Gangs of St. Louis: Egan's Rats

Egan's Rats and the St. Louis Gang Wars

Depiction of Egan’s Rats

Beginnings

During the early years of the twentieth century in St. Louis, Missouri, the line between gangster and politician was blurry and often non-existent. Those who wielded considerable control over the city’s numerous Democratic political clubs were also heavily involved in various underworld activities. From bootlegging to the numbers racket to armed robbery, the rough and rowdy worlds of politics and crime were very much intertwined. 

The most powerful and well-known of these groups was a mainly Irish American gang known as Egan’s Rats. Formed around 1890 by childhood friends Tom Egan and Thomas “Snake” Kinney the Rats began as a street gang with many of their members known for their toughness and fighting ability. 

However, the gang would soon evolve into a quasi-political entity, beginning with intimidating voters at the polling stations on behalf of …