imported>Atremari at 13:07, 9 November 2023

2023-11-09T13:07:16Z

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{{Short description|American businessman, saloonkeeper and underworld figure}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2012}}
{{Infobox person
|name = William Riley
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|nationality = Irish-American
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|known_for = [[Five Points, Manhattan|Five Points]] saloon keeper and underworld figure.
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'''William "Mush" Riley''' ([[floruit|fl.]] 1870–1878) was an American businessman, [[bar (establishment)|saloon]]keeper and underworld figure in [[Manhattan]], New York during the late 19th century. The owner of a [[Centre Street (Manhattan)|Centre Street]] [[dive bar|dive]], he was a longtime [[Five Points, Manhattan|Five Points]] personality and associated with many noted criminals of the era. Riley was said to have acquired his name for his fondness of eating [[corn meal|corn meal mush]] dipped in [[brandy|hot brandy]].<ref name="Petronius">Petronius. ''New York Unexpurgated: An Amoral Guide for the Jaded, Tired, Evil, Non-conforming, Corrupt, Condemned, and the Curious, Humans and Otherwise, to Under Underground Manhattan''. New York: Matrix House, 1966. (pg. 201)</ref> His saloon was located near other Five Points characters such as English-born pickpocket [[Tommy Taylor (pickpocket)|Tommy Taylor]],<ref name="Moss">[[Frank Moss (lawyer)|Moss, Frank]]. ''The American Metropolis from Knickerbocker Days to the Present Time''. London: The Authors' Syndicate, 1897. (pg. 24–25)</ref> [[bare-knuckle boxer]] [[Jack McManus (gangster)|Jack McManus]]<ref name="Petronius"/> and [[Boiled Oysters Malloy]], who owned the popular basement resort known as ''The Ruins'' just a few doors from Riley's place.<ref name="Asbury">[[Herbert Asbury|Asbury, Herbert]]. ''The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the New York Underworld''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1928. (pg. 176) {{ISBN|1-56025-275-8}}</ref>

Riley, according to underworld lore, once served an extravagant dinner to [[Dan Noble]], [[Mike Byrnes]], [[Dutch Heinrichs]] and others. When his guests complimented him on the meal, noting the odd flavor of the main course, Riley revealed they had been served a [[stew]] made from a [[Newfoundland (dog)|Newfoundland dog]].<ref name="Moss"/><ref name="Asbury"/>

On July 15, 1878, Riley was apprehended by Canadian authorities in Toronto and taken back to the United States where he was charged with complicity in a street car robbery in [[Troy, New York]] that had resulted in the [[garroting]] of a John Buckley two weeks earlier. Five others were also arrested for their involvement in the robbery, most notably the group's ringleader, Will Tomkins.<ref>"The Bold Robbery In Troy; All The Thieves In Custody". New York Times. Jul 16, 1878</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Smyth, Joseph Hilton. ''To Nowhere and Return: The Autobiography of a Puritan''. New York: Carrick & Evans Inc., 1940.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Riley, William}}
[[Category:Year of birth missing]]
[[Category:Year of death missing]]
[[Category:Criminals from New York City]]
[[Category:Saloonkeepers]]
[[Category:People from Five Points, Manhattan]]

William Riley (criminal) - Revision history

imported>Atremari at 13:07, 9 November 2023