Bernard McLaughlin (1921 – October 31, 1961) was an American gangster from

Charlestown, Massachusetts Charlestown is the oldest neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. Originally called Mishawum by the Massachusett tribe, it is located on a peninsula north of the Charles River, across from downtown Boston, and also adjoins ...

, and leader of " The McLaughlin Brothers" gang.

Early life

Before Bernie formed his own crew he was a

loan shark A loan shark is a person who offers loans at extremely high interest rates, has strict terms of collection upon failure, and generally operates outside the law. Description Because loan sharks operate mostly illegally, they cannot reasonably ...

and enforcer for the Angiulo Brothers of the

North End, Boston The North End is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It has the distinction of being the city's oldest residential community, where Europeans have continuously inhabited since it was colonized in the 1630s. Though small, only , ...

. After the Irish gangs decided to break away from Italian control, Bernie and his brothers ( Edward "Punchy" McLaughlin and

George McLaughlin The Charlestown Mob was an Irish mob group in Charlestown, Boston, Charlestown, which figured prominently in the history of Boston, Massachusetts, Boston for much of the 20th century. The gang was headed by the McLaughlin brothers (Bernard " ...

(aka Little George, July 7, 1927 – January 2022) took over the rackets in and around

. They soon built a reputation as a fearsome crew, and carried out

contract killings Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...

for gangsters all over

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...

, including the

Patriarca crime family The Patriarca crime family (, ), also known as the New England Mafia, the Boston Mafia, the Providence Mafia, or The Office is an Italian-American American Mafia, Mafia crime family, family in New England. It has two distinct factions, one based ...

and the

Winter Hill Gang The Winter Hill Gang is a loose confederation of organized crime figures in the Boston, Massachusetts, area. The gang members and leadership are predominantly Irish-American and Italian-American descent. The organization itself derives its n ...

. He favoured carrying a sash weight wrapped in newspaper for breaking the arms and legs of delinquent debtors. George was a best friend of Harold Hannon, who was found strangled and beaten to death in Boston Harbor by McLean gang associates.

Precipitation of the Irish Gangs' War

Soon after, at a

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United ...

party on Salisbury Beach, George McLaughlin was badly beaten by two members of the Winter Hill Gang for drunkenly groping the girlfriend of mobster

Alex Rocco Alex Rocco (born Alessandro Federico Petricone Jr.; February 29, 1936 – July 18, 2015) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive, gravelly voice, he was often cast as villains, including Moe Greene in '' The Godfather'' (1972) and his ...

(then known as Alex 'Bobo' Petricone). Believing McLaughlin to be dead after the severe beating, the men loaded him into the car to dispose of his body. However, when they realized that he was still alive, they dumped him on a hospital lawn, and went to report to

boss

James "Buddy" McLean James Joseph McLean (January 26, 1930 – October 31, 1965) was an American mobster boss, who was the original boss of the Somerville, Massachusetts-based Winter Hill Gang during the 1960s. McLean was well known throughout the Greater Boston ar ...

. When Bernie was told about the chain of events by Buddy, at the time a friend of his, he demanded that Buddy turn over his two men. McLean allegedly said that George was "out of line" and refused to turn them over. Enraged, the McLaughlins wired a bomb under Buddy's family car that same night. When Buddy surprised them, they fled, but not before McLean recognized them. He was infuriated and immediately went looking for Bernie.

Murder and aftermath

In October 1961, Buddy McLean,

, and corrupt police officer Russell Nicholson found Bernie in front of the Morning Glory cafe in Charlestown and shot him dead. Despite the large crowd, not one witness agreed to violate the neighborhood

code of silence A code of silence is a condition in effect when a person opts to withhold what is believed to be vital or important information voluntarily or involuntarily. The code of silence is usually followed because of threat of force or danger to onesel ...

and the three went free. Soon afterwards, Russ Nicholson was taken from the street and murdered by Bernie's brothers Punchy and Georgie; McLean was killed in 1965; Rocco became an actor and died in 2015.

References

* English, T. J. ''Paddy Whacked: The Untold Story of the Irish American Gangster''. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2005.

External links

Bernie McLaughlin
{{DEFAULTSORT:McLaughlin, Bernard 1921 births 1961 deaths Gangsters from Boston American gangsters American crime bosses Mafia hitmen Murdered American gangsters of Irish descent People murdered by the Winter Hill Gang People murdered in Massachusetts Deaths by firearm in Massachusetts