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words: Eve L. Beech
On August 19, 1996, James J. "Whitey" Bulger Jr. (September 3, 1929-) became the 458th Ten Most Wanted fugitive listed by the FBI. Wanted for racketeering, murder, conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit extortion, narcotics distribution, money laundering, conspiracy to commit money laundering and extortion, a bounty of $1 million was placed on his head. Whitey had established his own Irish mob, the "Winter Hill Gang", as the premier controller of all things fast and easy in Beantown.
Whitey was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, to well-respected Irish immigrants. Whitey's older brother, John "Jackie" Bulger, was convicted in 2003 of perjury to two grand juries regarding testimony he gave about contact with his fugitive brother while another brother, William "Billy" Bulger, formerly the President of the Massachusetts State Senate, in 2002 testimony before Congress, stated that his brother, James, was "vague" about the details of his criminal activities and he hoped the most brutal rumors about him would be proved false. In addition, he grudgingly admitted to visiting an isolated pay phone in order to speak to Whitey, who was by then a fugitive. As fall-out, Billy was forced by then Governor, now Presidential candidate, Mitt Romney to resign as president of the University of Massachusetts.
First arrested in 1943 at 13 for larceny, Whitey went on to be nabbed for assault & battery and armed robbery. In 1948, Bulger joined the United States Air Force and after completing basic training, he was stationed at the Smoky Hill Air Force Base in Salina, Kansas and later in Idaho. He spent time in the brig for a number of assaults and was arrested for going AWOL (his first experience with being on the lam). On August 16, 1952, he received an honorable discharge and returned to Massachusetts.
Upon his arrival back home, Bulger wasted no time in returning to his old activities. In 1952, he was involved in the hijacking of a liquor truck and, in 1955, Whitey and his gang robbed a string of banks in Rhode Island and Indiana. By 1956, a Federal warrant was issued for his arrest and, three months later, he was arrested, tried and sentenced. Some sources have alleged that his brother used his political influence to obtain his early release in 1965.
Upon release, Bulger worked as a janitor and then an enforcer for Donald Killeen, the boss of the top crime family in South Boston. In 1971, Donald Killeen's younger brother bit off the nose of Mickie Dwyer, a member of the rival Mullen Gang. A gangland war soon resulted, leading to a string of slayings throughout Boston and the surrounding suburbs. The Killeens quickly found themselves outgunned and outwitted by the younger Mullens.
Read the rest in SKUNK Volume 3, Issue 6
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