Peter Madden

Who is Peter Madden?

Peter "Punk" Madden was an American thief, gang leader and labor racketeer allied with Philip "Pinchy" Paul during the first "Labor Slugger War" against Joseph "Joe the Greaser" Rosenzweig and Benjamin "Dopey Benny" Fein.

In June 1914, Madden was arrested for his suspected involvement in a street mugging. His arrest taking place shortly after midnight, he successfully escaped custody twice before finally being returned in the prison attached to the Yorkville Court at the end of the day. It was during one of these escapes that he visited the office of District Attorney Charles S. Whitman in which he claimed he was not being given a "square deal" by police and asked for protection. He made another, and this time successful, escape attempt from The Tombs three months later.