Sadie the Goat

An alleged semi-folklorish American criminal, gang leader and river pirate known under the pseudonym Sadie the Goat.

In 1869, Sadie the Goat joined the Charlton Street Gang, headquartered at a gin mill at the end of Charlton Street on the West Side. Though her real name was Sadie Farrell, she became known as Sadie the Goat because of her favored form of fighting: headbutting men in the stomach and having a male compatriot knock the victim out cold so they could steal his money and valuables without difficulty. Before joining the gang, she prowled the streets of the Fourth Ward, and was known as a brutal mugger of passersby.

After Sadie the Goat’s defeat, she left the Fourth Ward and found a new home on the West Side with the Charlton Street Gang. The gang had previously decided to become pirates and wreak havoc along the shores of the Hudson River, but their pillages weren’t very lucrative. However with Sadie at the helm, things began to turn around.