Long before the modern Gangster hit the screens and the streets, a professional group of corset wearing, bustle stuffing, elite ring of thieves were stalking the department stores of London. Join us as we discuss their wild methods of looting, wild parties, and what drove them to the profession that made them their fortunes. Today on The Odder, we discuss The Forty Elephants Gang.
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Music Credit:
"Waltz (Tschikovsky Op. 40)" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Dream Catcher" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- Hello and Welcome to the Odder podcast. I’m your host, Madison Paige, and today we are rolling up our poofy sleeves, shaking loose our petticoats, and making sure our knuckles have enough rings on them to knock the teeth out of anyone who so much as looks at us funny. Today on The Odder, we are talking about The Forty Elephants, a gang of lady criminals who were running with the big boys in Victorian England. Make sure you lace up that corset nice and tight and let’s go!
- Hello again my lovelies, wanna welcome everyone back for episode 9. Episode 9, almost to 10 episodes of The Odder. Soon it's going to be able to lift its own head up and crawl. I hope everyone had a fun time with us last week as we talked about ghost identifications and if anyone has any spooky specters haunting their abodes that they want to report on, please please please hit us up on social media or email us at theodderpod@gmail.com. Here I come once again with my begging bowl and my cute little newsboy cap to ask all of you to pretty, pretty please leave a rating and review on your streaming service of choice. It really does help even if you just leave a cute little frog emoji. I want to thank everyone who has ridden the ride with me so far and hope you all will continue to sit in my little wagon as I peddle us up the hill into the strange and unknown. But that's enough about me, let's get right into it. Today we travel back to Victorian England to meet some ladies who didn’t take the inequalities of the time lying down but instead took everything they could get their mitts on.
- At William Whitleley’s Emporium in Bayswater, West London you may find veritable knick knacks and fashions. Small trinkets of every value that would dazzle and wow any woman living in Victorian England at the time. Soft deerskin gloves, Bolts of fabric in every shade imaginable, and anything sure to put a smile on the face of the recipient. You could find just about anything there, except for a call for the police. Unfortunately, one morning that was exactly what was heard from the management as staff snagged the arms of a young woman who was seen hobbling out of the store. Police came and found a 19 year old at the center of all the attention. Even in this time of polio, pox, and terrible medical treatment, the gate of the young woman was strange. A search by police uncovered a bag made of alpaca fur that was tied round her waist beneath her voluminous gown. The bag dangled between her legs which explained the strange hobble. In the bag, a total of 45 items were found that had been nicked from the emporium. So what does this story of an innovative if unlucky thief have to do with anything? If you realize I haven't given the girl a name, it is because her name didn't matter, what mattered was what she belonged to.
- Our tricky pickpocket was just one of many girls who gained a reputation, a home, and a substantial fortune under the protection of an almost forgotten street gang. While most popular media loves to depict gang culture as a male dominated zone where women get by as prostitutes, old ladies, or just plain possessions, the truth was before The Godfather offered a deal you cant refuse and the Sons went on their Anarchy, there existed a gang made solely of women that lasted for upwards of 150 years. This gang was called The Forty Elephants and they were not ones to be trifled with.
- The Forty Elephants or Forty Thieves as they were also known, was a collection of women tired of the inequalities and restrictions placed on them by society. Most of the members were working class or below the poverty line. In the Victorian era, women who aren't looked after by a man were demonized by society. A woman alone or with a drunk or abusive husband could die of violence, resort to prostitution, or even in moments of dispair take their own lives. However, some women refused to fall into these paths and instead made their own way.
- As early as the late 1700s, although no one truly knows the exact dates, an all female crime syndicate were slitting their skirts and sewing in pockets to make slipping a stolen good into the folds easier. You see the Forty Elephants was not a gang disposed to outright violence. Their trade predominantly circled around thievery. At the time, shopping was one of the only activities that a chaperone was not required for. A woman in a department store was actually actively ignored by staff so that she could shop and try things on in private. The department stores aren't like the ones you would see today. Massive, and scattered over several floors, they would offer bits of everything, jewelry, perfumes, furniture, exotic birds, chocolates, anything you could imagine. There weren't any loss prevention or security measures. Really, it was a thief's playground. And the Elephants took advantage.
- Fashion at the time was voluminous with wide skirts and puffy sleeves. They would modify their muffs, coats, skirts, hats and even their bloomers in order to make pinching goods easier. As previously told, some women concealed bags under their skirts and although the name “Forty Elephants” is believed to be derived from the area they worked which was called “Elephant and Castle”, it is also said that it comes from the waddle like shuffle they would use to escape after the bags and pockets were stuffed and weighing them down. Dressed in these pilfering petticoats, they would enter large stores on the west end of London, sometimes in large groups, sometimes alone, and take all manner of items both high value and low. They had different tactics and evolved as time went on.
- One woman was known to wear a false arm that would poke out of the dress while her real arm grabbed things from shelves and stuffing them into her skirt
- A favored technique was for three of the girls to make a show of trying on dresses or hats, dropping them on the floor or draping them over furniture in eagerness to move onto the next thing. An unrecognized accomplice would then enter the shop. She would lay her coat over an item in order to “browse” and then pick it up again to move on. The shopkeepers, flustered and distracted by the noisy girls, would hardly notice the other clothes and trinkets wrapped up in the coat as the accomplice quickly left.
- Sometimes the girls would do what they called a “Crush”. A crowd of women would swarm a counter and demand to be shown this or that. Once the shopkeep had retrieved the item, another would distract him until he turned his attention back to the original customer who would vehemently deny ever being handled the item. Little did the shopkeeper know that the item had been passed down a line of women to the back of the group where another had taken it and left. Social ethics were very strict and most shop assistants would not outright accuse a lady for fear of breaking these unspoken rules.
- If a girl wanted to pinch a piece of jewelry, she might request to look at the piece. Studying it secretively, she would then decline to buy it before going to a forger to have an identical item made out of paste and glass. A different thief would then return to the shop and ask to see the original piece before deceptively swapping it out for the fake.
- One of the most comical methods for theft was called the chewing gum scam. Chewing Gum became fashionable after America entered World War 1 in 1917 and women would walk around the shop chewing some in her mouth. She would then remove it and stick the gum under the ledge of the jewelry counter before asking to see a selection of rings. Sneaking one of the rings away, she would press it into the gum, leaving it stuck to the underside of the counter. If she was accused and searched by a police officer, they would find nothing. All the while, an accomplice would stroll through and take the ring and gum with her.
- All of this sounds wild, like completely out there but this was the operating method of the Forty Elephants and they were very successful. They stole goods worth thousands of pounds but were careful never to wear any of the stolen objects. Instead they would engage in a practice called Fencing. The stolen items would be flushed through a network of connections who would sell off the items of small value at the street markets, trade the jewelry in to pawnbrokers, and clothing was sold to shops who didn't mind to turn a blind out to a snipped out label before giving the garment a slight alteration. While the members of this network would take small cuts of the prophet for these heists, the lion’s share would trickle back to the gang. This would be spread amongst the girls depending on their standing but money was always reserved for the care of the woman and for when the occasional need arose to bail a sister out of prison.
- This group was ruled by a quote unquote “Queen”. Although there are several noted over its history, the most famous of these was a woman named Alice Diamond who also went by the name Diamond Annie. She was born Alice Elizabeth Black in Lambeth Workhouse Hospital to Thomas Diamond and Mary Ann Alice Blake. Mary became pregnant out of wedlock and the couple applied for a maternity birth under the name of Black. The couple ended up marrying shortly before Alice’s birth, saving the issue of an illegitimate birth.
- Alice was the oldest of seven children and was said to be very attractive. She also stood an intimidating 5’8 inches tall which was taller than the average male height which was 5’5 at the time. In fact there is a story that During her first arrest, as a teenager, it took three policemen to hold her down. Whereas some women fought with hat-pins, Alice carried a steel blackjack and wore diamond rings for knuckle-dusters.
- Alice was no stranger to crime. Her father had at least three criminal convictions including one for assaulting the son of the Lord Mayor of London at a political meeting by punching his head through a pane of glass in a door, severely injuring him.
- Alice’s mother was born Mary Geary and she was an illegitimate child. She took the name Black when her parents did marry. She would add Ann or Alice to her name at random times but this was a common practice for women associated with the underworld. It made it more difficult to pin things on them if you could never be sure exactly who you had in cuffs. IDs were yet to be a thing.
- Alice wasnt the only one in her family to join the gang life. Alice’s younger sister Louisa also joined the Forty Thieves gang.
- Alice’s brother Tommy would become part of the Elephant and Castle Gang.
- Yes, that's right there was another Elephant Gang. This was an all male gang that provided backup and formed an alliance with the Forty Thieves. This gang was active from the 1920s-1930s which is actually fairly short and dates the formation of The Forty Elephants. Their cirminal activities include Bookmarking, extortion, murder,counterfeiting, assault, robbery, fraud, hijacking, fencing, theft, smuggling, bribery, and hooliganism
- And I did look up what hooliganism is and it seems to just be a way of saying disturbing the peace, you know, rioting, bullying, and vandalism. The Forty Elephants would primarily use the Elephant and Castle Gang as sort of an enforcement squad. You see The Elephants were very territorial and if you committed a crime in their area, they expected a pinch of the profit. If the intruder refused to pay, the Elephant and Castle Mob would be called in. The gang would arrange beating and kidnappings of the offenders or their families until the payment was made
- It was this union between the gangs that caused them to become so powerful. A fun little fact though about Alice, Her criminal career started in 1912 when she got a citation for stealing chocolate along with a woman named Mary Austin who would later marry North London Racing Gangster Frederick Sabini. The Sabini’s were the noted rivals of the Elephant and Castle Gang. Weird little coincidence huh?
- Diamond took to leadership well. She was a skillful organizer and strong personality. She spread the Forty Elephants territory and influence. While her legal last name was “Diamond”, it was said she also gained this nickname for the number of diamond rings she wore on her hands which would carve up the face of anyone who happened to be on the end of her right hook. Alice Diamond was such a confident thief that once, when she was being questioned outside a jeweler’s after a theft, she managed to get rid of the evidence by slipping the stolen bracelet into a detective’s pocket.
- She relied heavily on her chief lieutenant, the Violent and Volatile Maggie Hill. Born Margaret Lilly Hill in Marylebone, London, Her brother was notorious gangster Billy Hill. He was known for smuggling, protection rackets, and extreme violence. One of her sisters, Dorothy “Dolly” Mays would also join the Elephants. She was violent and unmanageable by all except Alice Diamond. In contrast to Diamond, Maggie was tiny, under 4 ft 11 inch. She actually had the nickname of “Babyface Maggie” due to her small stature. The two would rule The Forty Elephants from 1915 until 1925.
- Alice particularly enjoyed the theft. She actually had her own method of stealing even from stores where she was a recognized thief. This was a psychological ruse she called the ‘decoy’ — while the staff were watching her every step, an accomplice was behind them stuffing armfuls of clothes under her own dress.
- Eventually they began to be recognized in the larger stores and started switching up their tactics. They began targeting rural areas and seaside towns. When Automobiles became popular, the gang invested in some of the faster cars in order to make their getaway and outrun the police. Loot was also transferred through the railway station. Members used trains to travel to a town and leave their empty suitcases at the station. When they madea return trip, they would fill these empty cases with stolen goods.
- The group was quick to adapt when shoplifting became too difficult. They developed sidelines by posing as house maids and using falsified references to get members jobs in affluent households. The member would work there, casing the joint, then when the wealthy inhabitants went on vacation or to work one day, the member would bring in the gang who would ransack the house. Another method would be blackmail. Members would seduce powerful men, especially judges, and then blackmail them to keep the affair a secret. This also came in handy when members would get caught and brought before the court. A lot of charges were dropped in exchange for keeping the bedroom habits of the court a secret.
- After a successful heist, the gang would descend upon the West End Hotels, pockets full to bursting with cash, and raid the bars of the hotels, drinking as much as they pleased and flirting with the staff. They would do this five nights a week following every successful hit. The girls would even wait until the hotel staff considered them so regular they barely got a second glance before sweeping through the rooms and clearing them out of all their possessions.
- The department stores were quietest on Mondays and the gang was most likely spotted so they took the day off. They would spend it partying like animals, drinking vast quantities of alcohol and heavily using cocaine although Alice was rumored to not touch the stuff. It was noted that the women wanted to be glamorous, they wanted to be like their idols on the silver screen. Beautiful and Powerful and without the stress and strain that so many others faced at that time. They wore the latest fashions, drove the latest cars, and lived as wild and carefree as they desired. There were certain rules though that did reign them in. One in particular would lead to the end of the reign of Queen Alice Diamond.
- A strict rule in place in the gang was the forbiddance of love outside of the underworld. Now this sounds very Romeo and Juliet to us but it served a very real purpose. The gang was living a very illegal and a very delicate way of life. Imagine what would happen if a jilted lover or soured boyfriend went to the police with what he knew of the gang. Imagine how they could point out members or crash the whole operation. Someone who had nothing to lose might just do that under the influence of jealousy or pain. But if that ex was also in the underworld. Also had warrants out or dubious connections, why take the risk. Keep all your goldfish in one bowl so to speak. Unfortunately, the heart is not so easily ruled by gang law. And one member would find that out the hard way. One of the girls, Marie Britten, fell in love with a boy who didn’t come from the same side of the tracks. She went to Alice with her father to beg her to let her marry him but Alice held firm to their rule. However, Marie was pregnant so she defied Alice’s orders and married her lover.On the night of December 20, 1925, Alice, Maggie and most of the gang gathered at the Canterbury Social Club near Lambeth’s New Cut market and drank themselves into a fighting mood. Armed with bottles, stones and lumps of concrete, they marched to Marie’s lodgings, smashed their way in and held Marie at gunpoint while her husband was beaten senseless. Police broke up the riot and arrested the gang. Alice was jailed for 18 months. Maggie, who had incited the riot, got 21 months.
- This account has been debated and shifted by some sources but whatever happened, the Reign of Alice and Maggie ended with a jail sentence and a gang left leaderless. Lillian Rose Kendall took up the mantle in their stead. Also called the Bobbed-haired bandit, she specialized in smash-and-grab raids. She was an expert getaway driver and would use her car to smash through jewelers windows before looting the place and then making her escape. I’ll post a picture of her on social media.
- By the time Alice Diamonds left prison, she decided to retire. Either due to exhaustion, age, or perhaps some unknown factor, she decided she couldn't keep up with this new style of crime. She retired to Lambeth where she ran a brother. However, she was always willing to pass on tips to aspiring shoplifters. Diamond never married but held a relationship with Bert Mcdonald, a leader of the Elephant Gang. She died at 11 Marnock House on April 1st, 1952 from multiple sclerosis
- Not much is known about Maggie after she got out of prison. Her last known prison sentence was in 1939 when she received three years for attacking two women with broken bottles, causing one of them to lose an eye. She died in 1949 at age 50 in Marylebone but her place of burial is unknown.
- The gang carried on, outlasting the Elephants and Castles gang and most of their rivals. Shirley Pitts, was the acknowledged queen of the gang in the 1960s. Pitts' operations were not as grandiose as that of her mentor. Changing fashions made it harder to stow shoplifted loot inside of clothing as stores increased security and surveillance.
- The Forty Elephants officially disbanded upon Pitts’s death in 1992, but membership and activity had been in decline for decades. By the time of Pitt’s passing, the Forty Elephants was more of a local legend.
- These women just wanted a better life. The life path for women in the high point of the elephant's career was worse than drudgery. They were viewed as property of their fathers and then their husbands. They had no control of finances, the lives of their children or even their own bodies. They were expected to be “Angels of the Home”. In a sense they were supposed to only exist when wanted and to be silent and out of the way otherwise. If they were trapped in an abusive or loveless marriage, there was no option of an out. And even when these horrible conditions would drive women to commit suicide, papers would report that the death was due to the womans own failures in her relationships. It was a terrible terrible time. So these women faced with the option of servitude masking as a marriage or freedom and glamor chose what best made them happy. The Forty Elephants may not be as well known or whispered about but it’ll be a cold day in hell before anyone can say they were not successful.
Well, that's all for this episode. So what do you think? Would you have joined the Forty Elephants? What was your favorite method of thievery? Could you have led the gang?Let us know what you think on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and leave a review. The Odder Pod is now on TikTok. Come follow us there and see me doing some otherwise cringy things for the sake of some views. The Odder Podcast posts every other Thursday. If you have a suggestion for a subject on the podcast you can email us at the theodderpod@gmail.com. Thanks for listening and I’ll see you next time on The Odder side.