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extensively by the press causing regular curiosity seekers and ministers to visit the dance hall for several months. The unwanted attention drove Allen's regular customers away and he began to lose money. Arnold and other preachers continued to hold prayer meetings at the dance hall, usually whenever they were able to be given consent by an intoxicated Allen, and began to call upon him to close down the dance hall. Finally, at midnight on August 29, 1868, Allen's dance hall closed for the first time in seventeen years. The following morning, a notice was posted on the door.
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462:, along with several of their girls, and charged with robbing a sailor of $ 15. One of the girls, Margaret Ware, was immediately held for trial while Allen himself was bound over $ 300 (or $ 500) bail for appearance in General Sessions. Appearing before Judge Joseph Dowling, Allen claimed that his arrest had been caused by Oliver Dyer and that the charges were a
393:. Allen's activities also led to his being targeted by reformers and evangelical clergymen seeking to rid the city of vice and crime. The most prominent of these was Reverend A.C. Arnold, founder of the Howard Mission, who visited Allen's resort to persuade him to allow an ordained preacher to conduct his prayer meetings.
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Mission where its congregation prayed for him at Arnold's request. Allen's appearance at the mission gained attention by the press as well as the daily meetings at Allen's establishment which continued for a month. It was also during this time that the ministers had approached Allen's rivals, most notably
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This campaign, later to become known as the "Water Street revival", was declared in a public statement issued by many of the city's prominent religious leaders which explained its purpose claiming that Allen, Burns, Hadden and Slocum had freely allowed the use of their establishments for religious
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One day after the close of Allen's resort, A.C. Arnold publicly announced that Allen had been converted and reformed, and that he had forsaken his former occupation. Revival meetings were held in the resort several days later and, the following Sunday, Allen attended church services at the Howard
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On
September 11, a prayer meeting was held in Hadden's Water Street boarding house with his consent although none were held in his more infamous Cherry Street resort. Meetings were also held in Bill Slocum's gin mill, also on Water Street, and Kit Burns "rat pit" held in his liquor store. Their
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in a bar room in the back of the hall three days a week at noon. In each cubicle where Allen's women brought men, a Bible and other religious literature was available. On gala nights, these were often given away as souvenirs by Allen himself. Allen subscribed to almost every religious paper and
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In time, Allen's resort became one of the principal hangouts for gangsters and other criminals of the Fourth Ward. By 1860, he had amassed a personal fortune of over $ 100,000. His resort became one of the earliest dance halls, and later the model for many of the city's most infamous dive bars,
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On May 25, 1868, Arnold led a group of six clergymen and a number of devout laymen to Allen's dance hall. When they approached Allen, they found he was so drunk that he was unable to object when they held a prayer meeting lasting from midnight until around 4:00 am. The incident was covered
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Although involved in theft, procuring and possibly murder, Allen remained a devoutly religious man long after leaving the ministry. He opened his resort every afternoon at 1:00 pm, however he gathered his employees, including prostitutes, bartenders and musicians alike, and held a
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showed that the preachers, and certain financial backers, had paid Allen $ 350 for the use of his dance hall for a month. As part of their agreement, Allen had also agreed to sing hymns, prayer meeting and to claim that he had given his dance hall free of charge
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It was during this time that he married a "lush worker" known as Little Susie and the two moved to the waterfront district of the infamous Fourth Ward in 1855. While Susie continued her trade of "rolling drunks", Allen was employed as a runner for a
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during the early-to mid-19th century. A former religious student, Allen was considered one of the most notorious criminals in the city and was known as the "Wickedest Man in New York". A public crusade against him, headed by lawyer and journalist
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caused serious damage to the preachers campaign as its large congregations began to desert the cause due to the perceived dishonesty by religious leaders. The "Water Street revival" eventually faded from public attention and was abandoned.
307:"several hundred partake of the rude fun, among them are boys and girls below twelve years of age. The atmosphere reeks with blasphemy. The women are driven to their work by imprecation, and often by blows, from their task master."
474:. Allen denied this charge and insisted that is establishment had been in use for the past several days for religious meetings. Allen was released and the others not already sentenced were discharged. He died in
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While his competitors soon returned to their criminal ways, Allen never recovered from the Water Street revival. His underworld reputation was irrevocably damaged, his former criminal clientele regarding him as
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for outgoing vessels short on crew. Allen himself was eventually suffered a similar fate two years later when, while drinking with his employer one night, was drugged, robbed and woke up hours later
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establishments were also overrun by preachers and, while none of the men would attend services at the Howard
Mission, they did allowed themselves to be mentioned in the congregation's prayers.
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Allen's resort received considerable coverage by newspapers and magazines, particularly in light of the colorful atmosphere and his eccentric manner, the most prominent of these being
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654:"John Allen At The Tombs.; The "Wickedest Man in New-York" Returns to His Former Business--Descent Upon His Brothel by the Police--Arrest of all the Inmates of the House"
249:. When Haskins began kidnapping young girls from more prominent families, Allen and Susie decided to leave her organization. Haskins was arrested only a year later.
455:, and most refrained from attending the dance hall. Although he still retained his women and musicians, he was forced to close the dance hall within a few months.
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when, around 1850, he left the institution to join his brothers in New York. He lived with his brothers for about a year, who tutored him in burglary, and did
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The campaign, in which Allen and other notorious underworld figures had been "reformed" by religious leaders, was later revealed to be a fraud following
218:. There was no evidence connecting Allen to the murder, but he was considered a suspect by police and decided to seek different means of employment.
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The
Secrets of the Great City: A Work Descriptive of the Virtues and the Vices, the Mysteries, Miseries and Crimes of New York City
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This Dance House Is Closed: No gentlemen admitted unless accompanied by their wives, who wish to employ magdalenes as servants.
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to lure young women to New York with the promises of work. Once these women arrived, they were abducted and forced to work in
357:, then a popular hymnbook. It was in this spirit that Allen would lead his employees and patrons in a sing-song, most often,
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263:"who wore long black bodices of satin, scarlet skirts and stockings, and red topped boots with bells affixed to the ankles"
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Returning to the waterfront, Allen and his wife opened a dance hall on Water Street. The dance hall also operated as a
214:. Allen made his way back to New York six months later, and soon after his return, his former employer had been found
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saloons and other resorts during the late 19th century and up until the turn of the 20th century. Among them were
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purposes because they had reformed and had renounced their lives of crime. An extensive investigation by
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magazine published in the United States during this time as well as his favorite newspapers the
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265:. One of the girls who worked at Allen's establishment was supposedly the daughter of a
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His last public appearance was in late 1868 when he and his wife were arraigned in the
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who became one of the city's earliest underworld figures. Allen was attending the
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Saloon keeper and underworld figure known as the "Wickedest Man in New York".
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but was eventually cast out by his brothers after confessing to being a
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where they became "professional burglars and footpads", most especially
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641:
Incredible New York: High Life and Low Life of the Last
Hundred Years
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All Around the Town: Murder, Scandal, Riot and Mayhem in Old New York
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The Gangs of New York: An
Informal History of the New York Underworld
127:, resulted in a reform movement known as the "Water Street revival".
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and Bill Slocum, to hold similar meetings in their establishments.
523:. Philadelphia: Jones Brothers & Co., 1868. (pg. 322-344)
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The Women of New York: or, Social life in the Great City
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minister. The rest of his brothers, however, settled in
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Born to a prominent and well-to-do religious family in
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608:. New York: Alfred A. Knoff, 1929. (pg. 123-131)
560:. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1928. (pg. 50-56)
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716:. Hartford: American Publishing Company, 1869.
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16:American saloon keeper and underworld figure
683:"Death of the "Wickedest Man in New-York.""
216:"beaten to death with an iron belaying-pin"
714:The Great Metropolis: A Mirror of New York
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221:He and Susie moved to the district around
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643:. New York: Random House, 1951. (pg. 226)
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241:employed by Haskins to travel throughout
239:"respectable-looking young men and women"
723:. New York: New York Book Company, 1870.
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305:. It was reported that, every evening,
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431:"because of his love of the preachers"
373:John Allan's Water Street dance hall,
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322:Where the Tree of Life is blooming,
233:", and began working for procuress
237:. The husband and wife were among
229:, in what would later become the "
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466:. The arresting officer, Captain
389:who first referred to him as the
166:preachers while a third became a
146:forcing Allen to leave the city.
35:John Allan and his son Chester,
261:occupied by twenty young women
184:"quite well by his own account"
114:(c. 1823–1870) was an American
150:Early life and criminal career
1:
470:, accused Allen of running a
359:"There is Rest for the Weary"
330:— There is Rest for the Weary
162:, two of his brothers became
747:Criminals from New York City
355:The Little Wanderers' Friend
320:In the sweet fields of Eden,
318:On the other side of Jordan,
314:There is rest for the weary,
279:forced her into prostitution
391:"Wickedest Man in New York"
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180:Union Theological Seminary
446:Aftermath and final years
433:. These denouncements by
118:and underworld figure in
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752:Criminals from Manhattan
519:Martin, Edward Winslow.
480:Fulton County, New York
324:There is rest for you.
712:Browne, Junius Henri.
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316:There is rest for you,
468:Thomas Woolsey Thorne
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291:McGurk's Suicide Hall
365:Water Street revival
208:of a ship bound for
719:Ellington, George.
453:"loose and unsound"
267:Lieutenant-Governor
235:Hester Jane Haskins
231:Tenderloin district
690:The New York Times
665:, October 18, 1868
662:The New York Times
472:"disorderly house"
460:Tombs Police Court
435:The New York Times
425:The New York Times
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137:The New York Times
55:Syracuse, New York
692:, October 4, 1870
639:Morris, Lloyd R.
482:two years later.
383:Packard's Monthly
344:New York Observer
227:Thirteenth Street
132:exclusive exposés
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156:upstate New York
86:Other names
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102:Known for
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464:"put up job"
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164:Presbyterian
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742:1870 deaths
387:Oliver Dyer
385:journalist
303:Armory Hall
271:New England
243:New England
196:crimp house
125:Oliver Dyer
78:Nationality
731:Categories
696:2009-08-25
669:2009-08-25
486:References
476:West Perth
206:forecastle
200:shanghaied
112:John Allen
94:Occupation
72:, New York
70:West Perth
23:John Allen
412:Kit Burns
275:procurers
437:and the
247:brothels
204:"in the
160:Syracuse
140:and the
81:American
259:brothel
168:Baptist
50:c. 1823
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41:, 1868
686:(PDF)
657:(PDF)
158:near
53:Near
610:ISBN
562:ISBN
377:1868
347:and
297:and
277:and
225:and
66:1870
63:Died
47:Born
301:'s
269:in
134:by
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