No, son. Never.
The blood stays on the blade.
One day you'll understand.
Some of it I half remember.
And the rest....
The rest I took from dreams.
St. Michael, the archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our protector against the snares...
...and the wickedness of the devil.
Now, son, who's that?
-St. Michael. -Who is it?
-St. Michael! -And what did he do?
He cast Satan out of paradise.
Good boy.
May God put the steel of the Holy Spirit in your spine...
...and the love of the Blessed Virgin in your heart.
-Hey, boyo! -Johnny.
-What's the battle? -Natives against the Dead Rabbits.
-Which are you? -What do you think? Dead Rabbits.
Well, well, Monk.
Are you with us or not?
For the last time, Vallon, l'm with you if the money is right.
l'll give you 10 per notch.
-Ten? -You have my word.
-Ten per notch? -Per new notch.
Then l'm your man.
ls this it, Priest? The pope's new army?
A few crusty bitches and a handful of ragtags?
Now, now, Bill, you swore this was a battle between warriors...
...not a bunch of Miss Nancys.
So warriors is what l brought.
The O'Connell Guard.
The Plug Uglies.
The Shirt Tails.
The Chichesters.
The Forty Thieves.
On my challenge...
...by the ancient laws of combat, we have met at this chosen ground...
...to settle, for good and all...
...who holds sway over the Five Points:
Us Natives, born right-wise to this fine land...
...or the foreign hordes defiling it.
By the ancient laws of combat, l accept the challenge of the so-called Natives.
You plague our people at every turn.
But from this day out, you shall plague us no more.
For let it be known that the hand that tries to strike us from this land...
...shall be swiftly cut down.
Then may the Christian Lord guide my hand...
...against your Roman popery!
Prepare to receive the true Lord!
Priest!
Look to me.
Who is this under my knife?
Father, get up. Get up!
Where are you? Where are you?
Oh, my son.
Don't never look away.
Soon be over, Priest.
Finish it.
You may need this across the river.
Ears and noses will be the trophies of the day.
But no hand shall touch him!
No hand shall touch him!
He'll cross over whole...
...in honor.
Not before l get what's owed.
No!
lt's fair. A touch indelicate, but fair.
My sympathies.
What will we do with the boy?
Look at me.
Give him to the law.
See he gets a good education.
Okay, boy, say goodbye to your father.
-Get him! -Get him!
Don't let him get away.
Hurry, come in here!
He's going downstairs.
Come here, boy.
-You're going to Hellgate, son. -There he is. Get him.
-Priest Vallon died a noble death... -Let go of me!
...but his Dead Rabbits is done and outlawed!
Let no one even speak their name from this time on.
ln this place, you have grown from a boy into a man.
Put to death the earthly things in you: immorality, impurity...
...passion, vengeance.
The Lord has forgiven you.
You also must forgive.
You go forth to a country torn apart by civil strife.
Thank you, Reverend.
Lend your hand to the work that yet remains...
...that this war may end...
...and the plague of slavery that brought this conflagration...
...down upon us vanish forever from the earth.
In the second year of the Civil War...
...when the Irish Brigade marched in the streets...
...New York was a city full of tribes...
...war chiefs, rich and poor.
-Down with Lincoln! -Lincoln will make all white men slaves.
It wasn't a city really.
It was more a furnace where a city someday might be forged.
That's the spirit, boys.
-Go off and die for your blackie friends. -Down with the abolitionists!
We should've run a better man against Lincoln when we had the chance.
New York should secede from the Union!
They trying to say we're no different than niggers?
You ain't. Good evening, brother.
-Praise the Union. -The Union forever!
Go back to Africa, nigger!
-Go back to Africa! -Leave him alone. We're free.
The angriest talk was of the new Conscription Act...
...the first draft in Union history.
Join the Army, lads. Three square meals a day and good pay in your pocket.
When the Irish came, the city was in a fever.
Since the time of the great famine, they'd come streaming off the boats.
And they got a right warm welcome.
-Go back to lreland, you dumb micks! -Remember that, you lrish gyps!
Get back on the boat, Paddy!
I only came two hours downriver from Hellgate.
But they all took me for an immigrant.
Why not? There were a thousand different accents in New York.
And to the Natives, you see, we was all the same.
Welcome to America, son. Your long, arduous journey is over.
-Go back to your own country! -Vote Tammany!
New York loved William Tweed and hated him.
And those of us trying to be thieves, well, we couldn't help but admire him.
Mr. Cutting, gentlemen, thank you for coming. lt's an honor.
Mr. Tweed.
Sir, please. Excuse me.
-l think you're frightening them. -So?
Don't mind him. He used to be an lrishman.
Ah, the Five Points.
Murderers' Alley. Brickbat Mansion. The Gates of Hell.
Here in this vile place. Look upon the face of this poor child.
She lives in squalor...
...in this godforsaken den of vice and misery behind me.
Every year the reformers came.
Every year the Points got worse...
...as if it liked being dirty.
-Where am l going to go? -The Reverend wants you out of here.
You can't do this!
A glorious resurrection will spring from the filthy depths...
...to which these miserable creatures have fallen.
ln God, they will find their true home.
You may or may not know, Bill, that every day l go to the waterfront...
...with hot soup for the lrish as they come ashore.
lt's part of building a political base.
l've noticed you there. You may have noticed me.
lndeed l have. Throwing torrents of pavers and withering abuse...
-...on everyone stepping off those boats. -lf only l had the guns...
...l'd shoot each and every one of them before they set foot on American soil.
Mulberry Street...
...and Worth.
Cross and Orange and Little Water.
Each of the Five Points is a finger.
When l close my hand, it becomes a fist.
And any time that l wish, l can turn it against you.
l know, but we're talking about different things.
l'm talking about civic duty, responsibilities we owe to the people.
Schools and hospitals, sewers and utilities.
Street construction, repairs and sweeping.
Business licenses, saloon licenses....
St. Michael, the archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our protector against the snares and the wickedness of the devil.
Street cars, ferries, rubbish disposal.
There's a power of money to be made in this city, Bill.
With your help, the people must be made to understand...
...that all these things are best kept within the Tammany family...
...which is why l'm proposing an alliance...
...between our two great organizations.
-You're talking about muscle work. -That too. Muscle to match our spirit.
-You own the crushers. Get them to do it. -The police? Oh, no. Jesus, no!
The appearance of the law must be upheld...
...especially while it's being broken.
Give me the strength for what l must do.
Who are you?
-Hey! -No!
l said, who are you? What are you doing here?
l just like it down here is all.
See what's in his pockets, Jimmy.
-Look, boys, l really don't want a fight. -Don't want a fight?
Don't worry, son, ain't gonna be much a fight.
Don't kill me.
Where'd you get that?
l told you l didn't want a fight!
Why not? Look how good you done.
-You're the Priest's son, aren't you? -You, get away from me, understand?
You don't remember me, do you? l's the one tried to help you.
-What? -l's the one tried to help you...
...when the Natives took you.
-Oh, that was you? -Yeah. l thought you was killed.
They just locked me up, you know that?
This long?
Well, l kept trying to escape, you know. They add on time for that.
So, what are you doing back here?
l guess l missed the place.
Bowery Boys.
Get back here!
The Five Points, Paradise Square.
The streets here are always lively of an evening.
Who are the gangs around now?
The Daybreak Boys and the Swamp Angels.
They work the river, looting ships.
The Frog Hollows shanghai sailors by the Bloody Angle.
The Shirt Tails was rough, but they've become a bunch of dandies...
...lolling around Murderers' Alley, looking like Chinamen.
Hell-Cat Maggie, she tried to open her own grog shop.
She drunk her own liquor and got throwed on the street.
-Beautiful. -Now she's on the lay for anything.
The Plug Uglies are from deep in the old country.
Got their own language no one understands.
They love to fight the cops. The Night Walkers of Ragpicker's Row.
They work on their backs and kill with their hands.
They're so scurvy only the Plug Uglies talk to them. But who understands them?
The Slaughter Housers and the Broadway Twisters.
They're a fine bunch of bingo boys. And the Little Forty Thieves.
l used to run with them...
...till they got took over by Bendrick the Cockroach.
Bendrick carries a germ.
lf you try to leave the gang, he hacks up blood on you.
The lime-juicers are nothing but a bunch of rapacious grab-ups.
The True Blue Americans say they're a gang...
...but all they do is stand on corners damning England.
lf you believe one word the British say, you're a fool.
Do any of them got the sand of the Dead Rabbits?
You don't say that name.
That name died with your-- They been outlawed.
ln the blockhouse, the Chinks told me...
...that the Natives celebrate their victory every year. ls that true?
Aye, that they do. lt's quite the affair.
The Butcher himself's got to invite you, or you don't go.
Look where you're going, Johnny.
You look stunned and poorly, sir.
Quite a pair of conversationists, aren't you?
Maybe not, but we're deep thinkers.
Well, gentlemen, l leave you in the grace and favor of the Lord.
Jenny, the finest bludget in all the Points.
She is a prim-looking stargazer.
But l'd check my pockets if l was you...
...because l do believe she lifted your timepiece.
Well, l let her take it.
l let her take things all the time.
-ls that right? -Yeah.
We always liked a good fire in the Points.
You could pick up a little swag. And if the cops came, you really got a show.
The Municipal Police fought the Metropolitan Police.
The Metropolitan Police, they fought the street gangs.
Hurry up, men, before the Black Joke get there!
There were 37 amateur fire brigades, and they all fought each other.
The Black Joke are on their way, Tweed, and they'll beat the shite out of you.
Okay, boys, get the hose out!
lt's the Black Joke!
Go get them, boys!
Give those Bowery Boys hell!
-Quick, before there's nothing left. -Go back to the Bowery, you bums!
Stop them. For God's sake, they're taking everything!
ln your next time of trouble, call on Tammany first.
But it's not too late. You can still save my house.
Let's go.
l thought you said you was hungry.
Grab what you can, Johnny. Let's get out of here.
May l point out that this building is burning to ashes?
May l point out this area is the province of my own Americus Fire Brigade...
...and that you lot belong only in the Bowery?
May l point out that you're outmanned, outmaneuvered...
...and, in a moment, outfought?
Am l?
There's the Black Joke! Let's take them on the cobbles.
Go spill some claret, boys. Go on, Shorty, have a nice muss.
Clear the way for Bill the Butcher.
Okay, boys, to work.
What's the point? The fire's near burned anything of value inside.
Boys, forget that one. Next building over.
Mustn't let it spread. Take what you want from that one.
What are you doing?
There's nothing wrong with this one. This is my house.
-Johnny! -Help!
Help! Help!
Help!
Come on. Come on, Johnny, get up.
Leave that!
You two, out of the way!
His name's Amsterdam.
-How's the beak? -Ain't so bad.
You. You got anything, you give it up or you get out.
ls that it?
That's it.
Right. Here's the rake. Everything comes here. We fence it.
Johnny takes our tribute to the Natives, and we chop up the winnings...
...each to his equal portion, amongst the gang.
Does that meet with your approval, Hellgate?
My approval?
What's the matter, Jack Sprat? Can't think for yourself?
-l'll slit your fucking throat! -Hey, come on!
Hey!
You boys will settle with me before settling with each other.
l come for my due and proper.
Well, this ain't a bad haul.
When folks start in to saying to where the country is going to hell...
...l always tell them, ''You just look at all the hard work...
...our fine young lads is doing down in the Five Points.''
Oh, yeah. Now this is just the thing for Mrs. Mulraney.
All right there, Happy Jack, leave us something...
...to quarter to Bill the Butcher, eh?
Would you?
Not my favorite tune.
Thank you, boys.
You keep out of trouble now.
Every year the Natives celebrated the killing of my father all over again...
...at Sparrow's Chinese Pagoda in Mott Street.
The Chinks hated the Natives worse than we did.
The drum rolls, and the Butcher drinks a glass of fire.
When you kill a king...
...you don't stab him in the dark.
You kill him where the whole court can watch him die.
Hey, you got any timber?
As I walked down to Chatham Street A fair maid I did meet
She asked me to see her home She lived in Bleeker Street
To me a-weigh, you Santee My dear Annie
Oh, you New York girls Can't you dance the polka?
To me a-weigh, you Santee My dear Annie
Oh, you New York girls Can't you dance the polka?
When we got to Bleeker Street We stopped at 44
Her mother and her sister Dared to meet us at the door
-Hey, Maggie. Right ear or left ear? -Give us a drink, you idiot.
Help yourself.
-Final bets! -To health.
Place your bets. Betting closes in two minutes.
Place your bets.
Gentlemen, the match is due to commence.
The count to beat is 25 rodents in three minutes.
Towser against the vermin.
-Are the enumerators satisfied? -Fifty!
-Yes! -Let them go!
-Where you going, boy? -l'm here to pay tribute to Bill.
Are you now? Give it to me. l'll give it to him.
No, thanks. l'll give it to him myself.
What do you want to keep, the money or your teeth?
John.
Welcome.
From me and me lads, sir.
Mate of yours? Where's he from?
Oh, he's not from here, sir.
You.
That's close enough.
Your friend can't look me in the eye. That's not an admirable characteristic.
No one can look you in the eye, Bill. Not when you're playing cards.
This is whist. lt's a gentleman's game. Make a gentleman's bet.
-l'm betting large, Bill. -That ain't large.
Please, don't make that noise again, Harvey.
l like a man who's willing to burn for his swag.
How do you fare on water? Come closer.
Close, John. l ain't gonna bite. Close.
There's a Portuguese ship lying low in the harbor, quarantined three weeks.
Get there before the Daybreak Boys strip her...
...maybe you and me will talk more.
-Consider it done, sir. -Good boy.
And you, whatever your name is.... What is your name?
-Amsterdam, sir. -Amsterdam. l'm New York.
Don't you never come in here empty-handed again.
You gotta pay for the pleasure of my company.
Take him for a boat ride, John.
Who knows, but he might save your life again.
The Daybreak Boys catch us, they'll slit our throats.
l'll do it myself in a minute if you don't keep quiet.
I never liked the harbor after dark.
And now each night they brung ashore the bodies of the soldiers.
Many mothers have not even the solace...
...of knowing where their sons have fallen.
l lost my own eldest at Antietam.
His mother and l were unable to recover his remains.
-It was a mournful sight. -The war can't last forever.
But we had business of our own.
The Daybreak Boys have been here, and there's nothing left. Let's go back.
What the hell?
Jimmy, get down!
Jesus, that'll bring the harbor cops for sure. Fuck off.
Let's take a look.
Jesus, they killed everybody.
There's nothing here but a bunch of dead sea-crabs.
Come on, let's go.
-Shove off. -No, wait for Amsterdam.
Where's Amsterdam?
-No, you damn fool, take him! -What in the hell for?!
Look in my glims. l said no less than 1 5.
-ls this fresh? -Four hours most.
Much obliged, gents.
What's that word?
-lt means body snatchers. -l didn't ask the meaning.
l asked the word.
Ghoul.
Ghoul? That's a good word.
''Ghoul Gang Slaughters. A Fresh Outrage in the Five Points.''
-That's a notice you can be proud of. -Thank you.
A low thing, to do that to a body. Low.
Why? They could have left that ship with nothing.
lnstead they made The Police Gazette, a periodical of note.
A body's supposed to stay beneath the earth...
...wearing a wooden coat until the Resurrection.
These two are a pair of sons of lrish bitches, same as you.
lt don't seem to bother them none.
But then maybe they don't share your religious scruples.
Maybe they're just a couple of Fidlam Bens.
l've been called a lot of things, mister, but l ain't never been called....
-Fidlam Bens. -Fidlam Bens. Right.
Well, if l knew what in the hell that meant, l'd be inclined to take offense.
A Fidlam Bens is a fellow who steals anything, dead or alive...
...because he's too low to work up a decent lay for himself.
Count that careful, Bill. Count that careful.
-l'm telling you, that's all there is-- -Now, chiseler....
lf you'd said ''chiseler,'' now there's a word l understand. You know?
-Now, is that what you're calling us? -l can think of many things to call you.
Right. But l asked if you was calling us chiselers.
Supposing l am?
Well, then we got business.
That we do.
-A fight! There's a fight! -Two bucks on McGloin.
-Four bits on the kid. -Five bits on the kid.
l got two on Amsterdam.
Come on, McGloin, he's just a kid.
Four bits to back Amsterdam.
Watch his left, McGloin. Watch his left.
-All right, that'll do. That'll do. -Anything to say now, huh?!
That'll do, for chrissake. Drag him off.
-That's enough, kid. -You got him. Come on, kid, you won.
McGloin. He's a kid too, McGloin.
You're getting too old for it, McGloin.
McGloin, how would that head look without the ears and the nose on it?
You'd better leave that head alone, Bill.
l think l'm gonna trim the ears and the beak off of that head.
Make a nice pot of soup of that head.
You could find a tastier head than that, Bill.
l ain't got the stomach for no lrish stew.
The mighty McGloin almost fishhooked by a sprat.
On the seventh day, the Lord rested, but before that he did...
...he squatted over the side of England, and what came out of him was lreland.
-No offense, son. -Oh, none taken, sir. l grew up here.
All l ever knew of lreland was in the talk of the others at the orphan asylum.
ln which part of that excrementitious isle were your forebears spawned?
l've been told Kerry, but l lost proof of it in my language at the asylum.
l was raised in a very similar establishment myself.
Now everything you see belongs to me, to one degree or another.
The beggars and newsboys and quick thieves here in Paradise.
The sailor dives and gin mills and blind tigers on the waterfront.
The anglers and amusers, the she-hes and the Chinks.
Everybody owes, everybody pays...
...because that's how you stand up against the rising of the tide.
-ls that right, boys? -Yeah, Bill. That's right.
Enlist. Join up. Serve your country. Come on in out of the draft, boys.
Volunteer and get your $50 bonus.
We need 30,000 volunteers, and we're prepared to pay $677 per volunteer.
-Please read this. Thank you. -Thanks.
Would you like to take one of these to fill out?
Three square meals a day. Three square meals a day.
Young man, enlist and serve your country.
Three square meals a day, gentlemen.
lf you're interested, read this and consider joining.
Everywhere you went people talked about the draft.
Now, you could buy your way out for $300...
...but who had $300?
For us it might as well have been 3,000,000.
The recruiters? They was too scared of the gangs to come after us.
Besides, we never dreamt the war would ever touch New York.
Good morning, sir.
You!
Don't you run into me.
Fair enough.
l said, don't run into me!
Well, sorry.
-Everything in place? -lt seems so.
Well, then l leave you in the grace and favor of the Lord.
-Thank you. -That's right.
Oh, the dirty mab!
Oh, no.
-l'm sorry. -Allow me.
-Thank you kindly, sir. -Oh, it's my pleasure.
l hope you won't think me rude if l speak.
l wouldn't want to appear forward.
Well, sir, that depends on what you say.
Would you call me reckless if l said you were the prettiest girl in New York?
Only New York?
This is my stop.
May l walk with you a little then?
That, sir, would be too bold.