1896 was a crucial year in the history of New York City. The
annexation of all 5 boroughs was less than 2 years away. The City of New York,
comprised at the time of the island of Manhattan, was in the throes of a crime
wave the likes of which would never be seen again. Literally, as the title of
this book suggests, it was a city of sin. This was also the beginning of the
end for Tammany Hall, the political party which had ruled the city for decades.
In a story propelled by the likes of characters such as
Nellie Bly, the female reporter of crime at the New York World; and Reverend
Charles Parkhurst, the leader of an anti-crime crusade; this book rips and
roars its way through the final years of the 19th century, ably guided by the
skillful authorship of Richard Zacks.
Much of the story centers on Theodore Roosevelt, who would
in short order become famous for his exploits at San Juan Hill during the war
in Cuba, as well as becoming President of the United States at the dawn of the
20th century. And what a story it is!
Think of any criminal enterprise in operation today, and it
was available then. The only difference was in the technology used in
committing the crimes; as human nature has not changed much in the intervening
years.
For instance, in the place of todays "chop shops",
which alter automobiles, the horse thief of the 19th century merely rode the
animal to one of the scores of stables dotting the riverfronts on both sides of
the island, and had the animal dyed, the mane clipped, and the saddle changed.
The rider then emerged on a "horse of a different color"; so to speak;
free to gallop away out of the city to sell his stolen steed.
Gambling was rife, with hundreds of illegal gaming
establishments throughout the city, all under the protection of the Police.
Prostitution, in every known form, was also readily available in all areas of
the city. Women, respectable ones, did not roam about freely at night. Even
gentlemen did not stroll after dark without a sense of foreboding.
Into this scenario came Theodore Roosevelt, who had been
raised in New York, but had spent the last several years in Washington, D.C. He was
now back in New York, determined to clean up the city, as well as make a name
for himself. He lost no time in doing both.
Teaming up with Reverend Parkhurst, as well as with Jacob
Riis, these men set out to put the city back on course to become the greatest metropolis
ever known. Riis and Roosevelt had
become great friends, and mutual admirers, after Roosevelt read Riis' "How
the Other Half Lives", which was published in the 1880's when Jacob Riis
was working as a Police Reporter for the Evening Sun.
The photos, and their accompanying stories, shocked the city
into a social awareness which would spark the changes affecting the most
disadvantaged citizens Manhattan.
Roosevelt and Riis, in disguise, went on a series of
midnight journeys into the seediest parts of the city, seeking to document the
criminal activities, and then tear them down. Acting upon the heels of Reverend
Parkhurst's own campaign against vice, in which he too, toured the city at
night under the protection of Detective Charles Gardner, the city was rocked by
scandal after scandal, as the veneer of corruption was laid bare for the people
to see.
The Police Department was so corrupt that Roosevelt canceled
the 1895 annual Police parade, declaring that the force was unworthy of the
honor. When he went on his midnight tours he found himself threatened by his
very own officers! With tireless effort, and knowledge that his crusade was a
just one, he re-enforced the Civil Service laws, giving the city a better
police force with which to fight crime.
With a bold and exciting style of writing, Mr. Zacks has
created a veritable visual montage of New York in the not so "Gay
Nineties", putting truth to the sepia colored images we all hold of that
era. Illustrated with some of the best photos ever of old New York, this book
is a "must read" for anyone interested in, or in love with, the
history of Old New York.
