Michael Malloy MUST DIE  — The Irish Rasputin of the BronxOnce upon a time during Prohibition

Michael Malloy MUST DIE  — The Irish Rasputin of the BronxOnce upon a time during Prohibition in New York City, there lived an Irish immigrant named Michael Malloy who had a serious drinking problem.  Every morning, early in the morning until late at night, Malloy would frequent a nearby speakeasy (illegal bar) often spending the entire day binge drinking until completely inebriated. No one knew much about him except that he was Irish due to his heavy accent. Even his age was unknown. Most guessed he was in his 60′s or 70′s, he certainly looked old due to hard living. Over time Malloy became a problem for the speakeasy’s owner, Tony Marino (pictured above, left) as Malloy was broke and would hardly ever pay his tab. Marino’s friend, Francis Pasqua (above right) suggested a dark and morbid solution to Marino’s problem. Pasqua was an undertaker who also lived a double life as a con man. He suggested to Marino that they take out insurance policies on Malloy, then murder him while making it look like an accident, then collect on the insurance policies. Pasqua himself had done the same when he befriended a homeless woman with the promise of a hot meal and warm bed, then forced alcohol down her throat, doused her with water and left her out in the cold to die.  With this murderous scheme he collected $2,000. Marino agreed to the plot. After all how hard could it be? Malloy was seemingly an old man and alcoholic who looked like he could keel over at any moment. He had no friends or family, no one really knew him.  It seemed like killing Michael Malloy would indeed be a simple task.  Marino brought on others into the scheme; Joseph Murphy and Daniel Kriesberg, a group which would become known as “The Murder Trust”.In January of 1933 The Murder Trust began their plot to murder Malloy by inducing him to drink himself to death.  Marino told Malloy he now had unlimited credit, and could drink as much as he wanted without restriction. For several days Malloy went on a drinking binge, drinking as fast as the drinks could be poured. Everyday Malloy would return no less for wear exclaiming, “top o’ the morning boys, gimme more of th’ ole regular!”  After a few weeks the cost of the booze was adding up and it was clear that The Murder Trust needed to try something more drastic.There next scheme involved them poisoning Malloy with wood alcohol.  Also known as methanol, it is a form of alcohol that is extremely toxic, unlike ethanol, which is the potable form of alcohol (somewhat).  During Prohibition, since alcoholic beverages were illegal, many forms of liquor came from unscrupulous and shady underground suppliers who supplied bad booze.  As a result methanol poisoning was common during Prohibition, and Malloy’s death would not seem unusual.  The Murder Trust began serving Malloy cocktails tainted with wood alcohol.  After several days with no results, they began serving Malloy straight up shots of wood alcohol.  At one point Malloy passed out and fell out of his chair.  Excitedly the Trust checked his vital signs, but were disappointed to find he was only asleep.  The next day he arrived early in the morning, requesting more drinks.The Trust tried other poisoning methods; antifreeze, turpentine, rat poison, all with no affect. Pasqua fed him oysters soaked in wood alcohol. Marino fed him a sandwich of spoiled sardines and metal shavings. No dice. After poisoning, the group tried to stage a car accident where they dropped him off in the middle of the street while he was inebriated, rounded the block, and then tried to run him down with a car.  On the first two attempts Malloy jumped out of the way. On the third the group slammed into him at 45 MPH, leaving him crumpled at the side of the road.  The next morning Malloy arrived to the bar covered in bandages, explaining he had no idea what happened last night, but had awoken in the hospital.  He left the hospital against medical advice so he could come back to his old hangout and have a drink. After the failed car accident attempt, the Trust decided on a method most extreme.  Once inebriated the Murder Trust took Malloy to a local park during a cold snowy night, took his jacket, doused him in water, and left him to freeze to death. The next morning Malloy returned to the speakeasy complaining of a “wee chill” and that he could sure use a drink.The Murder Trust was finally able to kill Malloy on February 23rd, 1933, by stuffing a hose into his mouth and asphyxiating him with car exhaust.  While the death certainly didn’t look like an accident, Pasqua was able to bribe a coroner to list “accidental death” on his death certificate. One of the three insurance companies paid out for the death to the sum of $800.  However the other two insurance companies wanted to see the body, which had been quickly buried in a pauper’s grave. Suspicious, and hearing rumors of the death, the other insurance companies sent investigators to examine the case. Malloy’s body was exhumed and it was quickly realized that his death was due to foul play.  The four members of the Murder Trust were convicted of 1st Degree Murder, and were executed by electric chair at Sing Sing prison.  The story of Michael Malloy’s murder became headline news, and news of the trial and execution of the Murder Trust became a sensational topic, much like the OJ Simpson trial in the early 90′s.  Due to the die hard nature of his death and the lengths The Murder Trust had to take to kill him, he was often nicknamed “Iron Mike”, “Mike the Durable”, “The Irish Rasputin”, or “The Rasputin of the Bronx”. -- source link

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