Abe Greenthal
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Abraham Greenthal (January 9, 1822– November 17, 1889), known as "The General," was an American criminal known as one of the most expert
pickpocket Pickpocketing is a form of larceny that involves the stealing of money or other valuables from the person or a victim's pocket without them noticing the theft at the time. It may involve considerable dexterity and a knack for Misdirection (magic ...
s in the nation. He was a thief and
fence A fence is a structure that encloses an area, typically outdoors, and is usually constructed from posts that are connected by boards, wire, rails or net (textile), netting. A fence differs from a wall in not having a solid foundation along its ...
for more than 40 years, and led a nationwide ring of pickpockets...


Biography

Greenthal was born in Betsche, Prussia (now
Pszczew Pszczew is a village in Międzyrzecz County, Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Pszczew. It lies approximately east of Międzyrzecz, south-east of Gorzów Wielkopolski, and ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
) in 1822, though like many Polish-Jewish immigrants of his era, he would later call himself German.. He immigrated to the U.S. at a young age and soon entered a life of crime. Greenthal made his home and base of criminal operations in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
's Tenth Ward. He led the Sheeny Mob, a syndicate of Jewish pickpockets who worked across the country; "sheeny" was a derogatory term for an untrustworthy Jew. The gang's method was jostling into victims in crowded places, particularly train stations. Among his criminal associates were Greenthal's own family members. At the time of his death, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' wrote that " l the Greenthal family have turned out to be criminals, the women being shoplifters and the men pickpockets." He also had "close 'business' relations" with notorious fence
Fredericka Mandelbaum Fredericka "Marm" Mandelbaum (March 25, 1825 – February 26, 1894)Holub, Rona"Fredericka Mandelbaum."In ''Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present'', vol. 2, edited by William J. Hausman. German Histo ...
. Greenthal and his gang were among the many underworld figures represented by defense lawyer William F. Howe. He was arrested many times without being convicted, which ''The New York Times'' explained as the result of "the lavish use of money and the peculiar influences he could make use of." Greenthal and his brother, Harris, and son-in-law, Samuel Casper, were all convicted in 1877 for robbing $1,190 in March 1877 from a farmer named William Jenkson traveling by train. They had followed Jenkson from Albany, where he had "flashed his newfound wealth," to Rochester, where the gang made a pretense of befriending him and helping him with his bags while Abe stole the farmer's pocketbook. They escaped from Rochester but were subsequently arrested in
Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...
. Abe was sentenced to 20 years'
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in Auburn State Prison, Harris was sentenced to 18 years, and Casper was sentenced to 15 years. Abe Greenthal was pardoned in 1884, however, by Governor
Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...
, based on representations that his health was poor. Greenthal was next arrested in
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
on December 30, 1885, by New York City chief of detectives Thomas F. Byrnes, for robbing a resident of
Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...
of $795. Greenthal pleaded guilty to second-degree
grand larceny Larceny is a crime involving the unlawful taking or theft of the personal property of another person or business. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of Eng ...
and was sentenced to five years in Crow Hill prison in Brooklyn. His sentence began on March 23, 1886, and he was released in late 1889. Greenthal died about three weeks after his release, at his daughter's home in
Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...
, of illness aggravated by his imprisonment. Greenthal was profiled by Byrnes in his 1886 book ''Professional Criminals of America'', which called Greenthal "one of the most expert pickpockets in America." He is also the subject of a book, published in 2015 by Edward David Luft: ''Stop Thief! The True Story of Abraham Greenthal, King of the Pickpockets in 19th Century New York City, as Revealed from Contemporary Sources'' Luft, Edward David
Stop Thief! The True Story of Abraham Greenthal, King of the Pickpockets in 19th Century New York City, as Revealed from Contemporary Sources
©2015 by Edward David Luft, Washington, DC, 178 pp., including bibliography, pp. 135-166, and index, pp. 167-178, and addendum, 2 pp.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenthal, Abe 1822 births 1889 deaths American robbers 19th-century American criminals Criminals from New York City American people of Polish-Jewish descent Prussian emigrants to the United States Burials at Salem Fields Cemetery