Mickey Duffy
Encyclopedia
Michael "Mickey" Duffy also known as John Murphy and George McEwen, was a Polish
-American
Atlantic City mobster and rival of Maxie "Boo Boo" Hoff during Prohibition
. He became one of the most famous and powerful beer bootleggers in Philadelphia.
, he changed his name to fit in well with the Irish
gangs in Philadelphia. Duffy became involved in petty theft and other misdemeanors during his youth before more serious crimes during his teenage years, including armed robbery and hijacking
prior to entering bootlegging
during Prohibition.
In May 1919, Duffy was arrested for assault
and battery
with intent to kill serving two years and eleven months at the Eastern State Penitentiary
in Philadelphia. Upon his release, Prohibition was law and organized crime
syndicates began smuggling
, making and selling illegal alcohol. He married Edith Craig shortly after his release.
possessing breweries in Philadelphia, Camden
, and South Jersey. Among his associates included former rival Max Hassell, Harry Green
, James Richardson
, Charles Bodine and Nicholas Delmore although he would be in frequent battle against rivals such as Hoff and the Bailey brothers throughout the decade.
During this time, Duffy expanded into legitimate businesses including owning of several prominent clubs, including the Perkin and the fashionable Club Cadix at 23rd and Chestnut streets in Philadelphia in 1924. He ran his bootlegging and numbers
businesses from the old Ritz-Carlton hotel. Duffy was shot three times leaving the Club Cadix late on the night of February 25, 1927 by Francis Bailey and Peter Ford. John Bricker, his bodyguard was killed, and Earl Brown, the club's doorman, was also wounded. Duffy was treated at Hahneman Hospital in Philadelphia and returned to his bootlegging business.
In the mid-1920s, Max "Boo-Boo" Hoff, a fight manager, controlled bootlegging in Philadelphia until a 1928 grand jury ended his career. With Hoff gone, Duffy took over the illicit beer racket in Philadelphia. Duffy's violent methods brought him into conflict with Reading
-based bootlegger Max Hassel. Along with Waxey Gordon
, Haseel controlled a number of breweries in Pennsylvania and Northern New Jersey. The aggressive Duffy forced his way into the lucrative Jersey territory forcing Hassel to hand over a brewery to him.
Duffy earned great profits from both beer and numbers
businesses that by 1930 he had built a mansion for himself and his wife Edith in Penn Wynne, Pennsylvania
. Duffy's home was on the Penn Wynne side of City Line across from 77th Street. Built by McWilliams & Maloney in the style of a Mediterranean villa, the structure had white with green satyrs on the sides with black palm trees painted on the facade.
Following the death of John Finiello, an agent of the Bureau of Prohibition
killed during a September 19, 1930 raid on one of Duffy's breweries in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, local authorities began cracking down of Duffy's criminal operations causing some animosity among his partners including his bodyguard and chauffeur Joseph Beatty.
Within several months, two individuals alleged to have been involved, Samuel E. Grossman and Albert Skale, were gunned down at a club on Watts Street and Girard Avenue
in December 1931 beginning a wave of violence among various factions among the Philadelphia underworld.
Duffy's funeral was an event. Thousands of people flocked to the cemetery but a police line kept them outside of the entrance gate. Friends and family of Duffy required a special pass to enter.
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Atlantic City mobster and rival of Maxie "Boo Boo" Hoff during Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
. He became one of the most famous and powerful beer bootleggers in Philadelphia.
Career
Born William Michael Cusick to Polish immigrants in Grays Ferry, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaGrays Ferry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Grays Ferry, also known as Gray's Ferry, is a neighborhood in South Philadelphia bounded by 25th Street on the east, the Schuylkill River on the west, Vare Avenue on the south, and Grays Ferry Avenue on the north. The section of this neighborhood west of 34th Street is also known as The Forgotten...
, he changed his name to fit in well with the Irish
Irish Mob
The Irish Mob is one of the oldest organized crime groups in the United States, in existence since the early 19th century. Originating in Irish American street gangs of the 19th century — depicted in Herbert Asbury's 1928 book The Gangs of New York — the Irish Mob has appeared in most...
gangs in Philadelphia. Duffy became involved in petty theft and other misdemeanors during his youth before more serious crimes during his teenage years, including armed robbery and hijacking
Truck hijacking
Truck hijacking is the taking of a truck: normally for the consignment being carried, by force, or the threat of force to the driver....
prior to entering bootlegging
Bootlegging (business)
In economics and business administration literature, Kenneth E. Knight introduced the notion bootlegging in 1967. Bootlegging is defined as research in which motivated individuals secretly organize the innovation process. It usually is a bottom-up, non-programmed activity, without the official...
during Prohibition.
In May 1919, Duffy was arrested for assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
and battery
Battery (crime)
Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the fear of such contact.In the United States, criminal battery, or simply battery, is the use of force against another, resulting in harmful or offensive contact...
with intent to kill serving two years and eleven months at the Eastern State Penitentiary
Eastern State Penitentiary
The Eastern State Penitentiary is a former American prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located on 2027 Fairmount Avenue between Corinthian Avenue and North 22nd Street in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia and was operational from 1829 until 1971...
in Philadelphia. Upon his release, Prohibition was law and organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
syndicates began smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
, making and selling illegal alcohol. He married Edith Craig shortly after his release.
Rise to power
By the early 1920s, Duffy had become one of the most dominant bootleggers in the Delaware ValleyDelaware Valley
The Delaware Valley is a term used to refer to the valley where the Delaware River flows, along with the surrounding communities. This includes the metropolitan area centered on the city of Philadelphia. Such educational institutions as Delaware Valley Regional High School in Alexandria Township...
possessing breweries in Philadelphia, Camden
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
, and South Jersey. Among his associates included former rival Max Hassell, Harry Green
Harry Green
Henry Harold "Harry" Green was a British long-distance runner. He gained recognition by winning the London Poly in 1911 and setting a world's best in the marathon on 12 May 1913 with a time of 2:38:16.2 in London...
, James Richardson
James Richardson
James Richardson may refer to:*James Richardson , Canadian businessman, Chief Marketing Officer of Cisco Systems*James Richardson , British...
, Charles Bodine and Nicholas Delmore although he would be in frequent battle against rivals such as Hoff and the Bailey brothers throughout the decade.
During this time, Duffy expanded into legitimate businesses including owning of several prominent clubs, including the Perkin and the fashionable Club Cadix at 23rd and Chestnut streets in Philadelphia in 1924. He ran his bootlegging and numbers
Numbers game
Numbers game, also known as a numbers racket, policy racket or Italian lottery, is an illegal lottery played mostly in poor neighborhoods in the United States, wherein a bettor attempts to pick three digits to match those that will be randomly drawn the following day...
businesses from the old Ritz-Carlton hotel. Duffy was shot three times leaving the Club Cadix late on the night of February 25, 1927 by Francis Bailey and Peter Ford. John Bricker, his bodyguard was killed, and Earl Brown, the club's doorman, was also wounded. Duffy was treated at Hahneman Hospital in Philadelphia and returned to his bootlegging business.
In the mid-1920s, Max "Boo-Boo" Hoff, a fight manager, controlled bootlegging in Philadelphia until a 1928 grand jury ended his career. With Hoff gone, Duffy took over the illicit beer racket in Philadelphia. Duffy's violent methods brought him into conflict with Reading
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
-based bootlegger Max Hassel. Along with Waxey Gordon
Waxey Gordon
Waxey Gordon was an American gangster who specialized in bootlegging and illegal gambling. An associate of Arnold Rothstein during prohibition he was caught up in a power struggle following his death...
, Haseel controlled a number of breweries in Pennsylvania and Northern New Jersey. The aggressive Duffy forced his way into the lucrative Jersey territory forcing Hassel to hand over a brewery to him.
Duffy earned great profits from both beer and numbers
Numbers game
Numbers game, also known as a numbers racket, policy racket or Italian lottery, is an illegal lottery played mostly in poor neighborhoods in the United States, wherein a bettor attempts to pick three digits to match those that will be randomly drawn the following day...
businesses that by 1930 he had built a mansion for himself and his wife Edith in Penn Wynne, Pennsylvania
Penn Wynne, Pennsylvania
Penn Wynne is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Lower Merion Township, and the mailing address is Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. The population was 5,697 at the 2010 census. It is mainly a residential area...
. Duffy's home was on the Penn Wynne side of City Line across from 77th Street. Built by McWilliams & Maloney in the style of a Mediterranean villa, the structure had white with green satyrs on the sides with black palm trees painted on the facade.
Following the death of John Finiello, an agent of the Bureau of Prohibition
Bureau of Prohibition
The Bureau of Prohibition was the federal law enforcement agency formed to enforce the National Prohibition Act of 1919, commonly known as the Volstead Act, which backed up the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution regarding the prohibition of the manufacture, sale, and transportation...
killed during a September 19, 1930 raid on one of Duffy's breweries in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, local authorities began cracking down of Duffy's criminal operations causing some animosity among his partners including his bodyguard and chauffeur Joseph Beatty.
Death
While staying at the Ambassador Hotel in Atlantic City, Duffy was shot to death by unknown assailants on August 31, 1931. Although the case remained unsolved, it was suspected by authorities at the time that the alleged assailants may have been associates who had been disgruntled with Duffy and had conspired to seize control of Duffy's bootlegging operations.Within several months, two individuals alleged to have been involved, Samuel E. Grossman and Albert Skale, were gunned down at a club on Watts Street and Girard Avenue
Girard Avenue
Girard Avenue is a major east-west thoroughfare in Philadelphia that forms sections of U.S. Route 13 and U.S. Route 30 and is named for Franco-American financier Stephen Girard. It stretches through several major neighborhoods of Philadelphia, including West Philadelphia, Fishtown, Kensington, and...
in December 1931 beginning a wave of violence among various factions among the Philadelphia underworld.
Duffy's funeral was an event. Thousands of people flocked to the cemetery but a police line kept them outside of the entrance gate. Friends and family of Duffy required a special pass to enter.