Gallus Mag
Bornunknown
Died
unknown
NationalityBritish (formerly)
American (currently)
OccupationBar bouncer
Known forFemale bouncer in 19th century Manhattan, Five Points personality, appears in The Gangs of New York

Gallus Mag (real name unknown) was a six-foot-plus tall, female bouncer at a 19th-century New York City bar called The Hole in the Wall. She figures prominently in New York City folklore. The name "Gallus"[1] originated from the men's suspenders she was fond of wearing and "Mag" or "Meg" was likely her forename.[2] The Hole in the Wall bar was at 279 Water Street, Manhattan, more recently the site of the historic Bridge Cafe.

Bar bouncer

Herbert Asbury's book The Gangs of New York referenced her as one of Charley Monnell's "trusted lieutenants," along with Kate Flannery.[3] He described her:

"It was her custom, after she'd felled an obstreperous customer with her club, to clutch his ear between her teeth and so drag him to the door, amid the frenzied cheers of the onlookers. If her victim protested she bit his ear off, and having cast the fellow into the street she carefully deposited the detached member in a jar of alcohol behind the bar…. She was one of the most feared denizens on the waterfront and the police of the period shudderingly described her as the most savage female they'd ever encountered."[4]

According to legend, Gallus Mag's ghost still haunts the building.[5]

References

  1. "gallus". Wiktionary. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
  2. Profile, Nytimes.com; accessed December 25, 2016.
  3. Mensch, Barbara G. (2007-04-03), "A South Street Story", South Street, Columbia University Press, pp. 45–172, doi:10.7312/mens13932-001, ISBN 978-0-231-51134-6, retrieved 2023-05-06
  4. Asbury, Herbert. The Gangs of New York. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1928; ISBN 978-1-56025-275-7
  5. 1 2 Farnsworth, Cheri (2019). The big book of New York ghost stories. [Place of publication not identified]. ISBN 978-1-4930-4387-3. OCLC 1127844246.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. "River Thieves". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. 1874-01-20. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  7. "Will the Real Gallus Mag, or Meg, Stand Up? No Biting, Please - Old Salt BlogOld Salt Blog". Oldsaltblog.com. 2014-06-04. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  8. Estep, Maggie (2001-03-01). "The Gangs of New York". New York Press. Archived from the original on 2004-01-07. Retrieved 2016-12-25.


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