The Virtual Dime Museum -- "The Cock of the Walk"

Women like Ellen Russell provided no small inspiration for a certain character in Gangs of New York.

I sometimes notice bumper stickers and t-shirts that say "Well behaved women rarely make history", but I would wager that few of the women bearing such signs have pushed the spirit of this saying quite so far as a certain Ellen Russell of antebellum New York City.

The Virtual Dime Museum covers her exploits in detail, up to and including her prison sentences. Her exploits mainly consisted of assaulting men and stealing their money -- not necessarily in that order. As the author of this site puts it:

"Her nickname 'Cock of the Walk' had been given to her for her 'pugilistic powers.'"

And yes, she did make history. Or at the very least, she was mentioned in the crime section of the New York papers about four times.

**The Virtual Dime Museum specializes in "Adventures in New York and Brooklyn History and Genealogy"