Wigan Pigeon Fancier Became New Yorks Unlikely Crime Godfather

Owney Madden ruled New York’s streets. People called him the Duke of the West Side. Hollywood based gangster movies on him. He liked cloth caps more than trilbies.

Madden knew Hollywood stars, loved jazz and boxing nights, but pigeons were his real passion. He kept them on his nightclub’s roof. Madden was a feared New York gangster.

He led The Gophers, an Irish gang, and worked with bootleggers during Prohibition. He went to Sing Sing for manslaughter. He ran the Cotton Club and the FBI watched him often. He romanced Mae West.

He played golf with famous boxers and hung out with Duke Ellington and Laurel and Hardy. His early life was very different. Madden was born in Leeds, England, in 1891.

His parents were Irish immigrants and later moved to Wigan. His dad worked in the mills. As a boy, he earned money in music halls. He loved show business his whole life.

His dad wanted to live in America, but he died before he could. His mom sailed to New York in 1902. The trip took 38 days and they settled in Hell’s Kitchen.

The Maddens didn’t commit crimes at first. Hell’s Kitchen was very tough. At 12, Madden joined The Gophers gang. He rose quickly in the ranks and was a great fighter.

He used lead pipes and guns. Aged 14, he robbed a man for $500. At 18, people said he killed five men and called him “The Killer.” He hated that nickname.

He led one of the city’s most violent gangs. He wasn’t a physically big guy. He preferred using a pistol. It made him feel equal. He always spoke with a tough accent. He didn’t value life much, his or others’.

He went to Sing Sing at 20 and was there for seven years. Prohibition started when he got out. Criminals needed his skills. He joined Dutch Schultz’s group.

Then, he enforced for Larry Fay. He hijacked booze trucks by 1924. George Raft drove for him, and Raft became a famous actor. Madden dated Mae West and helped fund her career.

He liked being around celebrities and became a celebrity gangster. He funded her Broadway show, Sex, but she and the cast got arrested. Madden bought The Cotton Club.

It was in Harlem, but only whites could enter. Black staff could work there. Stars like Duke Ellington played there. He kept pigeons on the roof and enjoyed taking care of them.

Police watched him closely. The IRS wanted unpaid taxes. The Mafia wanted his territory. He had to leave New York. He made a deal to leave town.

He moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas and married Agnes Demby, a clerk. Prohibition ended in 1933. He started illegal gambling and used a wire service for race results.

He opened a hotel and casino. The Southern Club became a gangster hideout. Madden lived in Arkansas with Agnes. He died in 1965, aged 73 and never lost his English accent.

He was an unusual gangster. He stayed a British citizen. He wore a flat cap and raised pigeons.