Just One More!

Michael Malloy is possibly the only hero to emerge from the prohibition era which plagued the United States between 1920 and 1933. This period witnessed the banning of the manufacturing and sale of alcohol throughout the US. Although against Federal Law, in the teeming cities in the Land of the Free it was relatively easy to still get your fix in one of the many shady, underground speakeasies which dotted the city. These illegal drinking dens were supplied by the ever growing organised crime mobs, which were headed by some of the most notorious names of the 1920s, including the infamous Al Capone.

 

The alcohol could be lethal. Federal authorities poisoned industrial alcohol which although could be distilled out there was a risk that some of the poison would remain. Distilling wood also became a deadly beverage, as it would often form into high levels of formaldehyde which could cause blindness and eventual death. . These lethal drinks were of particular danger to the workers of the industrial cities due to their low cost and availability. For the middle class and the high society party goers they could afford to either buy smuggled liquor or take a bottle from their own private stores.

 

Mike Malloy, a former fireman, became a regular visitor to one of New York’s many speakeasies where he would drink from the morning until he passed out. It was there he caught the attention of a local gang who decided he would be an easy target. They would take out life insurance policies against Malloy, encourage him to drink himself to death and then collect the pay-outs. A simple plan.

 

Firstly, the gang tried to get Malloy to drink himself to death. However they had grossly underestimated the amount Malloy could stand, so after a few weeks of drinking himself silly and singing the same bloody song the gang had to change their tactics. Next came the turn of poison. They laced his drink with car antifreeze causing Malloy to collapse. Thinking they had finally killed him, the gang dragged Malloys limp body to the back of the bar where they waited for him to die. To their surprise, an hour later Malloy was spotted back at the bar ready to quench his thirst. Over the next few days the gang tried stronger drinks of antifreeze, turpentine and horse liniment with rat position, but nothing could stop Malloy.

 

The gang stepped up their attempt at the demise of Malloy by first serving him raw oysters soaked in wood alcohol, a great killer of the prohibition era. After a further course of rotten sardines mixed with tin shavings Malloy seemed untouched by the concoction of the deadly seafood medley.  At this point the gang decided to take their efforts a step further by taking the rather drunken Malloy to Claremont Park, stripped of his coat, poured 5 gallons of water on him before dumping him on a snow bank in the middle of the bitter New York winter. Amazing however, the next evening Malloy walked back into the speakeasy ready for another drink.

 

It seemed nothing could kill Mike Malloy. In their next attempt the gang paid a cab driver $150 to run Malloy over. In his first attempt the cab driver missed as Malloy had staggered out of the road, but eventual Malloy was hit. The gang returned to the speakeasies waiting for official news of Malloy’s death, however after several weeks recovering in hospital under a different name Malloy returned once again to the bar. By this point, rather understandable the gang were growing impatient and so planned to directly kill Malloy. After a rigged drinking competition two of the gang dragged Malloy to a hotel room and attached a gas tube into the wall and then into Malloy’s mouth and left him to die. Unfortunately Malloy did not miraculously survive and return to the bar as he had done in the past but rather passed away and was buried without a wake in a $12 wooden box.

 

This was however not the end of Mike Malloy. The gang received the life insurance payments but due to loose ends and careless talk they all found themselves in the dock. The four gang members attempted a variety of defences including insanity, shifting blame but finally resided on accusing a former gang member who had died a month after Malloy. All of this was in vain and by 1934 all four had died in the electric chair at Sing Sing Prison which was described as ‘the states toast to old ‘Mike the Durable.’

 

Sources

Deborah Blum, ‘The Legend of Mike ‘The Durable’ Malloy, History Most Stubborn Murder Victim’, io9, 2012 < http://io9.gizmodo.com/5918834/the-legend-of-mike-the-durable-malloy-historys-most-stubborn-murder-victim&gt;

Karen Abbott, ‘The Man Who Wouldn’t Die’, < http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-man-who-wouldnt-die-89417903/?no-ist&gt;

Daily News, ‘The Durable Mike Malloy’, < http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/durable-mike-malloy-article-1.226396&gt;

Where can I get a drink around here?

Between 1920 and 1933 the United States banned all alcoholic liquor production and sale throughout the Nation. Although the 18th amendment restricted the flow of alcohol, the 1920s is still seen as the time of Jazz, the Charleston, sex and of course the wide spread popularity of the cocktail. This era would also see the rise of the criminal gangs who brought death and misery to the streets of the United States.

There were  ways around the alcohol restriction in the US which many people were all to ready to exploit. Smugglers found a rejuvenation of their trade and soon drink was following into the United States through Canada, Mexico and from the Caribbean. Alcohol was also produced in secret, not only by the gangs but also by the individual. Some middle class housewives made their own alcohol not because they couldn’t afford to buy it in, but rather for the sheer thrill of breaking federal law. The grape growers of the West and California feared the coming of the 18th amendment as they would lose their market for wine, but the rather intelligent members among them were soon to exploit new markets. The grape fruit juices found their way into the new cocktails which were gaining popularity across the US. More amazing the grape growers labelled their ‘raisin cakes’ with a label saying “Caution: will ferment and turn to wine” providing many Americans with a cheap wine making home kit.

The laws of the Volstead Act, which protect the 18th amendment, did allow any alcohol that was purchased before January 1st 1920 to be stored in the home and consumed. For much of the upper class society this meant they could fill their private cellars full of alcohol ready for the ensuing restriction. Some did take this to extraordinary levels though, the New York Yale club bought in so much alcohol that they had enough to serve their members for 15 years! For the rest of society however, bootleg gin and home made whiskey had to do. For many these often foul tasting spirits were drank neat but for some the cocktail became their saviour. By using fruit juices and citrus fruits the taste of the foul liquor could be masked, meaning a night of drinking bootleg liquor was a delight rather than an endeavour.

The halls of the Federal government were also plagued with corruption and alcohol. President Warren G Harding who took office in 1921 certainly didn’t keep to the rules of the country which he governed as his thirst for liquor didn’t stop with the introduction of the prohibition laws. But more bizarrely it was well know that in the cellars of Congress and the Senate huge stores of liquor were kept to fulfil the orders of them then men above.

 

Sources

Edward Behr, Prohibition The Thirteen Years that Changed America (London: BBC Books, 1997)

Mary Murphy, ‘Bootlegging Mothers and Drinking Daughters: Gender and Prohibition in Butte, Montana’, American Quarterly 2, 46 (1994) p. 185

Toy Trains At War!

Armoured train

Armoured train

Armoured train

 

The Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway (RH & DR) is a 15 inch gauge light railway which runs along the English Kent coat. The line is one of the smallest public railways in the world, the Wells and Walsingham line in Norfolk currently holds the prestigious title but the RH & DR heralds itself as the ‘Kent mainline in miniature.’ The line as well as providing services for the many tourist who visit, also offer a school train service for pupils during the term.

 

The Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway experience during the Second World War is of particular interest due to its obscurity. With its position along the Kent coat the line would have been the first to see German bombers fly overhead on their way to attack inland. In response the War Department requisitioned the line and unleased the world’s only armoured miniature train.  The armoured train consisted of a steal plated steam locomotive named the Hercules which was accompanied by two steel armoured bogie wagons which housed an anti-tank rifle and a Lewis gun in each, all manned by men of the Somerset Light Infantry. To get a sense of the rather bizarre sight of a miniature train armoured and carrying an arsenal of weapons, I refer you to the Pathe video and pictures attached. Although some may see this endeavour as smacks of desperation, it can be observed how the British home forces used all the tool available to hand. With its position along the coast and the ability to move swiftly it is perhaps reasonable to see why Britain mobilised a toy train in defence of its home territory.

 

When peace returned to the World the RH & DR returned to its civilian service, proclaiming its return in 1946 with a re-opening spectacular accompanied by the comedic duo of Laurel and Hardy. The pairs slap stick improvised routine was witnessed by thousands of people and was seen by many more through the short newsreel attached bellow. This bold show signalled the return of the light railway and although the line suffered from package holidays in the 1970s the line continues to survive providing tourists with a unique experience.

 

Sources

Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway official website, <http://www.rhdr.org.uk/about.html>

Narrow Gauge Pleasure, ‘The Romeney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway’, < http://www.narrow-gauge-pleasure.co.uk/railways/rlyromney.aspx>

Pictures taken from, ‘War in Toy land’ <https://m.warhistoryonline.com/featured/war-in-toyland-the-only-miniature-armored-train-in-the-world.html/2>