E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Mohocks.
A class of ruffians who in the 18th century infested the streets of London. So called from the Indian Mohawks. One of their “new inventions” was to roll persons down Snow Hill in a tub; another was to overturn coaches on rubbish-heaps. (See Gay: Trivia, iii.)
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A vivid picture of the misdoings in the streets of London by these and other brawlers is given in The Spectator, No. 324.
