William Jones () was an American criminal and member of the

Gas House Gang The Gas House Gang was a New York City street gang during the late nineteenth century. Founded in the 1890s, the Gas House Gang was based in the Gas House district of Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographicall ...

. He was one of the New York City's more notorious career criminals to be arrested and convicted during the

New York Police Department The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

's four-year campaign against Manhattan's street gangs and other underworld figures between 1910 and 1914. In June 1911, he was tried and convicted for

second-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excus ...

of two fellow Gas Housers during a gunfight at one of their hangouts at a saloon between Twenty-Second Street and

Third Avenue Third Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan, as well as in the center portion of the Bronx. Its southern end is at Astor Place and St. Mark's Place. It transitions into Cooper Square ...

. He had arrived at ''Pickett's saloon'' bringing a young woman with him, this having been generally prohibited in case of members being identified, and was quickly confronted by fellow members William Lysaght, John Tivnan and John Stephenson. He denied having a weapon when asked, the three men not finding one on him when searched, and began arguing over his violation of the gang's orders. All four went outside when asked by the bartender and, once out of the bar, the three men apparently attacked Jones. Falling to the ground, Jones pulled out a revolver he had concealed under his arm and fired at his attackers. Lysaght was shot and died at the scene while Tivnan was shot in the shoulder. Jones was arrested soon after, Lysaght identifying him as the man who shot before dying of his wounds at a nearby hospital. This was a rare occurrence for a gang member, even underworld rivals, to name the men responsible to authorities. After making his statement, Lysaght reportedly turned to a nurse and said "Just watch that bum suffer. He deserves it." Jones immediately became one of several gang members and underworld figures to be prosecuted by

Frank Moss Frank Edward "Ted" Moss (September 23, 1911 – January 29, 2003) was an American lawyer and politician. A Democrat, from 1959 to 1977 he served as a United States Senator from Utah, and is currently the last Democrat to do so. Early life a ...

and

Edward R. O'Malley Edward Richard O'Malley (March 13, 1863 – May 30, 1935) was an American lawyer and politician who was New York Attorney General and a justice of the New York Supreme Court. Life He was born on March 13, 1863, in Medina, New York, Medina, Orlea ...

of the District Attorney's office. In the same week Jones was sentenced, high-profile criminals such as Albert Rooney, Biff Ellison, and

Johnny Spanish Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females. Variant ...

were also on trial. While Jones was awaiting trial at

The Tombs The Tombs was the colloquial name for Manhattan Detention Complex (formerly the Bernard B. Kerik Complex during 2001–2006), a former municipal jail at 125 White Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It was also the nickname for three prev ...

, he composed two letters which he sent to another gang member whose name was withheld. The first said simply, "You know I did the shooting. Rosa was there and saw me when the gang beat me up. I am only sorry I did not drop a few more of them." The second was a

love letter A love letter is an expression of love in written form. However delivered, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation and description of feelings. History One of the oldest references to a l ...

apparently written to the unidentified Rosa. It was the last letter that resulted in his conviction, particularly the line "I am getting along fine. There is nothing like a vacation to brace you up." While on the stand, angrily swore that he would kill the man responsible for turning the letters over to the District Attorney's office if he ever got out of prison. Among the witnesses he threatened during the trial, he also called out to John Tivnan when he appeared in court and said "If I had gotten you, I would have been better satisfied." Jones was reprimanded by Judge Warren W. Foster and sentenced to serve between 20 years to life imprisonment.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, William Year of birth missing Year of death missing 1911 crimes in the United States Gang members of New York City 1911 in New York City