Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times And Corruption of Atlantic City (49 page)

89   
“There never really was a second political party in Atlantic City … everyone was on the same team.”
Interview with Richard Jackson, confirmed by many, including Patrick McGahn Esq., Lori Mooney, Mildred Fox, and Harold Finkle Esq.

93   
“I went to my first World Series with Nucky … He sure knew how to have a good time.”
Interview with Murray Fredericks, Esquire.

94   The quote by the
retired detective
was made to me by a friend of Richard Jackson who requested anonymity.

96   
“Remember, there aren’t any cemeteries in Atlantic City—it’s an island.”
Interview with Richard Jackson.

97   The futile efforts of the Committee of One Hundred were reported on by Jack Alexander in “Boss on the Spot” in
The Saturday Evening Post
, August 26, 1939.

99   The “Seven Group” and Nucky Johnson’s involvement with Lucky Luciano is discussed in “Boss on the Spot,” Ibid.

100 
A hurried call to Nucky Johnson …
Martin A. Gosch and Richard Hammer,
The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano
, (Little, Brown and Company, 1974).

101 
1 told them there was business enough …
Kobler, Ibid., p.265.

102 The story of Nucky’s kidnapping by Tony “the Stinger” Cugino was reported on seven years later by Alexander Kendrick in the
Philadelphia Inquirer
on May 19, 1939. Despite the span of time between the incident and Kendrick’s news article, it is a credible story, especially given the company that Nucky kept.

Chapter 6: Hard Times for Nucky and His Town

The story of the investigation into Nucky Johnson’s empire, his indictment, and conviction are an epic. This chapter attempts to capture that story and relies on the formal report prepared by William E. Frank, the Special Agent assigned to lead the investigation. The report is entitled, “The Case of Enoch L. Johnson, a Complete Report of the Atlantic City Investigation.” Prepared by William E. Frank, Special Agent, Intelligence Unit, Treasury Department, and Joseph W. Burns, Special Assistant to the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. Notwithstanding the title, and the fact that it was written by FBI Agents, it’s an entertaining read.

Securing hard evidence on Nucky was a difficult task for the FBI. The agents faced many obstacles. The resistance was broad-based and represented most of the community. They received virtually no cooperation from anyone with knowledge of how Nucky’s empire was organized. As you read the report, you can feel the growing anxiety and near paranoia as they move closer to Nucky and are frustrated by rampant perjury and jury tampering. But for Joseph Corio’s carelessness it’s likely the FBI would never have had the evidence needed to obtain a conviction. The report is exciting stuff. I recommend Agent Frank’s report to anyone interested in the “nuts and bolts” of what it took to convict Nucky Johnson. The Report was completed in 1943. It is referred to hereinafter as
Report of W. E. Frank.

103 The confrontation between Nucky Johnson and Ralph Weloff was recounted to the author by Richard Jackson’s friend, a retired Atlantic City detective. He also told me that it was in the lobby of the Ritz that Nucky first made acquaintance with James Boyd. Boyd was Nucky’s protégé on administering the operations of the Republican organization. He got his start as a bellhop at the Ritz. This fact was confirmed by several persons.

104 
“Losin’ Prohibition really hurt …”
Interview with Patrick McGahn, Esquire, relating events told to him by his father.

104 
“A bartender I knew … all that trouble over a broad.”
Interview with Richard Jackson, confirmed by Patrick McGahn, Esquire. Rumors, and the myth that grew out of them, that “Two Gun Tommy Taggart” was somehow behind the charges against Nucky are without basis. Taggart was a loyal player in the Republican organization and despite his ambition, he would not have done anything to undermine Nucky’s power.

105 
“Hearst was tight with FDR …”
Interview with Richard Jackson, confirmed by Patrick McGahn, Esquire. Hearst’s newspapers had been critical of Nucky for years. And it’s true that they had more than one confrontation during the times Hearst was in town. With Nucky’s and Hearst’s fondness for the ladies what it was, the story of Hearst’s involvement is credible.

105 The wide-open nature of Atlantic City’s gambling operations is discussed in the
Report of W. E. Frank
, pp. 24–30.

105 The discussion of the details of the investigation into Nucky’s organization is derived from the
Report of W. E. Frank.

110 
“Joe Corio surprised everybody …”
Interview with Murray Fredericks, Esquire.

111 The discussion of the details of the investigation into Nucky’s organization is derived from the
Report of W. E. Frank.

113 
The whores hung in there—they were tough old girls.”
Interview with Richard Jackson.

113 
Nucky was Boss because he delivered …
Interview with Murray Fredericks, Esquire.

114 
Only the very best people went to Babette’s …
Interview with Mary Ill.

115 
“If you went to the corner store … a business wrote numbers.”
Interview with Richard Jackson.

116 The quote from Special Agent Frank at
Report of W. E. Frank,
p. 60.

121 
“We admit that we received money … we did not report for taxes.”
Walter Winne as quoted in
Report of W. E. Frank
, p. 136.

122 
“Nucky sure knew how to throw a party.”
Interview with Mary Ill.

Chapter 7: Hap

When I began my research, I perceived Hap Farley as a corrupt political boss who had contributed to the fall of Atlantic City. I quickly learned that my uninformed assessment of Farley’s career was naïve and that he could not be dismissed so easily. Frank Farley was a complicated person. There is no doubt he was deeply involved in the workings of a corrupt organization. He couldn’t have become and remained the boss any other way. But Hap was also a skillful legislator, tireless public servant always looking to improve his community, and a loyal friend. In many ways, he was a role model for an aspiring politician. Any attempt to measure him outside of the system in which he worked yields an incomplete portrait.

The transfer of power from Nucky Johnson to Frank Farley is a complex story involving many players. It required many interviews and follow-up discussions, after learning another piece to the puzzle, in order to confirm important details and pull together the entire story. In writing this portion of Chapter 7, I relied on the differing perspectives of both players and observers as told to me by Richard Jackson, Murray Fredericks, Frank Ferry, Robert Gasko, Bill Ross, Skinny D’Amato, Mary Ill, Florence Miller, Lori Mooney, Harold Finkle, and Patrick McGahn. I believe I’ve told the complete story.

126 
“What can I say? He liked boys, young boys.”
Interview with Paul “Skinny” D’Amato. Skinny D’Amato was an Atlantic City original. He was proud to have been a protégé of Nucky’s and had fond recollections of him. My interview of Skinny took place in his bedroom, in late afternoon, with him still in pajamas. He was in poor health at the time, and I have his nephew Paul D’Amato to thank for arranging the meeting.

126 
“What you had was a solid organization man.”
Interview with Murray Fredericks, Esquire.

127 
“If your uncle got locked up for being drunk … the ward leader would make sure he wasn’t convicted.”
Interview with Richard Jackson.

127 
“Here, take care of these.”
Interview with Richard Jackson.

127 
Taggart thought “everything was up for grabs …”
Interview with Paul “Skinny” D’Amato.

130 
“… Despite his politics, Hap thought that Nixon crowd were fools.”
Interview with the Honorable John Sirica. During my research, I learned that Farley and Judge Sirica had graduated from Georgetown Law School the same year. I wrote to him and asked if he recalled Hap. Much to my pleasant surprise I learned they had maintained their relationship over the years via telephone.

I interviewed Judge Sirica by phone. He loved talking about Farley and recalled what a great athlete Hap was. The judge laughed frequently, reminiscing about their many conversations over the years. Judge Sirica was the classic raconteur. He had an idiosyncratic figure of speech that he used frequently and which you wouldn’t expect to hear from such a learned person, “don’t cha see?” that was both disarming and endearing. Talking to him over the telephone was a treat. I can only imagine what it would have been like to have him over for dinner.

130 
“Whatever you do, do it thoroughly or don’t touch it.”
This quote is from “A Conversation with a Politician,” an interview of Hap Farley by Robert Hughey and Chick Yaeger. The interview was conducted several years before Farley’s death and is an excellent piece of oral history. It’s on videotape and is on file at the Library of Stockton State College. Anyone interested in Farley’s career should view it.

130 
“Hap was one of those kind, when you’re gonna do something, you’re gonna do that and nothing else.”
Interview with Murray Fredericks, Esquire. Dick Jackson and many others confirmed that from the moment you encountered Hap there was no mistaking his seriousness of purpose when it came to Atlantic City politics. There was nothing
casual
about a political alliance with Hap Farley. He wasn’t forgiving. If you betrayed him ever, or disappointed him one time too many, the alliance was over
permanently.

131 
“Hap’s people were poor, and the Feyls always thought their daughter was too good for him.”
Interview with Mary Ill. I have Bill Ross to thank for introducing me to Mrs. Ill. She was a delightful person and a wealth of information, not just about Farley but about Johnson and Kuehnle as well. Mary grew up with Hap and taught him how to dance. She met him in Philadelphia on weekends while he was a student at the University of Pennsylvania. They went to dance halls that charged a “dime a dance” to be on the floor. When they were teenagers, at his prompting, she passed love letters between Hap and Honey during their early courtship.

131 
“Honey was an alcoholic for as long as I knew her … It was like that most nights.”
Interview with Joseph Hamilton, confirmed by Mary Ill and others.

133 
“He was as smooth a glad-hander as ever lived …”
Interview with Richard Jackson.

135 
“Ripper Resolutions.”
Atlantic City Press
, May 22, 1942.

135 Farley’s representation of
George Goodman
was a skillful move in his efforts to succeed Nucky. I learned about it from Patrick McGahn, Esquire, and it was confirmed by Murray Fredericks, Esquire.

136 The discussion of Farley’s career as a legislator in Trenton is in substantial part the product of an interview with his colleague, Senator Wayne Dumont of Phillipsburg, Warren County. Senator Dumont was a gentleman from the old school. His bond with Farley was strong one, forged over many years of working together as legislators. He credited Farley with arranging to have Richard Nixon appear in New Jersey when the Senator ran, unsuccessfully, for governor. I met with Senator Dumont in his law office, and we had lunch together. He took his dog with him everywhere, including lunch. At one point in the interview he became tearful when reminiscing about his personal fondness for Hap Farley.

140 
“Hap’s agenda was always first.”
Interview with Senator Wayne Dumont.

145 
Kefauver’s Committee produced …
Final Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce, pursuant to S. Res. 202 (81st Congress) August 31, 1951.

147 
“Farley could never cultivate the Blacks the way Johnson had.”
Interview with Richard Jackson.

148 The several quotes concerning Jimmy Boyd’s role in Farley’s organization are based on an interview with Richard Jackson, confirmed by Bill Ross and Murray Fredericks, Esquire.

151 
“It was a strict system … you’d have to wait until there was.”
Interview with Richard Jackson.

151 The system guaranteed that
“if you were going to move up …”
Interview with Richard Jackson.

151 The story of Richard Jackson’s career is based on interviews with him. In hindsight, I now realize he should have been interviewed on videotape, as Hughey and Yaeger did with Farley. It would have been a valuable piece of oral history. I consider it a privilege and an honor to have known him.

Chapter 8: The Painful Ride Down

155 The incident regarding the photo of the dog—without Farley—was told to me by Frank Ferry, Esquire. Hap and Ferry were very close, comparable to father and son. He smiled sardonically as he told the story. There was no mistaking that Frank Ferry felt Hap had been treated badly in his final years.

157 
Today, aside from the conventioneers …
Time
magazine. August 31, 1964.

160 
Hotel services broke down …
Theodore H. White,
The Making of the President, 1964
, (Antheneum Publishers, 1965) at p. 290. As noted by White, more than 5,000 newspersons descended on Atlantic City in August 1964 for the Democratic National Convention. Instead of a
marker on the road back
, the Convention was a public relations disaster. The reports published and broadcast throughout the nation destroyed what was left of Atlantic City’s aura and revealed it for the beat town it was.

160 
Never had a town …
T. H. White, Ibid., p. 291.

161 
Of Atlantic City it may be written: Better it shouldn’t have happened …
T. H. White, Ibid., p. 289.