Three prize fighting gang members of the Sydney Coves at Rooker's Mill.
The Sydney Coves, also known as the Sydney Ducks was an Australian-American criminal street gang that operated in the city of San Francisco and may have been considered to be one of California's first organized feared and powerful criminal gang that rose to power in chaos for the closed-off nature of their community. The origin of the name is given to the many criminal immigrants, mostly former cons, in the gang who came from the well-known British penal colonies in Australia during the mid-19th century.
History[]
When many Australians settled in "Sydney Town" better-known as the Barbary Coast, at the foot of Telegraph Hill in the early 1850's to set up business there in a community of the lowest order that also included sailors, longshoremen, teamsters, gamblers, thieves, bartenders, saloon keepers, prostitutes, domestic servants, and dressmakers as part of the Gold Rush. The criminally oriented British prison escapees ostensibly formed a chartered umbrella organization of ex-convicts whose stated public mission was to provide aid and reintegration better to society for their members but later evolve into a gang known as the Sydney Ducks. Their visible social activities, however, have disguised their promotion of convenient fronts for illegal activities as well as providing a ready network of the criminal underworld. However they were not the only gang in San Francisco, an amalgamation of New York City street gangs was already terrorizing San Francisco called The Hounds, a gang of American veterans of the Mexican-American War and former New York gang members of the Plug Uglies, Dead Rabbits and the Bowery Boys who made their name in San Francisco by "regulating," or intimidating, the non-white residents of the city. The Hounds strutted around in military uniforms, demanding protection money from white businesses, beating East Asians and Latin Americans senseless; simply because they answered back. Both The Hounds and Ducks territories all occupied near the waterfront, on the southern slopes of Telegraph Hill between Broadway Street and Pacific Avenue terrorized the corrupt political establishment who were more interested in looting the treasury and taking their cuts from the gambling halls, saloons and brothels, than enforcing the laws.
Resurgence and Decline[]
In late 1874, an exile bushranger and former leader of the Gardiner–Hall Gang from Australia named Frank Gardiner arrived in California having travelled via Hong Kong. Gardiner owned the Twilight Star Saloon on Kearny Street in the Barbary Coast area of San Francisco. A couple of months later he relocated to a more upmarket Brannan Street which was closer to the docks. A new second wave of Australians arriving in San Francisco would often ask about him and have a drink at his premises, well Frank was also a huge fan of the original Sydney Coves street gang this was the perfect opportunity for him to be next James Stuart now had access to over remnant members. Later in 1878, The Coves competed in Elijah Rooker's tournament for the cash prize of $2,500 so they sent high-ranking member Dolph Jagger as their challenger. However, before the tournament can even begin, he and his own crew gets into an argument with Ah Sahm in the bar, which turns physical when Ah Sahm threatens to break his arm. Fortunately, Rosalita Vega intervenes and prevents the altercation from escalating. The next day, the tournament begins, and the first fight is between Dolph and another fighter, who Mr. Jagger makes quick work of, taking down his opponent with little effort and snapping his neck to gain the victory. As he advances in the tournament, he eventually comes face-to-face with Ah Sahm. Dolph charges at Ah Sahm, who defeats him with a single kick.
Gallery[]
