: sell the lumber. However, for whatever reason, no one was buying. Meanwhile, McCormick,
Speaker 1: now very sober, reported the theft. Government officials in Chicago
Speaker 1: sent the ship Tuscarora after c V. The word also
Speaker 1: went out to lighthouse keepers, and before long CV and
Speaker 1: the Nellie Johnson were spotted in a river near Frankfurt.
Speaker 1: Sources say that CV tried to outrun the steel hull
Speaker 1: gun ship, but surrendered when the crew fired a cannon
Speaker 1: shot at the water line near Nellie Johnson's bow. Officials
Speaker 1: boarded the ship and arrested CV on piracy charges, although
Speaker 1: he was later arraigned for mutiny on the high seas. Instead,
Speaker 1: ah pirates well usually envisioned them sailing the Caribbean, boarding
Speaker 1: merchant vessels, flying the black flag, and barry in their
Speaker 1: treasure on some remote sandy beach. But as we're about
Speaker 1: to learn, some of the most fascinating characters in the
Speaker 1: pirate world conducted business away from the ocean waves. To them,
Speaker 1: there was no better place to be a pirate than
Speaker 1: lakes and rivers. I'm Aaron Manky and welcome to pirates.
Speaker 1: Before rail cars became the most efficient way to move
Speaker 1: people in goods, riverboats were the preferred method, and just
Speaker 1: like their seafaring counterparts, riverboats faced similar threats. With the
Speaker 1: Ohio and Mississippi rivers so frequently traveled, it's no surprise
Speaker 1: that river pirates saw plenty of opportunities. In the eighteenth century,
Speaker 1: the Spanish and British sought to expand their colonies along
Speaker 1: the Ohio River. Immigrants often traveled to Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana,
Speaker 1: and Illinois in flat bottom rafts aptly named flatboats. They
Speaker 1: were great alternatives to navigate, eating through dense forests and
Speaker 1: rough terrain. The captains traveled back and forth between cities
Speaker 1: and towns, transporting and dropping off anything from coal and
Speaker 1: flower to cattle and slaves. But all this travel and
Speaker 1: transport by water came with plenty of risks. Rocks, sandbars, storms,
Speaker 1: and even submerged trees could spell disaster. If that weren't enough,
Speaker 1: they were frequently traveling through land that belonged to the
Speaker 1: indigenous peoples of the area who defended that land. Oh
Speaker 1: and River pirates. The trouble is fact in legends sort
Speaker 1: of intertwined when it comes to river piracy, and documentation
Speaker 1: is sometimes sparse. The one early account, though, is a
Speaker 1: fairly well documented story of Captain Samuel Mason, born in Norfolk, Virginia,
Speaker 1: in seventeen thirty nine. Mason's criminal lifestyle began with stealing
Speaker 1: horses and slaves in the late seventeen sixties, but he
Speaker 1: also committed murder, counterfeiting, and piracy. He and his gang
Speaker 1: set down roots in Henderson, Kentucky, though back then locals
Speaker 1: called the area at Banks nestled along the Ohio River.
Speaker 1: The settlers found the location the perfect place for homes, taverns,
Speaker 1: and a few stores. By the seventeen nineties, though the
Speaker 1: quaint town had become home to robbers, outlaws, and cutthroats.
Speaker 1: Mason and his men shifted their headquarters down river to
Speaker 1: a cavern in an area famously known as Cave in Rock.
Speaker 1: The fifty five foot wide cave made for a great camp,
Speaker 1: and the cliff above provided a clear sight of approaching flatboats. Now,
Speaker 1: river pirates operated a bit differently than their ocean dwelling cousins.
Speaker 1: They lacked massive ships with their black flags. Their method
Speaker 1: of plundering more closely resembled highwaymen. Mostly, there were two approaches,
Speaker 1: one getting the boats to dock or run them aground.
Speaker 1: In this method, gag members hailed passing ships and pretended
Speaker 1: to be lost in the wilderness, or they'd say that
Speaker 1: they needed supplies for their survival or well being, even
Speaker 1: offering money if the boat came to shore. Since sandbars
Speaker 1: and other obstacles posed a hazard to boats, locals familiar
Speaker 1: with sections of the river made an honest living as
Speaker 1: a guide, but clever opportunists, as they are, pirates in
Speaker 1: the rivers pretended to be reputable guides as well. However,
Speaker 1: once aboard, the impostor guided the ship into trouble where
Speaker 1: his gang members waited. Doct and empty boats also made
Speaker 1: an easy target. The pirates board small holes into the
Speaker 1: bottom or removed the calking on the side. Unsuspecting crews
Speaker 1: would load their boats unaware that they would soon be
Speaker 1: taking on water, and once the captain and crew were distracted,
Speaker 1: the pirates would rush the ship, taking the cargo and
Speaker 1: killing those aboard if necessary. Like many of their sea
Speaker 1: dwelling counterparts, river pirates were ruthless after killing the captain,
Speaker 1: they would loot and burn the flatboats. The stolen goods
Speaker 1: found their way to unscrupulous store owners, and the money
Speaker 1: from those sales always seemed to find their way back
Speaker 1: to the pirates. When the Spanish captured Samuel Mason in
Speaker 1: eighteen oh three in what is now southeastern Arkansas, he
Speaker 1: insisted that they had the wrong guy and that he
Speaker 1: was a simple farm. Of course, the seven thousand dollars
Speaker 1: in his bank account and the twenty scalps found in
Speaker 1: his cabin suggested otherwise. The Spanish turned Mason and his
Speaker 1: crew over to the Americans during their transport to Mississippi,
Speaker 1: though they overpowered the guards and took refuge in the forest.
Speaker 1: But as the saying goes, there's no honor among thieves.
Speaker 1: Mason's crew killed him, cut off his head, and brought
Speaker 1: it to the authorities, hoping to claim a reward, but
Speaker 1: after being identified by another captain as Mason's crew, all
Speaker 1: of them were taken into custody and hanged for piracy.
Speaker 1: Mason had been successful due to his organizational skills, admirable
Speaker 1: for sure, but surprisingly there was another who took planning
Speaker 1: to a whole new level. Pirate's hails remained heavily steeped
Speaker 1: in legend. But that's sort of the draw, isn't it.
Speaker 1: The blend of historical records and hand me down tales
Speaker 1: are often inseparable and fascinating. Such is the case with
Speaker 1: James Ford, sometimes called Satan's Ferryman. His story starts routinely enough,
Speaker 1: but it's of note here that each piece sets the
Speaker 1: stage for later success. Ford was born somewhere around seventeen
Speaker 1: seventy five in Spartanburg, South Carolina. After the death of
Speaker 1: his father, his mother remarried and the family moved to
Speaker 1: Princeton in Caldwell County, Kentucky. In seventeen ninety seven. Ford
Speaker 1: chose Cavin Rock to call his home for the rest
Speaker 1: of his life. He married Susan Miles, the daughter of
Speaker 1: a ferry owner operating on the Ohio River nearby. Sometime
Speaker 1: around eighteen hundred, he and three other men were appointed
Speaker 1: for road survey and construction to Miles Ferry, the same
Speaker 1: ferry owned by his father in law. James and Sarah
Speaker 1: have three children, Philip, William, and Cassandra. Early on, he
Speaker 1: earned a living as a farmer, buying and operating farmland
Speaker 1: on both the Illinois and the Kentucky side of the river,
Speaker 1: as well as an operation on Hurricane Island just downstream
Speaker 1: from Caven Rock. His business venture made him successful. Records
Speaker 1: show that while he didn't own any land in eighteen hundred,
Speaker 1: just four years later he owned two hundred acres. Over
Speaker 1: the years, he listed his children as owners of those
Speaker 1: parcels and set up his own homestead just five miles
Speaker 1: south of Cave In Rock. He later entered the military,
Speaker 1: although he never spent any time in battle. For a
Speaker 1: few years he even served as a cavalry captain in
Speaker 1: the twenty four Kentucky Militia Regiment. Then in eighteen o
Speaker 1: four he became a Justice of the Peace. It probably
Speaker 1: goes without saying. Between his military service and dedication to
Speaker 1: the community, both the public and the local government looked
Speaker 1: up to Ford. The court accepted almost every motion he
Speaker 1: ever made before them. Then in February of eight he
Speaker 1: became Livingston County's sheriff. His six foot tall, muscular build
Speaker 1: must have done a lot to deter criminals. His head
Speaker 1: of sandy hair and steel gray eyes framed a large
Speaker 1: and well defined face, and when he spoke, his deep
Speaker 1: voice carried none of his appearance or manners came off surly,
Speaker 1: though well unless provoked. Those who made such a mistake
Speaker 1: found themselves severely outmatched. A worthy sheriff and a busy man,
Speaker 1: for sure. But despite all his community effort, he still
Speaker 1: had one more business endeavor, a ferry of his own,
Speaker 1: aptly named Ford's Ferry, just a couple of miles upstream
Speaker 1: from Cave in Rock. But FOURD didn't run the ferry
Speaker 1: business himself. On the Kentucky side of the river, he
Speaker 1: left operations in the hands of his sons, Philip and William,
Speaker 1: plus a third guy named Vincent B. Simpson. On the
Speaker 1: Illinois side of the river, he hired Henry Schuss to
Speaker 1: run things for him. Now, remember this was long before
Speaker 1: our modern infrastructure of highways and bridges, and without bridges,
Speaker 1: ferries were the only way to cross a river, making
Speaker 1: them a very lucrative business. And where there's money, there's competition,
Speaker 1: which brings us back to those roads, because fairies with
Speaker 1: the best roads were often favored by more travelers. More
Speaker 1: travelers means more money, so Ford used his political power
Speaker 1: as sheriff to get the county to maintain the roads.
Speaker 1: That led to his ferry business and then paid from
Speaker 1: his own pocket to maintain them on the Illinois side.
Speaker 1: Throw in some roadway signs and cards left at saloons
Speaker 1: advertising his ferry, and it's easy to see how Ford
Speaker 1: became one of the most successful ferry owners around. But
Speaker 1: the most traveled road and ferry also meant that it
Speaker 1: was a favorite of highwaymen and river pirates, and one
Speaker 1: such group formed to take advantage of travelers. Locals called
Speaker 1: them the Ford's Ferry Gang or the cave in Rock Band,
Speaker 1: although it's fair to note here that the other roads
Speaker 1: and ferries also had similar attacks. Interestingly, whenever word got
Speaker 1: out about the robberies and murders happening on his stretch
Speaker 1: of the road or ferry, sheriff Ford reported that he
Speaker 1: had found the gangs responsible and had run them out
Speaker 1: of town. Feeling safer, travelers would resume using the roads
Speaker 1: and Ford's ferry. Then the cycle would repeat, more attacks,
Speaker 1: more reports, and more help from the good sheriff. It
Speaker 1: looked like Ford had everything. His ferry became a high
Speaker 1: the profitable business, he had a comfortable life in town,
Speaker 1: and the citizens valued and respected him his work as
Speaker 1: a devoted sheriff. Had made their travel safer, or at
Speaker 1: least so it appeared. James Ford's story unravels like an
Speaker 1: action novel. It started with two men, Dr. Charles Webb
Speaker 1: and his brother John. The pair had set out from
Speaker 1: Louisville on a flatboat down the Ohio River, accompanied by
Speaker 1: the captain and three crewmen. While the captain and crew
Speaker 1: were making their way to New Orleans, Charles and his
Speaker 1: brother had their sight set on St. Louis. The day
Speaker 1: was pleasant enough, and the men talked and shared a
Speaker 1: few drinks. Charles, being an avid flute player, even entertained
Speaker 1: the men with a song or two. One day on
Speaker 1: the journey, they spotted a woman standing on the cliff
Speaker 1: above a cave entrance. She frantically waved a white cloth
Speaker 1: to get their attention. The captain pulled close to shore
Speaker 1: to better hear her. A man exited the cave and
Speaker 1: addressed the captain. He said the woman and a young
Speaker 1: boy were traveling together and inquired if the captain had
Speaker 1: rations for sale. The captain replied that he did not,
Speaker 1: so the man instead offered money for passage down the river,
Speaker 1: and either the captain wasn't aware of such traps or
Speaker 1: he took pity on the stranded travelers, and so he agreed.
Speaker 1: The man left to go get the woman and the boy,
Speaker 1: while the captain and Charles's brother John took the opportunity
Speaker 1: to go ashore for a few minutes. Charles and one
Speaker 1: of the crew stayed with the flatboat, though after some
Speaker 1: time had passed, he left Charles and went to the
Speaker 1: cave to see what was taking so long. At sunset,
Speaker 1: Charles felt relieved when three figures emerged from the cave
Speaker 1: and headed toward the boat. At the time he realized
Speaker 1: they weren't the crewmen, though it was too late. The
Speaker 1: men boarded the flatboat pistols drawn, and warned him that
Speaker 1: if he made a sound, they would kill him. They
Speaker 1: bound his hands behind his back and blindfolded him. Minutes later,
Speaker 1: the river pirates loaded him onto a skiff. Although he
Speaker 1: couldn't see or determine what direction they were headed, he
Speaker 1: heard the man in his skiff whispering to men in
Speaker 1: another Finally, though, the men stopped rowing, and one of
Speaker 1: them told him that they were going to let him
Speaker 1: go against orders, but the man warned it would be
Speaker 1: best if he continued downstream for a while and without
Speaker 1: any noise, The man loosened the ropes, and once they left,
Speaker 1: Charles worked his hands free and removed his blindfold. They
Speaker 1: had left him in the middle of the river with
Speaker 1: no idea where he was or an oar to paddle with.
Speaker 1: All he could do was drift along with the current.
Speaker 1: When a cabin came into view, he managed to paddle
Speaker 1: with his hands to shore. The owners fed him and
Speaker 1: gave him a real paddle to continue his way to Salem, Kentucky.
Speaker 1: There he notified officials of the River Pirates, who still
Speaker 1: held his brother John captive. They loaned him a horse
Speaker 1: and sent him to a man named Colonel Love, who
Speaker 1: might be able to help him find his brother. En
Speaker 1: route to see him, though, the horse spooked, throwing him off.
Speaker 1: Now with an injured ankle and no horse, Charles sat
Speaker 1: down on the roadside wondering what to do next. And
Speaker 1: that's when a woman happened by, who introduced herself as Cassandra.
Speaker 1: She listened to his tale and offered to take him
Speaker 1: to her family home. They continued their talks after they arrived,
Speaker 1: and she even took to showing Charles a few of
Speaker 1: the items that her father had recently acquired for her.
Speaker 1: Among them was a flute. His flute. Cassandra and her
Speaker 1: mother admitted that they had suspicions her father was connected
Speaker 1: to River pirates, but they had never had proof. It
Speaker 1: appeared that he acted more like a boss than taking
Speaker 1: part in the River Pirates activities. Over the years that followed,
Speaker 1: others became just as suspicious as Ford's own family. You see,
Speaker 1: many years later, Ford became embroiled in lawsuits, including one
Speaker 1: involving his Kentucky ferry operator Vincent Simpson, who knew a
Speaker 1: little bit too much for comfort. So Ford convinced his
Speaker 1: Illinois ferry operator Henry Schuss to goad Simpson into an argument,
Speaker 1: presumably as an opportunity to kill the man in self defense.
Speaker 1: Then one night, as Simpson arrived at Shus's door, someone
Speaker 1: shot and killed him. Shuss and his two accomplices were
Speaker 1: captured and indicted for murder, but one died in prison
Speaker 1: and the other escaped, leaving just Schoss on his own.
Speaker 1: At the trial, fifteen people testified for the prosecution and
Speaker 1: none for the defense, and although Shoes pled not guilty,
Speaker 1: the case was simple and he was sentenced to death
Speaker 1: by hanging, which is when he confessed everything to the judge,
Speaker 1: naming names and implicating certain wealthy and prominent citizens in
Speaker 1: the process. The judge promptly received letters threatening his life
Speaker 1: if he ever made Schusse's confession public, and the judge
Speaker 1: caved in and never revealed the names or other facts,
Speaker 1: stating that nothing good could ever come of it, And
Speaker 1: with that shus was hanged on June nine, eighteen thirty four.
Speaker 1: Because dead men, as they say, tell no tales. To
Speaker 1: this day, the facts around Ford's true connection with the
Speaker 1: Ford Fairy Gang remain a matter of debate. Some historians
Speaker 1: and experts point to the lack of evidence. Others believe
Speaker 1: the legend reflects the truth. But what about Dr Charles Webb?
Speaker 1: Trust me, I didn't forget him. When we last saw him,
Speaker 1: Cassandra Ford had taken him in. She shown him a flute,
Speaker 1: which he quickly recognized as his own, and told her
Speaker 1: as much well. As the story goes. After his short recovery,
Speaker 1: Charles left the Ford house with his flute and his
Speaker 1: life intact. And in case you were wondering, Charles also
Speaker 1: located his brother John. It turns out he had also
Speaker 1: been released. There was no word, however, about the whereabouts
Speaker 1: of the captain and crew. Susan Ford, James's wife, died
Speaker 1: in eighteen twenty. Charles kept in contact with Cassandra Ford, though,
Speaker 1: and married her in eight se becoming Ford's son in law.
Speaker 1: James Ford then later remarried two years after that to
Speaker 1: a woman named Elizabeth Fraser, who gave birth to a son,
Speaker 1: James Ford Jr. Tragedy finally did catch up with Dr
Speaker 1: Charles Webb, though, in eighteen forty four, when he died
Speaker 1: in an explosion aboard a steamboat. Sadly, young James Ford Jr.
Speaker 1: Had also been on board. Ford's two other sons also died,
Speaker 1: and while accounts of just how they met their ends
Speaker 1: very it seems their demise did not occur while looting
Speaker 1: or plundering. Ford's end, however, is a little more documented.
Speaker 1: You see, a couple of days after Vincent Simpson's death,
Speaker 1: a group of men gathered outside the Ferryman's home. Something
Speaker 1: had to be done about his murder, they decided. After
Speaker 1: a brief discussion, three men headed to Ford's house, intending
Speaker 1: to invite him to an upcoming grand jury. They found
Speaker 1: him near the Hurricane Creek campground. For it it seems,
Speaker 1: had heard about their gathering at Simpson's house and was
Speaker 1: already on his way to meet them. They all met
Speaker 1: together at Simpson's house sometime after dark. Everyone took a
Speaker 1: seat in the main room, and then slowly, one by one,
Speaker 1: each of the men got up from their chairs, leaving
Speaker 1: Forward alone. He's sat in the dark that way for
Speaker 1: a while before one of them returned, holding a piece
Speaker 1: of paper and a candle. The man handed Forward the
Speaker 1: letter and promptly stood to one side. He held the
Speaker 1: candle over Ford's head, illuminating the letters so he could
Speaker 1: read it. Now it's hard to say exactly what that
Speaker 1: letter contained, but the outcome was clear enough. A single
Speaker 1: shot rang out, and a bullet pierced Forward's heart. The
Speaker 1: men had put an end to the Ford's ferry gang
Speaker 1: once and for all. Despite his previous status among the community,
Speaker 1: few people actually attended Ford's funeral. Only Ford's family and
Speaker 1: a couple of their slaves managed to show up. They say,
Speaker 1: a large clap of thunder shook both the earth and
Speaker 1: the sky, just as those slaves began to lower the
Speaker 1: coffin into the grave, and the startled men dropped it.
Speaker 1: Now wedged haphazardly into the earth, and without a way
Speaker 1: to write it, everyone in attendance simply filled in the
Speaker 1: hole with dirt, leaving the head of the casket pointing downward.
Speaker 1: As they finished their task, someone rem arked that had
Speaker 1: almost felt appropriate. James Ford, they said, went to hell
Speaker 1: head first. I hope it wasn't too much of a
Speaker 1: shock today to leave the sea behind and explore the
Speaker 1: shallow waters of rivers and lakes. Clearly, the pirates never
Speaker 1: seemed to mind. And as we've discovered the stories there
Speaker 1: are justice thrilling, and thankfully we've tracked down one more
Speaker 1: river tail to share with you. And if you stick
Speaker 1: around through this brief sponsor break, my crewmate to Alie Steed,
Speaker 1: will tell you all about it. Sadie Ferrell spent her
Speaker 1: early years in New York's Fourth Ward, near the East River.
Speaker 1: Gone were the days when George Washington's first presidential mansion
Speaker 1: resided on Cherry Street. In Sadie's time, mansions sat in
Speaker 1: disrepair and neglect. The walls had long moved out, poor
Speaker 1: immigrants and criminals moved in. By eighteen fifty, the police
Speaker 1: chief estimated approximately fifty gangs had taken up residency, and
Speaker 1: around five hundred pirates had invested the waterfront. Like rats,
Speaker 1: killers and thieves walked the streets at night, slipping into
Speaker 1: shadows and gin mills to plot and drink their fill.
Speaker 1: Sadie had lived in the wards since birth, and those
Speaker 1: who called the night their own were the only life
Speaker 1: she knew. Throughout the years, she became like them, making
Speaker 1: her mark as a small time street criminal and hustler
Speaker 1: with a twist. Most saw thin girl with a small frame.
Speaker 1: Looks are deceiving, though for underneath Sadie possessed a mean
Speaker 1: and particularly vicious spirit. Sadie had a sidekick, a brute
Speaker 1: of a man she used as her muscle. And while
Speaker 1: you might be thinking of all the ways these two
Speaker 1: ran their scheme, you might be as surprised as her victims.
Speaker 1: Sadie and her companion prayed on patrons leaving the local
Speaker 1: dive bars. As soon as one staggered out, Sadie took
Speaker 1: a running start and headbutted them right in the gut.
Speaker 1: Before they could catch their breath, her companion jumped into
Speaker 1: the fright and knocked them unconscious. The bear took everything
Speaker 1: of value. Sometimes they even took the victim's clothing. The
Speaker 1: unique method of smuggling earned her the nickname Sadie the Goat.
Speaker 1: She wasn't the only ruffian working the East Side docks,
Speaker 1: though Gallus Mag worked as a bouncer at the Hole
Speaker 1: in the Wall pub in Manhattan on what was then
Speaker 1: Water Street. The pump's proprietor was a six foot one
Speaker 1: armed man with a fierce and unpleasant disposition. Mag's appearance
Speaker 1: was equally unwelcoming. Her waistband housed a well used pistol,
Speaker 1: and she kept a large club strapped to her waist.
Speaker 1: As good as she might be with the pistol, Mag's
Speaker 1: use of the club on unruly customers was legendary. If
Speaker 1: the patron continued to be a problem, Mag wrestled them
Speaker 1: into a headlock and then bit off one of their
Speaker 1: ears before booting them out of the bar. Mag kept
Speaker 1: the ars in a jar of alcohol at the back
Speaker 1: of the bar. And though Mag kept rowdy pirates and
Speaker 1: seedie sailors in line, mugging's were permitted as long as
Speaker 1: the establishment approved of them. Anything else, well, I would
Speaker 1: have just been rude. Being that the Hole in the
Speaker 1: Wall was the roughest bar on the roughest street. Naturally,
Speaker 1: Sadie and her companions worked it. Some say Mag and
Speaker 1: Sadie were mortal enemies because Mag was English and Sadie
Speaker 1: was Irish. It might also have been that Sadie didn't
Speaker 1: ask permission to mug her patrons. Whatever the cause, Sadie
Speaker 1: used her signature headbut on Mag. Unfazed, Mag used her
Speaker 1: club on Sadie. Some say Sadie was out cold. Others
Speaker 1: say she kept fighting but ultimately ended up out on
Speaker 1: the street, humiliated and missing an ear. She left after that,
Speaker 1: working a new territory on the west side of the docks.
Speaker 1: In the spring of eighteen sixty nine, she came upon
Speaker 1: a local street gang attempting to board a sloop. The
Speaker 1: Charlton gang spent their evenings looting and killing anyone who
Speaker 1: dared to stray into their territory. This wouldn't be their
Speaker 1: best night, however, and the crew aboard the sloop easily
Speaker 1: sent them packing. Sadie approached the gang and offered them
Speaker 1: a deal. If they'd be her muscle, she'd be their brains.
Speaker 1: They agreed. Sadie led them on another attack a few
Speaker 1: days later, this time making off with the sloop and
Speaker 1: flying a pirate flag. Captain Sadie and her crew cruised
Speaker 1: the North and Harlem Rivers and even sailed up to Poughkeepsie.
Speaker 1: They attacked small shipping vessels. They raided homes, farmhouses, and
Speaker 1: mansions alike. Even small villages weren't safe. They kidnapped the
Speaker 1: wealthy for ransom, and they ended up with so much
Speaker 1: plunder that they took to hiding it throughout the city.
Speaker 1: Residents soon grew tired of being terrorized and banded together
Speaker 1: to ambush the gang, killing several of her crew. Sadie
Speaker 1: and the surviving members sailed the sloop back to the
Speaker 1: West Side. The crew quickly disbanded, leaving Sadie no other
Speaker 1: choice but to return Earn home. She opened a gin
Speaker 1: mill with the money she plundered and reconciled with mag
Speaker 1: who fished Sadie's ear out from the jar and returned it.
Speaker 1: It said. Sadie proudly wore her severed ear in a
Speaker 1: locket around her neck. There's not much evidence Sadie's story
Speaker 1: is real, though she's mentioned in several books, most notably
Speaker 1: Herbert Asbury's Night The Gangs of New York. It's not
Speaker 1: clear where Osbury found his sources, but one thing is certain.
Speaker 1: Sadie the Goat lives on in Pirate folklore. Pirates was
Speaker 1: executive produced by Aaron Manky and narrated by Aaron Manky
Speaker 1: and Alexandra Steide. Writing for this season was provided by
Speaker 1: Michelle Muto, with research by Alexander Steide and Sam Alberty.
Speaker 1: Production assistance was provided by Josh Than, Jesse Funk, Alex Williams,
Speaker 1: and Matt Frederick. To learn more about this and other
Speaker 1: shows from Grimm and Mild and I Heart Radio, visit
Speaker 1: grim and Mild dot com