Bio

Michael McGloin was born in 1862 and became known in New York City during the late nineteenth century as a member of the Whyos, one of the city’s most feared street gangs. The gang was active in the crowded working-class neighborhoods of Manhattan, especially the West Side and Hell’s Kitchen.

McGloin rose through the gang’s ranks during the late 1870s and eventually became one of its leading figures. The Whyos were linked to robbery, extortion, burglary, and street violence. Under leaders such as McGloin, the gang built a reputation for intimidation and organized criminal activity.

By the early 1880s, McGloin had become a well-known target of police investigators, particularly Inspector Thomas F. Byrnes, who was leading efforts to suppress gang crime in New York City.

Murder Story

On the night of December 29, 1881, several men connected to the Whyos entered a tavern in Hell’s Kitchen owned by Louis Hanier. Witness accounts later stated that the men behaved suspiciously before leaving. Later that night, after Hanier had closed the tavern and gone upstairs, noises were heard from below. When he went downstairs to investigate, he was shot and killed by an intruder.

Police traced the murder weapon, a .38-caliber pistol, to a pawn shop that had previously been owned by McGloin. Investigators then focused on him and other Whyos members. On January 31, 1882, police raided the gang’s headquarters and arrested several suspects. McGloin later admitted involvement in the break-in and the shooting, but claimed he fired in self-defense because he believed Hanier was armed.

McGloin was tried with associates Thomas Moran and Robert Morrisey. On March 1, 1882, a jury found McGloin guilty of first-degree murder after brief deliberations. He was sentenced to death, while his co-defendants received prison terms for burglary. After appeals and delays, Michael McGloin was executed by hanging at The Tombs on March 8, 1883. His execution marked the end of one of the best-known Whyos leaders of that era.