The Patch,the gangs territory, was a very poor and dirty place.They lived in a very hard conditions which brought them into the life.Back in the 1910's the Patch was a place filled with bad smells,muddy streets and wooden sidewalks.Diseases were spreading very quickly and many people died because of that.The huge Italian families squeezed between Taylor and Mather streets.It was a place filled with filthy criminals, disgusting brothels and saloons.Brawls and bloody battles between the residents was a daily routine.

So by living in these conditions,some of the kids started to reach to each other and formed a gang.It was the only way to survive.The 42's were characterized by the youthfulness of its members.The average age was between 16 and 23.Most of these boys ran from home,slept in abandoned cars or locals or beneath back porches and also survived by stealing food from vendors and pickpocketing.Most of their parents didnt care about some of their children because they had bigger problems of their own.So the gang was the only home and family for these kids.They organized themselves and started stealing eveything,from clothes and food to cars and jewelry.

All of these boys had records in juvenile and boys courts.Their types of crimes differ with their age,for example the older gang members were mostly involved in robbery and stick ups and younger ones were mostly involved in larceny.They were different from the other gangs because they were very well organized.Legend goes that the gang came to the name "42's" from a "more literate" gang member who recounted the story of Ali Baba and the fourty thieves.The gangs "school" was a reformatory named St.Charles.

As time passed by the people in the Patch started having a strange mixture of awe,respect and fear for the gang.With that the gang became more notorious and started terrorizing the streets of the Ptach.They got involved in many thefts,murder,kidnappings and they even extorted their own families.The leaders of thegang used to collect five to ten dollars from their members every month so they can make a pay off if some gang member get caught by the police.

The boys didnt had much females arounf them because they didnt look good and were trashy as always.So for their sexual release,they used to rape many young girls or they often engaged public musturbatory contests to determine who could ejaculate first.

The 42's started making the newspaper headlines and were noticed by the big time gangsters.First the young boys would do anything for two bits,a beer or a cigarette.Later the gangsters started to throw money at these boys and making them as their "farm teams" for their dirty work.The young boys would do everything to impress the gangsters.Soon they greaduated in high profile murders,bombings and vice enterpises.As i said before the gangs usual headquarters was Mary's Restaurant or Bonfiglio's Pool Hall on Taylor Street.

The most prominent gangsters on Taylor Street at the time were Diamond Joe Esposito and the Genna crime family.Diamond Joe besides paying bonds and using them as soldiers for his dirty work like extortion,he also used to employ them in legitimate businesses,like selling sugar.As for the Gennas,they taught these young criminals in making illicit moonshine and selling it.But the Bloody Gennas were known for carrying a crucifix in one pocket and a gun in the other.So they used these young kids in many murder plots and also bombings.

So Diamond Joe and the Gennas can be considered as the fathers of the ruthless Taylor Street crew.Paul Ricca aslo used to work for Diamond Joe and the Gennas so he also knew these young boys.Legend goes that with the comming of the Capone gang and later with the forming of the Outfit,Ricca took advantage of the 42's by making them his own enforcers and turned them against the old bosses.