On The House

On The House: The Bizarre Killing of Michael Malloy

In the bleak Depression winter of 1933, Michael Malloy, a paralytic drunk who stumbled through life in a whiskey-induced haze, would prove to be a marvel of near-indestructibility. Obliviously thwarting multiple attempts on his life, Malloy — as reported in The New York Herald Tribune — survived "several rounds of wood alcohol, a dose of poisoned oysters, tainted sardines mixed with minced tin, an automobile assault and exposure to freezing weather." After Malloy finally succumbed and the bizarre case made the headlines, the late drunk became the toast of New York, a symbol of Depression-era resilience much like Seabiscuit.

Behind the brazen attempts on Malloy’s shabby existence was a gang dubbed the Murder Trust. The name, born in tabloid ink, implied slick precision and deadly skill, which was hardly the case. At the gang’s core was an inebriated bartender, a psychotic cabbie, a crooked undertaker, a green grocer and a speakeasy owner named Tony Marino. Malloy was a regular at Marino’s establishment in the Bronx. Here Marino and his crew hatched a plan to take out multiple life insurance policies on Malloy, then kill him for the cash. Malloy’s bizarre murder, Bronx District Attorney Samuel J. Foley would declare, represented "the most grotesque chain of events in New York criminal history."

Read an excerpt from On The House.

"On The House" IN STORES NOW! Also available from Amazon.com

Visit On The House on MySpace.


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On The House: The Bizarre Killing of Michael Malloy In the bleak Depression winter of 1933, Michael Malloy, a paralytic drunk who stumbled through life in a whiskey-induced haze, would prove to be a marvel of near-indestructibility. Obliviously thwarting multiple attempts on his life, Malloy — as reported in The New York Herald Tribune — survived "several rounds of wood alcohol, a dose of poisoned oysters, tainted sardines mixed with minced tin, an automobile assault and exposure to freezing weather." After Malloy finally succumbed and the bizarre case made the headlines, the late drunk became the toast of New York, a symbol of Depression-era resilience much like Seabiscuit. Behind the brazen attempts on Malloy’s shabby existence was a gang dubbed the Murder Trust. The name, born in tabloid ink, implied slick precision and deadly skill, which was hardly the case. At the gang’s core was an inebriated bartender, a psychotic cabbie, a crooked undertaker, a green grocer and a speakeasy owner named Tony Marino. Malloy was a regular at Marino’s establishment in the Bronx. Here Marino and his crew hatched a plan to take out multiple life insurance policies on Malloy, then kill him for the cash. Malloy’s bizarre murder, Bronx District Attorney Samuel J. Foley would declare, represented "the most grotesque chain of events in New York criminal history." Read an excerpt from On The House. "On The House" IN STORES NOW! Also available from Amazon.com Visit On The House on MySpace.