It would appear the Morgan murder was caused by a loosely-related group of youths, whereas more sinister organised gangs started to appear in Liverpool about a decade later.
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From the street gangs came the Hibernians, Dead Rabbits and Cornermen, often fuelled by sectarian religious intolerance.
Most infamous was the High Rip gang, who stabbed a sailor to death, in 1884. This gang was supposed to be organised and that caused an extra fear for the law-abiding citizens of Liverpool.
"There were small organised groups with their own codes and hand signals and an oath, but such was the public obsession with the High Rip Gang that at one point, every violent crime seemed to be attributed to them," says Michael.
"Newspapers, led by the Daily Post, couldn't publish enough bloodthirsty tales of the gang. Typical headlines included 'High Rip Terrorism', 'High Ripping in Marybone' and 'The High Rip Outrage at Aintree'."
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