Jailbreaking | Safe-Blowing | Fencing | Brothel Running | Toledo's Notorious Mother Mack Gang

  • Kate "Mother" Mack

    Between 1900 and 1920, Catherine McDonald—better known as Mother Mack—was a well-known figure in Toledo's criminal underworld. An Irish immigrant, Mother Mack led what came to be known in the local papers as the "notorious Mother Mack gang."

  • John “Big John” Mack

    Young John Mack, son of Kate 'Mary' Mack. Involved in a long-string of offenses, earning a reputation as a gunman, jailbreaker, safe-blower (yegg), and thief. Frequent run-ins with the Toledo police led to spending a significant portion of his youth in the Toledo Workhouse.

  • Ted Mack

    Ted Mack, notorious among Toledo police as a thief and highway robber with an extensive criminal record. Indicted on numerous charges for robberies, assaults, and hold-ups, he was out on bail when his life ended violently at only 21 years old. Ted Mack died in a gunfight with Toledo Motor Patrolmen.

  • Below the "Dead Line": Toledo's Notorious Tenderloin

    In early Toledo, there existed a notorious district known as the “Tenderloin.” This area, located near downtown, was a hotbed of vice and indulgence, where the boundaries of the law were often blurred. It was a place where anyone seeking to satisfy their desires could find what they were looking for.

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