1 00:00:02,120 --> 00:00:05,600 Speaker 1: You're listening to American Shadows, a production of I Heart 2 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:19,160 Speaker 1: Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Minkey. To anyone 3 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 1: passing by, the small store on Third Avenue never seemed 4 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:27,000 Speaker 1: to be open. Locals knew better, though. Behind the unlocked 5 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:31,240 Speaker 1: screen door and stacks of filthy boxes, proprietor Tony Marino 6 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 1: operated a small speakeasy. The place didn't look like much, 7 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 1: just four tables, a sofa that doubled as Tony's bed, 8 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:43,200 Speaker 1: and apply wood bar along the back. Times were hard 9 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:46,440 Speaker 1: in the winter of the end of both the Great 10 00:00:46,479 --> 00:00:50,520 Speaker 1: Depression and Prohibition were still a year away. On most 11 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 1: days when customers paid, That is, Tony made enough to 12 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: occasionally pay bar keep Red Murphy and stay out of 13 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: the breadlines. On a cold January night, four of the 14 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:06,120 Speaker 1: speakeasies regulars joined Red and Tony at the bar, undertaker 15 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 1: Francis Pasqual, Daniel Kreisberg, Tough, Tony Bestone, and Joe Magleone. 16 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 1: Like everyone else, the men were doing what they could 17 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 1: to keep themselves afloat. Tough times often inspired creative ways 18 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 1: to make a little money on the side, and the 19 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 1: men had come up with a doozy. The idea had 20 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:29,680 Speaker 1: actually come to them back in the summer, but now 21 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 1: more than seven months later, it still hadn't earned them 22 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:37,000 Speaker 1: a cent. Not only that, but the expenses kept piling up. 23 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:39,640 Speaker 1: The men began to think their money maker was more 24 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 1: of a money pit. Red poured every one another drink 25 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: as they discussed their options. Should they start over, and, 26 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,680 Speaker 1: to make matters worse, Mike, a real regular at the bar, 27 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:54,960 Speaker 1: had vanished a week before. Until then, you could set 28 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:58,440 Speaker 1: a watch by Mike, and without him their plan would fail. 29 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: Days had scoured the papers and called around looking for 30 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 1: a sign of him. Tony even called the local hospitals 31 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: and morgues, but found nothing. Francis had reached a level 32 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:13,280 Speaker 1: of desperation the others hadn't seen before. Maybe they needed 33 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:17,360 Speaker 1: someone else, he suggested, anyone that would solve part of 34 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 1: their problem, but not without additional risks. So the men 35 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:24,000 Speaker 1: down to their liquor and complained that the whole thing 36 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: had become too challenging, too complicated. And that's when the 37 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:31,079 Speaker 1: door blew open, bringing in a blast of winter air 38 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 1: and with it Mike man. Mike said, I sure, I 39 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 1: am dying for a drink, And that was their problem. 40 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 1: You see, Mike had more lives than an alley cat. 41 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: So as he settled down at the bar, eager to 42 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 1: tell his friends what had happened to him, the men 43 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:51,480 Speaker 1: around him wondered just how many times would they have 44 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 1: to kill him? Because some people, it seems, just don't 45 00:02:56,200 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 1: know when their time is up. I'm Lauren Vogelball, Welcome 46 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:12,280 Speaker 1: to American Shadows. Before he showed up at the speakeasy, 47 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 1: no one had known much about Mike malloy. He had 48 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:17,320 Speaker 1: once told them that he came from Ireland, but he 49 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:20,720 Speaker 1: had no friends or family to speak of, and like 50 00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 1: many of the men in the Bronx at the time, 51 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:25,919 Speaker 1: Mike was rarely employed and certainly down on his luck. 52 00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:29,639 Speaker 1: He had once been a firefighter, but alcoholism had cost 53 00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 1: him his job. Now he did whatever he could, working 54 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:35,880 Speaker 1: the occasional gig as a janitor or a garbage collector. 55 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:38,680 Speaker 1: Where he went or slept when he wasn't at the 56 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 1: speakeasy was anyone's guests. He lived a hard life, Yet 57 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:48,200 Speaker 1: every morning, like the one back in July two, Mike 58 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: often walked into the speakeasy with a smile on his face. 59 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:54,760 Speaker 1: Another morning's morning, if you don't mind, he'd say in 60 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 1: his thick Irish brogue. He'd slide up to the bar 61 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: and drink until Tony's arm tired of pouring or he 62 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:07,840 Speaker 1: passed out. It could honestly go either way. This particular morning, though, 63 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 1: it was the ladder, and now he lay snoozing at 64 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:14,280 Speaker 1: the foot of the bar. Mike, along with others like him, 65 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:17,880 Speaker 1: lived and died on the streets. If the winters didn't 66 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: kill them more, they didn't starve to death, then the 67 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:24,360 Speaker 1: drink got them. No one noticed guys like Mike, and 68 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:27,839 Speaker 1: it seemed as if no one cared, and that had 69 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:32,120 Speaker 1: sparked the idea. Tony had been letting Mike drink on 70 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:35,840 Speaker 1: credit for a while, but he rarely paid anymore. Tony 71 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:39,200 Speaker 1: turned to Francis and the others, shaking his head. Business 72 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 1: is bad, Francis regarded Mike's disheveled sleeping form, and why 73 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:48,159 Speaker 1: don't you take out insurance on Mike. The men looked 74 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 1: quizzically at Francis. I'll take care of the rest, he added. 75 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:57,159 Speaker 1: One by one. The men nodded. This could work. In fact, 76 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 1: Tony had done this before with a homeless woman. He 77 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:02,800 Speaker 1: had befriended her and then convinced her to take out 78 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:05,800 Speaker 1: a life insurance policy with none other than himself as 79 00:05:05,839 --> 00:05:09,719 Speaker 1: the beneficiary, and had gotten away with it too. No 80 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:14,040 Speaker 1: one seemed to miss people like her. The men huddled closer, 81 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:18,240 Speaker 1: working up the details. Francis would befriend Mike, and all 82 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 1: Tony needed to do was supply the alcohol. Tony glanced 83 00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: over at Mike, currently snoring on the Speakeasies floor. Mike 84 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:29,800 Speaker 1: was fifty and looked sixty. He's all in, Tony said, 85 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:32,359 Speaker 1: he ain't got much longer to go anyhow. The stuff 86 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:36,440 Speaker 1: is getting him. The stuff, as Tony put it, was 87 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:39,280 Speaker 1: alcohol that contained any number of things that could kill 88 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:44,599 Speaker 1: a person, namely methodon also known as wood alcohol. Most 89 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:48,160 Speaker 1: came from bootleggers who stole industrial grain alcohol to make whisky, 90 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:52,160 Speaker 1: another liquor. In nineteen twenty seven, the government, in an 91 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:55,719 Speaker 1: effort to thwart bootleggers, had mandated that all cleaning supply 92 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:59,160 Speaker 1: manufacturers double the amount of wood alcohol in their products. 93 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:03,440 Speaker 1: But that's not all. Some formulas from federal officials even 94 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:06,599 Speaker 1: had producers add kerosene and puritying to give alcohol a 95 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:10,600 Speaker 1: truly unpleasant taste, with the side effect of potentially poisoning 96 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:14,880 Speaker 1: the drinker. None of that, however, stopped people from drinking 97 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:19,760 Speaker 1: bathtub gin, moonshine and whatever the bootleggers made. Drinking was 98 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:22,960 Speaker 1: risky and people were dying all over the place, so 99 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:26,719 Speaker 1: why not Mike. The six men figured the job would 100 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: be easy. They smiled and toasted to their new side hustle, 101 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:34,240 Speaker 1: the murder Trust, they called it. We should finish it 102 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:37,240 Speaker 1: all up in a couple of weeks, Tony said, and 103 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: anyone looking at Mike would agree. He drank the worst 104 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:43,640 Speaker 1: of the bootleg whiskey. People were not only dying on 105 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:46,440 Speaker 1: the stuff he drank, they were going blind, having seizures. 106 00:06:46,839 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 1: Some even became paralyzed. Mike was already on his way 107 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:54,000 Speaker 1: out the way he drank. It didn't take long to 108 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:57,280 Speaker 1: get things going. Whenever Mike showed up, the men slapped 109 00:06:57,360 --> 00:06:59,039 Speaker 1: him on the back and welcomed him at the bar. 110 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 1: Tony and Red kept the drinks flowing, starting with higher 111 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:07,000 Speaker 1: grade stuff, but then gradually adding more wood alcohol. Mike 112 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:10,640 Speaker 1: never noticed. On one such night, they told Mike that 113 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:13,320 Speaker 1: Tony was running for office and handed him a petition 114 00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:16,560 Speaker 1: design and Mike, who thought these men were his friends, 115 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:19,200 Speaker 1: never read a word. If he had, he would have 116 00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:23,400 Speaker 1: seen had signed an insurance policy application. Mike was happy 117 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 1: to help them out. He had once told another patron 118 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:28,160 Speaker 1: they were the only friends he had in the world. 119 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:33,280 Speaker 1: While the men waited on insurance approval, Mike drank and 120 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:37,239 Speaker 1: drank some more. But when the insurance agency's reply finally 121 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:40,120 Speaker 1: came back, it stated that they were denying the application. 122 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:43,600 Speaker 1: Mike was a bad risk, they said, and refused to 123 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 1: ensure him. Apparently alcoholics and the prohibition era weren't good investments. 124 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:54,520 Speaker 1: A second insurance company echoed the first. Finally, a third agency, 125 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:57,240 Speaker 1: who had never met Mike, agreed, and the gang took 126 00:07:57,280 --> 00:08:00,280 Speaker 1: out three policies on Mike, as well as a double 127 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:03,920 Speaker 1: indemnity clause. If Mike died, they'd get close to eight 128 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 1: hundred dollars worth over thirty thousand today. Tony passed to 129 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:11,960 Speaker 1: the good news to the others. With the double indemnity clause, 130 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:15,120 Speaker 1: which offers an additional payout in the case of accidental death, 131 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:19,000 Speaker 1: they stood to make a nice little profit. But Mike 132 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:22,920 Speaker 1: didn't die for months. He drank his fill of whiskey 133 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:25,520 Speaker 1: laced with wood alcohol, wiped his mouth on a dirty 134 00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: shirt sleeve, thanked Tony for his gracious gift and then left. 135 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:33,240 Speaker 1: If anything, Mike seemed happier, and he even looked healthier. 136 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:37,839 Speaker 1: Tony worried he would go bankrupt, and Francis complained that 137 00:08:37,920 --> 00:08:40,480 Speaker 1: the monthly cost of the insurance premiums had started eating 138 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:44,439 Speaker 1: into their future profits, so the men doubled down their efforts. 139 00:08:45,559 --> 00:08:48,440 Speaker 1: One night, a short while later, Red slid a shot 140 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 1: glass over to Mike. New stuff came in, he told 141 00:08:51,559 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 1: the man, and Mike grinned and drank it down. Red 142 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:59,080 Speaker 1: refilled it a few more times, each one vanishing into 143 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:04,319 Speaker 1: Mike's open mouth. Smooth, the drunk said, and then promptly collapsed. 144 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:07,760 Speaker 1: They dragged Mike to a cotton the back, thinking they'd 145 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:09,880 Speaker 1: have to pay off a doctor on the death certificate. 146 00:09:10,559 --> 00:09:13,200 Speaker 1: And the new stuff was of their own concoction, you see, 147 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: wood grain alcohol laced with anti freeze. But Mike didn't die. 148 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:22,240 Speaker 1: An hour later, he shuffled back to the bar and 149 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:26,240 Speaker 1: asked for more. So the men added even more anti freeze, 150 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:30,800 Speaker 1: as well as rat poison and finally turpentine, but Mike 151 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:35,959 Speaker 1: just kept drinking, happy to have finally found friends. To him, 152 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:39,319 Speaker 1: this was the good life. But what they needed was 153 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:42,679 Speaker 1: a new plan. Mike loved seafood, so why not spike 154 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:46,000 Speaker 1: some oysters with d natured alcohol. All the men agreed 155 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:48,800 Speaker 1: Mike was as good as dead. The next time Mike 156 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:50,760 Speaker 1: joined them at the bar, they served him a meal 157 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:54,040 Speaker 1: of the oysters. They waited patiently as he ate each one, 158 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 1: savoring every bite. Two dozen oysters later, he licked his 159 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:00,960 Speaker 1: fingers and washed it all down with more tainted alcohol. 160 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:04,080 Speaker 1: Here it comes. The men thought, there's no way this 161 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:09,000 Speaker 1: could fail. But Mike just belched, banked his hosts, and left, 162 00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:12,800 Speaker 1: and just like clockwork, he showed up the next night 163 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:16,040 Speaker 1: for more of the same. Oh, there were a few 164 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:19,600 Speaker 1: close calls, or so the men thought. One night, after 165 00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:22,920 Speaker 1: Mike collapsed onto the floor, Francis knelt beside his body 166 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:26,520 Speaker 1: and checked for a pulse. He was still alive, but barely. 167 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:29,720 Speaker 1: The rise and fall of his chest had slowed, and 168 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:33,480 Speaker 1: his breathing was ragged. So the men played cards and waited. 169 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:38,640 Speaker 1: But wouldn't you know it, Mike began to snore, eventually 170 00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:42,120 Speaker 1: sleeping off the liquor. Upon waking, he rubbed his eyes, 171 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:45,240 Speaker 1: got to his feet and said, boy, and I got 172 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:49,319 Speaker 1: a thirst, give me some more of the old regular Milad. Frustrated, 173 00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:53,199 Speaker 1: the gang held another planning meeting. This time they let 174 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:56,400 Speaker 1: a can of sardines spoil for a few days. Not 175 00:10:56,559 --> 00:10:59,240 Speaker 1: satisfied the food alone would do the trick, though, Red 176 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:02,600 Speaker 1: added shrap knoll and made it into a sandwich. All 177 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:06,560 Speaker 1: that metal would surely tear Mike's insides to ribbons. But 178 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:08,719 Speaker 1: he ate the sandwich and liked it so much that 179 00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:12,959 Speaker 1: he asked for another. Annoyed, the gang ditched their concoction 180 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:16,680 Speaker 1: of laced whiskey and upgraded to straight what alcohol. It 181 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:20,200 Speaker 1: was a death sentence for sure, but Mike proved them wrong. 182 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:24,440 Speaker 1: Months of free alcohol, alcohol that had killed upwards of 183 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:28,080 Speaker 1: fifty that are Americans, mind you, and Mike handled it 184 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:31,040 Speaker 1: like it was afternoon tea. For the members of the 185 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:42,880 Speaker 1: Murder Trust, it was time to get serious. It had 186 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:46,120 Speaker 1: been snowing hard that winter, but that didn't stop Mike 187 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:48,760 Speaker 1: from showing up for his daily round of free drinks. 188 00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:53,160 Speaker 1: The men came up with another plan. If the alcohol, 189 00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:56,840 Speaker 1: spoiled food, and shrapnel didn't kill him, then maybe a 190 00:11:56,920 --> 00:12:01,199 Speaker 1: New York winter could. One night, after Mike passed out, 191 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:04,319 Speaker 1: Tony and Frances lugged him into a car and drove 192 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:07,520 Speaker 1: to a nearby park. There they hauled him out, dragged 193 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:10,120 Speaker 1: him through multiple snow banks, and then laid him out 194 00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:13,520 Speaker 1: on a park bench. For good measure, they stripped off 195 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:16,160 Speaker 1: his shirt and doused him with five gallons of water. 196 00:12:17,280 --> 00:12:21,240 Speaker 1: Mike never woke up through the whole process. Good riddance, 197 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:23,600 Speaker 1: the men thought, as they left him there to die, 198 00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:26,960 Speaker 1: and someone would find just another homeless drunk frozen to 199 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:30,640 Speaker 1: death on the bench tomorrow. With the deed completed, the 200 00:12:30,679 --> 00:12:34,199 Speaker 1: men went home. The following morning, Tony went into the 201 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:38,960 Speaker 1: speakeasy's basement for stock. They're resting on a cot, was Mike, 202 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 1: I have a wee bit of a chill, he said. 203 00:12:42,559 --> 00:12:45,040 Speaker 1: He went on to explain that he certainly had tied 204 00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:47,760 Speaker 1: one on the night before, in fact, had ended up 205 00:12:47,760 --> 00:12:50,560 Speaker 1: half naked on a park bench. The police had found 206 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:52,360 Speaker 1: him before he had caught his death of cold, and 207 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:55,600 Speaker 1: drove him to a welfare house. The good people there 208 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:58,040 Speaker 1: had supplied him with new clothing, and then had walked 209 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:02,000 Speaker 1: the quarter mile back to Tony's speak easy. By this time, 210 00:13:02,200 --> 00:13:05,320 Speaker 1: Tony was in a hot blooded rage. He'd go bankrupt 211 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:09,440 Speaker 1: with Mike drinking so much so a week later, Tony 212 00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:12,760 Speaker 1: did what any desperate scumbag in his situation would do. 213 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:17,320 Speaker 1: He hired a hit man. At first, he tried to 214 00:13:17,400 --> 00:13:20,800 Speaker 1: hire a professional, but the guy proved too steep, so 215 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:24,439 Speaker 1: the men asked another speakeasy regular, one Eddie Smith, if 216 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:27,960 Speaker 1: he would do the job. Eddie seemed a logical choice 217 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:32,360 Speaker 1: to his shady reputation was well known. All he needed 218 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:34,640 Speaker 1: to do was run down Mike with his car and 219 00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:38,680 Speaker 1: they'd pay him two hundred dollars cash. Eddie listened, but 220 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:43,080 Speaker 1: ultimately walked away from the offer undaunted. The members of 221 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:46,319 Speaker 1: the Murder Trust tried a third time, finding success with 222 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:50,840 Speaker 1: a cab driver named Harry Green known as Hershey. This time, 223 00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:53,720 Speaker 1: the men dropped the price a hundred and fifty dollars 224 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:57,600 Speaker 1: for the hit, and Hershey still took the offer. The 225 00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:00,480 Speaker 1: following night, Tony and the others loaded Mike up with 226 00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:04,319 Speaker 1: the usual drink until he blacked out. Then Tony, Francis 227 00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:06,040 Speaker 1: and her She took Mike for a ride in the 228 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:09,040 Speaker 1: back of the cab. They drove to a dark side 229 00:14:09,040 --> 00:14:11,360 Speaker 1: street and tossed him out into the middle of the road, 230 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:14,360 Speaker 1: and then her She drove down the road and circled 231 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:17,880 Speaker 1: back with the cab bearing down on him. Mike woke 232 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,760 Speaker 1: up and got to his feet. The cab struck him, 233 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:23,880 Speaker 1: sending him onto the sidewalk. Her She turned the cab 234 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:27,200 Speaker 1: around and came at his target again. Mike dodged the 235 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:30,160 Speaker 1: cab a second time, though so her She circled around 236 00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:34,440 Speaker 1: once more. Mike, teetering on his feet, managed to leap 237 00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:37,320 Speaker 1: out of the way again. On the fourth round, her 238 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:40,680 Speaker 1: She hit the gas and barreled toward Mike. His body 239 00:14:40,760 --> 00:14:44,120 Speaker 1: thudded heavily against the cab, rolled over the hood, and 240 00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:47,640 Speaker 1: landed behind the vehicle with a softer but audible thud. 241 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:51,520 Speaker 1: But her she wasn't done yet, Oh no. He wanted 242 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:53,800 Speaker 1: to make sure Mike wasn't coming back from this one, 243 00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:56,360 Speaker 1: and of course there was a hundred and fifty dollars 244 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:59,840 Speaker 1: at stake, so he threw the cab into reverse and 245 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:03,720 Speaker 1: backed over Mike. Hershey then pulled over and they all 246 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:07,560 Speaker 1: got out. They had to be sure as they approached 247 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:10,680 Speaker 1: to get a better look, though headlights shone from down 248 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:13,800 Speaker 1: the street. The three men jumped back in the cabin 249 00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:16,360 Speaker 1: took off, leaving the driver of the other car to 250 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:20,240 Speaker 1: either run Mike over again or at least discover his body. 251 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:23,560 Speaker 1: Either way, the deed was done and in a day 252 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:27,840 Speaker 1: or two they'd file for the insurance. Days went by 253 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:30,840 Speaker 1: with no sign of Mike. Nothing in the newspapers either, 254 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:35,040 Speaker 1: although that wasn't definitive proof. After all, Mike was a 255 00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:38,280 Speaker 1: homeless drunk. Maybe the papers didn't feel that his loss 256 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:42,200 Speaker 1: was very newsworthy. And this is why our group of 257 00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:47,560 Speaker 1: co conspirators were panicking that January evening in three. Mike's 258 00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:50,080 Speaker 1: body hadn't shown up at any funeral home, nor at 259 00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:53,760 Speaker 1: any morgue that Tony contacted, nor even the hospitals. And 260 00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:57,920 Speaker 1: no body meant no proof Mike was dead. No death certificate, 261 00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:02,320 Speaker 1: no insurance payout. As Red poured the drinks, they frantically 262 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:07,400 Speaker 1: discussed their options. Francis suggested finding some other drunk, any drunk, 263 00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:10,680 Speaker 1: who they could pass off as Mike, But as the 264 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:14,320 Speaker 1: men lamented how complicated things had become, the door opened 265 00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:19,400 Speaker 1: and Mike limped into the bar. Astounded and curious, they 266 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:22,480 Speaker 1: listened to his story. Mike told them that he had 267 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:25,000 Speaker 1: been in the hospital. A card hit him and had 268 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:27,480 Speaker 1: him bad, he said, and for the life of him, 269 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:30,640 Speaker 1: he couldn't recall much of it. He had no idea 270 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:32,760 Speaker 1: how he had gotten to the side street, or how 271 00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:35,320 Speaker 1: had managed to get hit so hard. He had a 272 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:39,440 Speaker 1: fractured skull, a concussion, and a broken shoulder. All he 273 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:44,680 Speaker 1: knew was just how darn lucky he was to be alive. Now, 274 00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:47,760 Speaker 1: at this point, you'd think the gang would just give up, 275 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:50,960 Speaker 1: cancel the policy and the offer of free booze, and 276 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:54,120 Speaker 1: let Mike live out his days. The money they stood 277 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 1: to earn hardly seemed worth the risk anymore. But they 278 00:16:57,520 --> 00:17:00,000 Speaker 1: weren't going to give up now, not after all they'd 279 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:04,439 Speaker 1: been through. A showdown was coming. Mike Malloy was just 280 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:07,560 Speaker 1: another derelict drunk, and there is no way that allow 281 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:11,720 Speaker 1: him to outsmart them. So collectively, the members of the 282 00:17:11,800 --> 00:17:14,000 Speaker 1: Murder Trust decided that they needed to put an end 283 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:18,360 Speaker 1: to Mike once and for all. Besides, they had one 284 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:22,720 Speaker 1: more idea. No one could live forever, not even Mike. 285 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:39,080 Speaker 1: Mike got hammered on February twenty two, I mean blackout drunk. 286 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:43,360 Speaker 1: He had help, of course, Tony, Francis, Red and Daniel 287 00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:46,040 Speaker 1: were all there to challenge him to a drinking contest. 288 00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:49,159 Speaker 1: Mike could hardly turn down a little fun with his 289 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:54,360 Speaker 1: best friends, especially when it involved free drinks. Tony naturally 290 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:59,240 Speaker 1: drank whiskey, but Mike drank would alcohol, and naturally, Tony 291 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:01,800 Speaker 1: won the contest. When Mike keeled over at the bar 292 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:07,160 Speaker 1: out but still not dead. Then they lifted Mike off 293 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:09,919 Speaker 1: the floor, out the door and carried him down the 294 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:12,360 Speaker 1: street to a room they rented at a nearby hotel 295 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:16,240 Speaker 1: on Fulton. Once in the room, they dropped him on 296 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:19,480 Speaker 1: the floor. As Mike lay snoring, the men put a 297 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:22,199 Speaker 1: rubber hose into the side of his mouth, wrapped his 298 00:18:22,200 --> 00:18:24,359 Speaker 1: head in a towel, and connected the other end of 299 00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:27,440 Speaker 1: the hose to the gaslight. And then they turned on 300 00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:32,040 Speaker 1: the gas and waited. This time there was no escape. 301 00:18:32,880 --> 00:18:35,960 Speaker 1: It only took minutes from Mike the durable to die 302 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:40,480 Speaker 1: from carbon monoxide poisoning. After that, the four men lifted 303 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:43,359 Speaker 1: his lifeless body and put him in the bed. With 304 00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:46,960 Speaker 1: the job complete at last, they returned to the speakeasy, 305 00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:51,479 Speaker 1: where the entire gang celebrated their success. The next day, 306 00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:54,520 Speaker 1: they sent Red to the hotel. He feigned shock upon 307 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:58,920 Speaker 1: finding Mike's cold body. Francis called a doctor, a crooked one. 308 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:01,240 Speaker 1: They paid fifty dollars to write up a false report, 309 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:04,600 Speaker 1: and the doctor signed off on the death certificate. He 310 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:09,560 Speaker 1: listed the cause of death as pneumonia. Francis being the undertaker, 311 00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:13,640 Speaker 1: didn't bother embalming Mike, and just two days later they 312 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:16,040 Speaker 1: buried him in a twelve dollar pine box in a 313 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:21,080 Speaker 1: pauper's grave plot in Westchester County's Ferncliff Cemetery. No fanfare, 314 00:19:21,320 --> 00:19:25,680 Speaker 1: no special funeral, no one mourning at his graveside. At 315 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:29,159 Speaker 1: long last, the gang was rid of Mike without wasting 316 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:32,080 Speaker 1: another moment. They filed for the payout, but the insurance 317 00:19:32,119 --> 00:19:34,159 Speaker 1: company told them they'd have to wait a week between 318 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:37,879 Speaker 1: Mike's death and sending the check. Oh and there was 319 00:19:37,920 --> 00:19:41,280 Speaker 1: one more catch. They also wanted to see the body. 320 00:19:43,119 --> 00:19:45,560 Speaker 1: Mike may have been a drunk and forgettable to some, 321 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:50,120 Speaker 1: but not everyone. The insurance agent thought Mike's quick burial 322 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:53,400 Speaker 1: was suspicious and withheld the money until an inquiry could 323 00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:56,960 Speaker 1: be conducted. And the insurance agent wasn't the only one 324 00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:00,399 Speaker 1: who was on to the gang. You see, during card 325 00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:03,520 Speaker 1: games and drinks and other Bronx bars, people had been 326 00:20:03,520 --> 00:20:07,080 Speaker 1: talking about the man who refused to die. That heard 327 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:10,600 Speaker 1: it firsthand from Tony's regulars. It seems that bits and 328 00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:14,240 Speaker 1: pieces of the murder Trust gang's conversations had been overheard 329 00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:20,000 Speaker 1: at the small speakeasy. And then there was the cab driver, Hershey. 330 00:20:20,600 --> 00:20:23,159 Speaker 1: The gang had stiffed him, paying just twenty dollars of 331 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:27,000 Speaker 1: the hundred and fifty that they owed him. Disgruntled insiders 332 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:30,760 Speaker 1: are always likely to talk, and talk he did, not 333 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:34,040 Speaker 1: to the police, of course, but to just about everyone else. 334 00:20:34,760 --> 00:20:37,960 Speaker 1: Even the professional hit man chimed in, telling patrons and 335 00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:40,879 Speaker 1: various bars that had been approached to kill Mike, but 336 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:45,760 Speaker 1: Tony and the others couldn't afford him. Before long, everyone 337 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:48,840 Speaker 1: in the area along Third Avenue was talking about Mike 338 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:52,119 Speaker 1: the Durable. The story was so incredible that even the 339 00:20:52,160 --> 00:20:54,800 Speaker 1: beat cops had caught wind of it, and one of 340 00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:59,040 Speaker 1: them passed the story along to a homicide detective. After 341 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:02,160 Speaker 1: a little sleuthing, the detective realized this wasn't some off 342 00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:05,880 Speaker 1: the wall fabrication, and he contacted the Bronx's district attorney. 343 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:10,280 Speaker 1: Before long, Mike's death was under investigation from the insurance 344 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:14,960 Speaker 1: company and the Bronx authorities. Meanwhile, the talk on the 345 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:18,560 Speaker 1: street set the gang on edge. Joe Maglione and Tony 346 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:21,439 Speaker 1: Bastone got into a heated argument one night over how 347 00:21:21,520 --> 00:21:24,920 Speaker 1: much Bastone's part in the scheme was worth. Joe felt 348 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:28,879 Speaker 1: sixty five dollars was fair. The men took it outside, 349 00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:33,159 Speaker 1: and with Red looking on, Joe shot and killed Bastone 350 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:36,320 Speaker 1: right there in front of the speakeasy. Both Red and 351 00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:39,080 Speaker 1: Joe were taken into custody by the police that night. 352 00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:43,760 Speaker 1: On May night, the d A had Mike's body exhumed. 353 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:47,439 Speaker 1: The coroner knew immediately that Mike hadn't died of pneumonia. 354 00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:52,520 Speaker 1: The color of his skin strongly suggested monoxide poisoning. An 355 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:57,000 Speaker 1: autopsy and toxicology reports soon proved this, and within two 356 00:21:57,080 --> 00:22:00,199 Speaker 1: days the four remaining members of the murder Trusts were 357 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:05,880 Speaker 1: arrested and indicted for murder. Police also arrested Harry Hershey 358 00:22:05,920 --> 00:22:09,760 Speaker 1: Greene and charged him with felonious assault, and the doctor 359 00:22:09,800 --> 00:22:12,679 Speaker 1: who had falsified the death certificate was arrested and charged 360 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:18,720 Speaker 1: as well. Upon their arrest, Tony Marino, Frances Pasqual, Daniel Kreisberg, 361 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:23,119 Speaker 1: and Red Murphy all pled insanity. When the judge didn't 362 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:26,080 Speaker 1: buy their plea, they turned on each other and then, 363 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:29,119 Speaker 1: in a last ditch effort to explain themselves blamed the 364 00:22:29,119 --> 00:22:32,520 Speaker 1: only dead member of their gang, Tony Bastone. He had 365 00:22:32,520 --> 00:22:34,720 Speaker 1: forced them into the plot and was a known gangster, 366 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:37,639 Speaker 1: They said, of course, it wasn't like he could defend 367 00:22:37,720 --> 00:22:42,159 Speaker 1: himself by this time, though. The badly botched insurance fraud 368 00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:45,520 Speaker 1: and murtyr scheme fooled no one, and honestly they had 369 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:47,840 Speaker 1: told so many lies who would believe them at this 370 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:51,639 Speaker 1: point it didn't work. All of them were charged with 371 00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:54,879 Speaker 1: Mike Malloy's death, except for Joe, who was already facing 372 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:58,480 Speaker 1: charges for the murder of Baston. Joe was found guilty 373 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:01,600 Speaker 1: of that crime and sentence to fifteen years in prison. 374 00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:06,000 Speaker 1: Despite the mountain of evidence. He proclaimed his innocence to 375 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:08,919 Speaker 1: the bitter end, saying it had only killed Bastone in 376 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:27,040 Speaker 1: self defense. The others, however, met a different fate. The 377 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:30,080 Speaker 1: d A sought the death penalty for Mike Malloy's murder, 378 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:33,320 Speaker 1: and the jury spent little time seeing through the men's lives. 379 00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:38,560 Speaker 1: They were quickly found guilty, and Tony Marino, Francis Pasqual, 380 00:23:38,840 --> 00:23:42,320 Speaker 1: Daniel Kreisberg, and Red Murphy were all sentenced to the 381 00:23:42,320 --> 00:23:46,760 Speaker 1: sing Sing Correctional Facility to await their execution. Justice had 382 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:51,600 Speaker 1: finally come for Mike malloy. In the summer of ninety four, 383 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:54,320 Speaker 1: all four of the men were sent to the electric chair, 384 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:58,160 Speaker 1: and as of highlighting the resilience of Mike, the durable, 385 00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:01,800 Speaker 1: the chair known as Old Barque, was successful. Like killing 386 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:05,119 Speaker 1: the members of the Murder Trust on the first try. 387 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:09,520 Speaker 1: Mike is gone, of course, but he's not forgotten. He 388 00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:12,879 Speaker 1: was reburied, and his story lives on in history, not 389 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:16,159 Speaker 1: only for being the most tenacious of murder victims, but 390 00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:18,720 Speaker 1: also for becoming the first death that the New York 391 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:23,800 Speaker 1: Medical Examiner's Office ever investigated. Mike lived a hard life, 392 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:27,439 Speaker 1: that much is true. But even though the Murder Trust 393 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:30,920 Speaker 1: killed him, he still managed to outsmart the people who 394 00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:35,280 Speaker 1: called themselves as friends. Despite their plotting, their lies, and 395 00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:39,000 Speaker 1: their deception, Mike could have offered them one piece of advice. 396 00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:43,600 Speaker 1: Honesty isn't always enjoyable, but it's a lot easier than 397 00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:49,200 Speaker 1: the alternative. Deception. You see, is hard work, and that's 398 00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:57,040 Speaker 1: the truth. We can all raise a glass too. There's 399 00:24:57,080 --> 00:24:59,960 Speaker 1: more to this story. Stick around after this brief sponsor 400 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:09,280 Speaker 1: break to hear all about it. The Prohibition era lasted 401 00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:13,480 Speaker 1: from ninety three. It was an attempt by the government 402 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:17,800 Speaker 1: to reduce crime, improved family life, and prevent industrial accidents, 403 00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:21,919 Speaker 1: among other things. After all, statistics showed that the average 404 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:24,600 Speaker 1: man drank half a pint of whiskey a day, and 405 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:28,320 Speaker 1: since it was so readily available and cheap, alcoholism was 406 00:25:28,359 --> 00:25:31,560 Speaker 1: on the rise, but the US was making a lot 407 00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:35,880 Speaker 1: of money off of taxing alcohol. People found a solution though, 408 00:25:36,359 --> 00:25:40,960 Speaker 1: running everything underground and paying off the politicians, judges, and police. 409 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:45,280 Speaker 1: And while the materials used by most bootleggers were tainted 410 00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:49,439 Speaker 1: to reduce the allure, it didn't stop people. And it 411 00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:52,800 Speaker 1: turns out that even while Congress was voting to ban alcohol, 412 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:57,200 Speaker 1: it was thriving in the city around them. Some estimates 413 00:25:57,200 --> 00:25:59,719 Speaker 1: put the number of speakeasies in Washington, d C. At 414 00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:02,560 Speaker 1: that time at around three thousand, and they were close 415 00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:06,000 Speaker 1: to five thousand bootleggers working to make and sell the stuff. 416 00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:10,800 Speaker 1: The biggest supplier to those on Capitol Hill was George Cassidy, 417 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:13,440 Speaker 1: also known as the Man with the Green Hat due 418 00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:16,600 Speaker 1: to the green felt hat he always wore. He had 419 00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:20,080 Speaker 1: become DC's most prolific bootlegger after his return from World 420 00:26:20,119 --> 00:26:23,960 Speaker 1: War One, all while serving a very small highly select 421 00:26:24,119 --> 00:26:30,000 Speaker 1: number of clients members of Congress. Like many bootleggers, George 422 00:26:30,080 --> 00:26:34,400 Speaker 1: didn't go completely unscathed. He was eventually busted for supplying 423 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:37,840 Speaker 1: liquor and was sentenced to eighteen months in jail, but 424 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:41,720 Speaker 1: he never spent a single night there. You see, every 425 00:26:41,760 --> 00:26:44,120 Speaker 1: evening he would check out of his cell, go home 426 00:26:44,119 --> 00:26:46,800 Speaker 1: to his business, sleep in his own bed, and then 427 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:52,439 Speaker 1: check back into jail in the morning and George's clients. Unsurprisingly, 428 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:56,960 Speaker 1: not a single member of Congress was ever charged. During 429 00:26:57,000 --> 00:26:59,879 Speaker 1: the days as he served his sentence, George had a 430 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:03,000 Speaker 1: lot of time on his hands, so in October of 431 00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:07,160 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty he wrote detailed notes on his dealings with Congress. 432 00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:10,719 Speaker 1: He never named a single politician, though he was a 433 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:16,080 Speaker 1: proper gentleman after all. Still, it wouldn't take much speculation 434 00:27:16,240 --> 00:27:21,040 Speaker 1: to uncover those names. You see. By George's account, of 435 00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:24,520 Speaker 1: Congress were drinkers of hard alcohol despite what they voted for, 436 00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:27,880 Speaker 1: and of course they got the good stuff, while most 437 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:30,480 Speaker 1: other Americans were left with the tainted stuff that could 438 00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:35,000 Speaker 1: kill them. Critics used George's findings and ran newspaper articles 439 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:38,320 Speaker 1: in the week before midterm elections that year, when all 440 00:27:38,359 --> 00:27:41,600 Speaker 1: the votes were in. The results showed just how disastrous 441 00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:44,120 Speaker 1: the confessions of the Man with the Green Hat had 442 00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:48,440 Speaker 1: been for supporters of prohibition. In fact, historians believe that 443 00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:50,720 Speaker 1: George and his notes might have even paved the way 444 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:54,119 Speaker 1: for repeal in the cases of the Murder Trust and 445 00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:58,040 Speaker 1: those hypocritical politicians. I think that this line from Sir 446 00:27:58,119 --> 00:28:01,359 Speaker 1: Walter Scott sums up the eam of both quite nicely. 447 00:28:02,440 --> 00:28:05,440 Speaker 1: Oh what a tangled web we weave when we first 448 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:09,680 Speaker 1: practice to to see. Oh and one more thing before 449 00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:13,439 Speaker 1: we go. While George Cassidy doesn't have a statue or 450 00:28:13,520 --> 00:28:16,720 Speaker 1: monument in d C, he does have a place dedicated 451 00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:21,280 Speaker 1: to him, a Gin distillery aptly named the Green Hat. 452 00:28:28,359 --> 00:28:32,399 Speaker 1: American Shadows is hosted by Lauren Vogelbaum. This episode was 453 00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:36,440 Speaker 1: written by Michelle Muto with researcher Robin Miniter, and produced 454 00:28:36,440 --> 00:28:40,960 Speaker 1: by Miranda Hawkins and Trevor Young, with executive producers Aaron Minky, 455 00:28:41,280 --> 00:28:44,800 Speaker 1: Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. To learn more about the show, 456 00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:48,239 Speaker 1: visit grim and mil dot com. For more podcasts from 457 00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:51,920 Speaker 1: My Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 458 00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:53,760 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts.