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200:, but by 1854, the business was operating as a front for the Mandelbaums' criminal operations (she would later need to store goods in two large warehouses in the city). Mandelbaum began financing thieves and burglars and was involved in planning some of the biggest thefts in the city's history, including the
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as âa German Jewess with large, coarse features, almost masculine in appearance, restless black eyes, and a dark, florid complexion,â "Mother." Other explanations include her protective nature towards criminals and her role as a devoted mother of four. Mandelbaum has been described as "a kind of folk
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described the scene: âDistrict
Attorney Olney sat, sternly imposingâŠMr. Howe was plumply serene and ponderously gracious⊠âFrederika Mandelbaum!ââŠThe words seemed to float over the heads of the merchants and lose themselves. There was no answer. Dead silence reignedâŠThen a little sound of something
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Mandelbaum's notoriety frequently placed her in the public eye. Her increasing infamy led to numerous mentions and quotes in newspapers, and her ostentatious display of wealth made her a notable and recognizable character. She was 6 feet tall and said to weigh between 200 and 300 pounds, giving her
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Pinkerton detective Gustav Frank, using the pseudonym Stein, infiltrated her inner circle. He eventually purchased "marked" silks from her. Her arrest in July and subsequent case received extensive coverage from major New York newspapers, intrigued by the downfall of such a notorious criminal. The
295:, which she could acquire inexpensively and sell at a significant profit. However, she accepted anything of value. âFollowing the Great Chicago Fire, someone showed up at her haberdashery shop with a herd of goats theyâd stolen during the fire, and she took them,â says J. North Conway, author of
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obituary noted: "her success was in a great measure due to her friendship for and her loyalty to the thieves with whom she did business. She never betrayed her clients, and when they got into trouble she procured bail for them and befriended them to the extent of her power". For 30 years, she
239:(or Lyons), often called Mandelbaumâs special protĂ©gĂ©. Mandelbaum was reputedly loyal to her criminal associates. Chief of Police George W. Walling wrote, âShe attained a reputation as a business woman whose honesty in criminal matters was absolute,â while
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Mandelbaum died in 1894. Her death generated another wave of headlines, with some reports suggesting that she was not actually deceased and that her coffin contained stones. Other sources reported that several pockets were picked at the cemetery.
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as âan eccentric person who honestly means to do his duty and enforce the laws,â decided to act against
Mandelbaum. Instead of relying on the cityâs police force, which Mandelbaum had reportedly been bribing for decades, he hired the
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between Canada and the United States, so she lived out her remaining years there, despite expressing regret over leaving New York, once telling a reporter, âI am sorry that I ever left New-York, I should have faced the music.â
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Mandelbaum also became one of New York's most prominent hostesses of New York's high society, as well as the underworld, regularly associating with some of the most well-known criminals of the day including
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Mandelbaum was nicknamed in the New York press as "Mother" Mandelbaum. The origins of this nickname are speculative. The press may have found irony in calling a woman, often described with
246:
operated her business with impunity, as
Walling highlighted her widespread influence and ingenuity in assisting criminals. Much of what is known about Mandelbaum comes from Wallingâs 1887
145:, she also became a matriarch to the criminal elements of the city and was involved in financing and organizing numerous burglaries and other criminal operations throughout the post-
254:, which details Mandelbaumâs operations, including a hidden dumbwaiter for stolen goods. She was known for meticulously bribing and paying off police, local politicians, and judges.
185:, a city in modern-day Germany. Not much is known of her early life, other than that her family was Jewish. She married Wolfe Mandelbaum in 1848; they worked as itinerant
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was set at $ 10,000 ($ 2,000 for each of five charges). Despite round-the-clock surveillance by
Pinkerton detectives, Mandelbaum failed to appear in court on December 4.
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an imposing physical presence. Mandelbaum often adorned herself with $ 40,000 worth of jewels and dressed in luxurious materials such as silk, ostrich feathers, and
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described
Mandelbaum, possibly with a hint of irony, as "a most respectable and philanthropic receiver of stolen goods in New York."
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for $ 5,000 a year. Howe and Hummel argued for her innocence and attempted to discredit Gustav Frank, implying he was a criminal.
235:(âJew, born in Polandâ), "pickpocket, sneak, and shoplifter" Mary Hollbrook (âborn in Irelandâ), and "Pickpocket and Blackmailer"
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like disappointment was heard in the court, and Lawyer Howe rose to his feet. âThe defendants are not here, your Honor.ââ
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use of
Pinkerton detectives caused some friction between the district attorneyâs office and the cityâs police inspector.
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231:, Mandelbaumâs known associates included "burglar" Michael Kurtz (âA Jew. Born in the United Statesâ), "pickpocket"
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756:
Cops, Crooks, and
Criminologists: An International Biographical Dictionary of Law Enforcement, Updated Edition
137:'s underworld, handling between $ 1â5 million in stolen goods between 1862 and 1884. Like her principal rival
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When the family arrived in New York, they began a series of small businesses, taking in goods collected by
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as well as a school, known as Marm's Grand Street School, to recruit and teach younger criminals how to
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445:, vol. 2, edited by William J. Hausman. German Historical Institute. Last modified October 15, 2013.
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Immigrant
Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present
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The
Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: The Rise and Fall of an American Organized-Crime Boss
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The
Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: The Rise and Fall of an American Organized-Crime Boss
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703:"How a Jewish German woman in NY became America's first major crime boss in 1859"
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Queen of Thieves: The True Story of 'Marm' Mandelbaum and Her Gangs of New York.
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Queen of Thieves: The True Story of âMarmâ Mandelbaum and Her Gangs of New York
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King of Heists: The Sensational Bank Robbery of 1878 That Shocked America
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King of Heists: The Sensational Bank Robbery of 1878 That Shocked America
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549:"The architect who became the king of bank robberies - Business News"
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Bygone Badass Broads : 52 Forgotten Women Who Changed the World
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A typical dinner party hosted by Mandelbaum and her "inner circle".
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667:"New York's First Female Crime Boss Started Her Own Crime School"
347:
288:
327:, led by Robert A. Pinkerton, to conduct a sting operation.
204:. Expanding her operations, she controlled several gangs of
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and reselling them. The pair purchased a dry goods store on
457:"Mandelbaum, Fredericka (1827-1894), criminal entrepreneur"
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in Germany before emigrating to the United States in 1850.
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Mandelbaum is the subject of J. North Conway's 2014 book
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anti-hero, winning the grudging admiration of her foes".
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The Sins of New York: As "Exposed" by the Police Gazette
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All around the town: The Sequel to the Gangs of New York
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The next day, the New York press located Mandelbaum in
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WNYC - The Next Big Thing: Out Laws (Queen of Fences)
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Adam Worth: The World in his Pocket - Marm Mandelbaum
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At the time of her arrest, Mandelbaum had attorneys
129:(March 25, 1825 â February 26, 1894) operated as a
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314:In 1884, New York City's new District Attorney
830:"The Napoleon of Crime; The Life and Times of
133:to many of the street gangs and criminals of
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573:. Eriksson, Petra (Illustrator). New York.
287:Mandelbaumâs preferred items were bolts of
248:Recollections of a New York Chief of Police
601:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
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18:
469:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.2001903
284:as well as judges and police officials.
815:. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 2000.
635:"The Extraordinary "Mother" Mandelbaum"
427:
216:. She was also a top competitor to the
932:Emigrants from the Electorate of Hesse
744:. New York: Facts on File Inc., 2001.
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528:"Rivington Street: New York Songlines"
159:Manhattan Savings Institution robbery
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811:Lardner, James and Thomas Reppetto.
754:Phillips, Charles and Alan Axelrod.
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780:. New York: Alfred A. Knoff, 1929.
758:. New York: Checkmark Books, 2000.
730:. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1927.
104:during the mid-to late 19th century
16:Canadian fence criminal (1825-1894)
742:The Encyclopedia of American Crime
701:Ghert-Zand, Renee (July 3, 2024).
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229:Professional Criminals of America
890:"Marm - A Gilded Age Mastermind"
665:Grundhauser, Eric (2016-07-14).
499:Conway, J. North (Aug 4, 2009).
952:19th-century American criminals
937:Immigrants to the United States
153:, she was involved in the 1869
639:Museum of the City of New York
633:Johnson, Susan (May 2, 2018).
250:and Sophie Lyons' 1913 memoir
223:According to police inspector
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927:Gang members of New York City
455:Holub, Rona L. (April 2008).
306:, making her "hard to miss".
569:Mackenzi, Lee (2018-02-27).
23:Fredericka "Marm" Mandelbaum
813:NYPD: A City and Its Police
463:. Oxford University Press.
461:American National Biography
367:. At the time there was no
155:Ocean National Bank robbery
63:February 26, 1894 (aged 68)
978:
325:Pinkerton Detective Agency
962:Jewish American gangsters
942:American female gangsters
870:Frederika "Ma" Mandlebaum
791:Conway, J. North (2009).
270:"Black" Lena Kleinschmidt
100:and underworld figure in
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957:Jewish women in business
439:"Fredericka Mandelbaum."
846:, Random House, (2024)
282:George Leonidas Leslie
252:Why Crime Does Not Pay
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151:George Leonidas Leslie
922:American crime bosses
728:The Gangs of New York
418:, published in 2024.
386:antisemitic overtones
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81:Fredericka Mandlebaum
395:Brooklyn Daily Eagle
359:Later life and death
177:Mandelbaum was born
898:- December 22, 2004
881:by Edward Van Emery
797:. The Lyons Pesss.
708:The Times of Israel
202:Ocean National Bank
53:Electorate of Hesse
947:American gangsters
892:by William Bryk -
866:by Joseph Geringer
369:extradition treaty
352:The New York Times
320:The New York Times
242:The New York Times
233:Abraham Greenthall
179:Friederike Weisner
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147:American Civil War
42:Fredericka Weisner
852:978-0-593-24385-5
821:978-0-8050-6737-8
804:978-1-59921-538-9
786:978-1-56025-521-5
776:Asbury, Herbert.
764:978-0-8160-3016-3
750:978-0-8160-4040-7
736:978-1-56025-275-7
726:Asbury, Herbert.
530:. Nysonglines.com
478:978-0-19-860669-7
227:in his 1886 book
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906:Categories
874:Rotten.com
832:Adam Worth
684:2024-07-27
644:2024-07-27
589:1000582947
555:2023-04-23
534:2010-03-08
422:References
274:Adam Worth
218:Grady Gang
214:pickpocket
194:scavengers
149:era. With
143:Grady Gang
127:Mandelbaum
119:Fredericka
86:Occupation
679:1091-2339
597:cite book
484:March 29,
262:Queen Liz
414:'s book
344:retainer
304:sealskin
293:diamonds
266:Big Mary
187:peddlers
141:and the
135:New York
89:Criminal
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365:Canada
310:Arrest
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183:Kassel
109:Spouse
71:Canada
49:Kassel
836:1997.
671:Slate
848:ISBN
817:ISBN
799:ISBN
782:ISBN
760:ISBN
746:ISBN
732:ISBN
675:ISSN
603:link
585:OCLC
575:ISBN
507:ISBN
486:2021
473:ISBN
392:The
348:Bail
338:and
291:and
289:silk
208:and
123:Marm
60:Died
38:Born
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465:doi
441:In
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