Thomas "Shang" Draper (c. 1839–1883) was a criminal shanghaier, saloon keeper, and criminal gang leader in New York City along the city waterfront.[1] Working with George Leonidas Leslie, he was involved in the 1869 Ocean National Bank robbery, the 1876 Northampton Bank robbery, and the 1878 Manhattan Savings Institution robbery.
Thomas Draper | |
|---|---|
 Etching from 1907 | |
| Born | c. 1839 |
| Died | 1883 (aged 43–44) New York City, U.S. |
| Other names | Shang Draper |
| Occupation(s) | shanghaier, criminal gang leader, saloon keeper |
| Employer | self-employed |
| Known for | Being a New York City waterfront shanghaier. |
Criminal career edit
Shang Draper ran a waterfront saloon in his native New York City, where he performed a confidence scam using an underage girl to lure a mark to a dark hotel room (which Draper owned) only to rob him.[2] Draper acquired his distinctive nickname "Shang" from the "shanghaiing" trick he used to play on his unsuspecting patrons. Draper would drug a bar patron with laudanum and by the time the fellow awoke, he would have been pressed into merchant marine or naval service, sometimes for a foreign land.
Draper was a contemporary of Frederika Mandelbaum, a notorious gangleader in her own right, also based in his native New York City.[3] Mandlebaum installed Draper, one of her trusted lieutenants, in a bank robbery gang fronted by George Leslie.[4] They robbed the Manhattan Savings Institution on October 27, 1878.[5]
Death edit
Thomas Draper died in 1883 in New York City.[1]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "A CRIMINAL FEUD ENDED; AN EARLY MORNING TRAGEDY IN "SHANG" DRAPER'S BAR-ROOM. JOHN IRVING'S PURSUIT OF JOHN WALSH RESULTING IN THE MURDER OF BOTH-- A SINGULAR STORY OF CRIME. (Published 1883)". The New York Times. 1883-10-17. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
- ^ Asbury, Herbert (1927). The Gangs of New York. Garden City Publishing Company.
- ^ "Thomas Draper's Case. A Prisoner Wanted in Two States, And In Two New-York Counties". The New York Times. October 27, 1878.
- ^ Conway, J. North (2009). King of Heists: The Sensational Bank Robbery of 1878 That Shocked America. Lyons Press.
- ^ Conway, J. North (2014-10-19). "The High Society Bank Robber of the 1800s". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
 | This United States biographical article related to crime is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |