Events

• January 1 - German immigrant John Merkle is beaten to death in front of his home by several members of the Tenth Avenue Gang
  Tenth Avenue Gang
  The Tenth Avenue Gang was a New York street gang and later became the city's first train robbers.Formed by Ike Marsh in 1860, the gang consisted of a small number of various burglars and other criminals...
  
  . Patrick Fitzpatrick and James Strang are eventually arrested in connection with the murder and tried at the Jefferson Market Street Court on February 25.
• January 5 - James Logan, a prominent member of the Nineteenth Street Gang
  19th Street Gang
  The 19th Street Gang was a New York predominantly Irish street gang during the 1870s known as a particularly violent anti-Protestant gang.The 19th Street Gang, made up mostly of young pickpockets, muggers, and sneak thieves, was led by a young man known as Little Mike...
  
  , is shot and killed by former associate Jerry Dunn after becoming involved in an argument at the West Houston Street coffee and cake saloon Johnny and Harry's. Logan, who had been drinking with his mistress Carrie Smith, confronted Dunn and several others after making crude remarks toward Smith. As the two walked outside to settle the matter in the streets, Dunn fired a derringer
  Derringer
  The term derringer is a genericized misspelling of the last name of Henry Deringer, a famous 19th-century maker of small pocket pistols. Many copies of the original Philadelphia Deringer pistol were made by other gun makers worldwide, and the name was often misspelled; this misspelling soon became...
  
   pistol as Logan exited the saloon. A police officer responding to the gunshot initially held Logan in custody although, prompted by claims by Dunn's friends that the shooter had fled into the saloon, he released Dunn who quickly made his escape. Mortally wounded, Logan remained incapacitated as he was taken to the Prince Street Police Station and then later to Bellevue Hospital where he died from his wound. Dunn was eventually identified after police detaining Smith, Minnie Wilson and John W. Cook for questioning as well as finding the murder weapon which Dunn had dropped onto the street during his escape.
• April 10 - After arresting Thomas H. Quinn for being drunk and disorderly
  Public intoxication
  Public intoxication, also known as "drunk and disorderly", is a summary offense in many countries rated to public cases or displays of drunkenness...
  
  , police officers Greer and See are followed by members of the Nineteenth Street Gang who harass the officers throwing stones and other objects (Officer See suffering a serious head injury after being struck by a large paving stone). Although a crowd of nearly 200 had gathered, a detachment from the 29th Precinct arrived and escorted both the officers and the prisoner back to the station house.