Humpty Jackson (died 1914) was a New York criminal and last of the independent gang leaders in New York's underworld during the early 20th century. Reportedly well read, Jackson was said to be an admirer of such writers such as Voltaire, Charles Darwin, Leonard Huxley and Herbert Spencer as well as various Greek and Latin texts. He was, however, known to be a violent man who regularly carried three revolvers, including one in his derby hat and another slung under his hunchback.
Although little is known of his early life, Jackson was uncommonly possessed an educational background despite his reputation as a ruthless criminal whose gang numbering fifty men included street thugs such as Spanish Louie, Kid Ruhl, the Grabber, and the Lobster Kid.
Based out of an old graveyard located between First and Second Avenues bound by 12th and 13th Street in Manhattan, Jackson was said to give out assignments from blackjacking to murder for hire to his followers while sitting atop a tombstone. Although involved in organizing and planning, specifically armed robberies, burglaries and looting of warehouses, Jackson rarely participated in the actual criminal activities.
Nevertheless, his criminal record would include over 20 arrests and convictions and, in 1909, he was finally convicted for ordering the murder of a man and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. He would remain in prison until his death in 1914.
References
- Asbury, Herbert. The Gangs of New York. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1927. ISBN 1-56025-275-8
- Sifakis, Carl. The Encyclopedia of American Crime. New York: Facts on File Inc., 2005. ISBN 0-8160-4040-0
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