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° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° War It all began with a trickle of blood dripping off a young thug’s face inside a quaint little cottage on Salisbury Beach at the northernmost tip of Massachusetts . Once it hit the ground, the trickle of blood formed a small stream that gained strength as it flowed southward, eventually growing into a raging river of red when it finally reached the streets Somerville and Charlestown. The war had been started over a woman. It is a story as old as time, as empires have been won and lost over the pursuit of softer flesh. There is nothing remotely romantic, however, about the incident that triggered the Irish mob war. It came down to two simple yet dangerous things—booze and broads. Amid the colorful backdrop of saltwater taffy shops, penny arcades, and waterfront pizza stands, a group of low-level Irish gangsters gathered to soak up the sun on their pale skin and drink into the wee hours of the morning. It was September 2, 1961, in the throes of the Labor Day weekend celebration, when twenty-twoyear -old Georgie McLaughlin of Charlestown demonstrated his liquid courage by reaching out and grabbing the breast of the attractive wife of Bill Hickey, a Somerville Teamster and associate of the local Winter Hill Gang. The wife did not appreciate the unwanted advance, and neither did her husband. Hickey and his Teamster buddy George “Red” Lloyd pounced on McLaughlin with flying fists, elbows, and knees. McLaughlin suffered a deep cut on his right cheek, but that was an overt sign that only hinted at more serious injuries. By the time the Teamsters were done with him, Georgie had also suffered a busted nose, broken jaw, and fractured elbow. He was unconscious, and neither Hickey nor Lloyd could find a pulse. The attackers feared McLaughlin was dead, and that was not good news. Georgie’s older brothers, Bernie and Punchy, ran the rackets in Charlestown and would no doubt seek revenge. Bernie McLaughlin was 8 And the wars go on with brainwashed pride° guns n’ roses 70° casey sherman a loanshark and leg breaker for Jerry Angiulo, while his brother Punchy was a psychotic former boxer who was prone to violence to settle even the most minor dispute. Hickey and Lloyd had to dispose of the body quickly, so they carried their victim out of the cottage and stuffed him in the backseat of a car. The men drove off in search of a quiet, out of the way spot to dump the body. They were driving along a desolate beach-side road with headlights dimmed when Georgie McLaughlin suddenly came back from the dead and popped his battered head up in the backseat. McLaughlin was dazed, confused, and mumbling to himself as he tried to gain his bearings. Hickey and Lloyd gave each other a concerned look as they jerked the car around and headed south. They drove to nearby Newburyport and pulled up to the entrance of Anna Jacques Hospital, where they spilled McLaughlin out of the backseat and onto the sidewalk near the entrance. The men then took off, hanging on to the faint hope that McLaughlin had been too drunk to remember what had happened and how he had ended up in the emergency room. When Georgie finally came around, his brothers were at his bedside seething with anger. Bernie and Punchy demanded to know who had not only beaten their brother in savage fashion but who had ultimately disrespected their crew. Georgie pointed the guilty finger at Hickey and Lloyd, who were both known associates of Winter Hill Gang leader James “Buddy” McLean. The McLaughlin brothers combed the streets of Somerville for several days looking for Lloyd and Hickey, who had both gone awOl from the neighborhood. Finally they approached Buddy McLean, a strapping six footer with an impish grin, and asked him for a favor. “I want you to help me set up these guys that beat up Georgie,” Bernie McLaughlin asked his Somerville counterpart.29 “Listen, I’m friends with you and I’m friends with those guys,” McLean tried to reason. “I don’t set up my friends.” “You’re still friends with those motherfuckers after what they did to Georgie?” Bernie asked, getting angrier by the minute. “From what I hear, Georgie was way outta line,” McLean countered. Buddy then told Bernie McLaughlin that he did not want to get involved. The cavalier statement made Buddy the enemy in Bernie McLaughlin’s eyes...

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