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EPISODE 5 TRANSCRIPTION

Welcome back to Line of Blood. I'm Jana Marcus. I'm recounting the sorted clues of two cold cases from the golden age of the New York gangster that I was determined to solve.

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This is Episode 5: Brooklyn's Finest.

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Well, we're back to continue sorting through the who and the why of my great uncle, Abe “Jew Murphy” Babchick's murder in 1940s New York City.

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So far, we've talked about mobsters, the relationship between Uncle Abe and Kid Twist Reles of Murder Incorporated.

We've talked about crooks, and the unbelievable situation where the Brooklyn Police and DA's office created the perfect fall guys for several open murder cases by blaming them on a dead thug, the Killer Beitler, and then falsely imprisoning his partner, Sam Kovner, at Sing Sing Prison. But then rewarding Sam's silence with both money and weekend partying in Manhattan.

This was crazy stuff, and it really got me digging even deeper to find out who was really pulling the strings and why.

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So now, let's talk about the authorities, the Brooklyn boys in blue and the District Attorney’s office.

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It’s late 2007. My father had been diagnosed with cancer, so I was staying close to home and burying myself in research. I was trying to grasp the law enforcement landscape in 1940s New York.

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I reached out to experts in the field. One of those was Alan Block, the renowned professor of criminology and Jewish studies at Penn State. He had written the only reference to Uncle Abe that I've ever been able to find in a published book. He mentioned Abe's murder in only a single paragraph, but he had written important and rather disturbing information about the authorities of that time period.

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I was eager to connect with Professor Block, but when I called, I found that he had Alzheimer's. His wife referred me to his research partner, Jeremiah McKenna, who had been the Assistant DA for Manhattan from 1958 to 1965 in the Organized Crime Bureau. But I was heartbroken yet again to find out that he also had Alzheimer's. Unfortunately, his wife put him on the phone with me, and when I mentioned Brooklyn in the 40s, he just started shouting, “Corrupt, corrupt, corrupt…” at the top of his lungs over and over again, until she finally took the phone back from him.

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 Well, I would continue to find out just how right he was.

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There was a cast of characters that kept showing up in everything I researched. These were detectives and district attorneys. The same guys were all involved in Sam Kovner's arrest and prosecution, the Malinsky murder trial, the Killer Beitler's death, Kid Twist Reles’ death. These were the same authorities, all involved in Uncle Abe's murder investigation as well. And you know what? They all worked for District Attorney William O'Dwyer. So let's find out about William O'Dwyer.

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Also known as Bill O., he had a remarkable career that began as a beat cop and then swiftly moved from lawyer to Kings County Court Judge to Brooklyn District Attorney and ultimately the Mayor of New York City.

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Well, as the district attorney in 1940, the biggest investigation to transpire during O'Dwyer's tenure was the Murder, Inc. arrests and convictions, and these were to fulfill his election promise to clean up Brooklyn.

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So O'Dwyer had questioned Uncle Abe several times in regards to Murder, Inc. He was well aware of Abe's stature as a policy king. Yet, after Abe's murder, O'Dwyer just called him a cheap punk, a nobody, who amounted to nothing.

He was really trying to minimize how powerful Abe really was. He also made Special Prosecutor John Harlan Amen's life absolutely miserable during the final years of his Brooklyn corruption investigation. He restricted him from exploring the murders of his witnesses and blocking his efforts to see important records and documents.

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What's interesting is that O'Dwyer's term as district attorney seems to have been a stepping stone of promotion for his police pals during his early days as a beat cop. He placed his close-knit group of comrades into higher and higher positions of power as his own political career skyrocketed.

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Some of these comrades I want you to remember. They appeared in every case I was researching, and they're going to come up again later. These include Homicide Chief John J. McGowan, Assistant District Attorney Edward Heffernan, Captain Frank Bals, and DA Clerk James J. Moran.

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Now on the surface, these men seemed like really stoic members of the justice system. But they were in fact much more dangerous than their public personas appeared. Some of these men had already been fired or even demoted from positions. But when O'Dwyer got into power, he either promoted them back into the same positions or into yet even higher ones. It's amazing that this happened, but it did.

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So first up is John J. McGowan. O'Dwyer appointed McGowan the Chief of the Brooklyn Homicide Squad. For the second time. McGowan, he was somewhat of a legendary character among his fellow detectives. By 1940, his 28-years on the force actually got him the nickname, The Old Man. Now McGowan had received commendation for pioneering the use of forensic science in police work and was considered a real cop's cop. But his two-fisted exploits, well, they included beating suspects senseless and ignoring legal protocol.

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Back in 1932, McGowan had been promoted to the Brooklyn Homicide Squad under very shady circumstances. Now, you see, the current captain, he was demoted and transferred only 40-minutes after arresting a thug in a stick up who was supposed to be under police protection.

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That immediate vacancy, well, that allowed McGowan to move up to the rank of lieutenant. By 1936, McGowan had achieved the rank of Chief of the Homicide Squad, but he was demoted for severe negligence, doctoring records, and giving false testimony on the stand during, what was, a highly publicized murder trial of 1935.

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You see, during this trial, several high ranking officers and members of the DA's office were found to be passing bribe money from the mob to the police. The scandal was so tremendous that the police commissioner at the time, he came under heavy scrutiny from the governor's office, and ultimately McGowan was stripped of his rank and sent to perform uniform duty at another station.

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Now, whether McGowan was punished because of this murder trial, or about the 13 other unsolved homicides in the borough, well, the Commissioner wouldn't say. Now, McGowan remained in this disgraced position until 1940. That's when O'Dwyer resurrected him from the trenches and placed him back into the post of Chief of Homicide.

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You see, O'Dwyer needed McGowan to round up the Murder, Inc. gang. That was to fulfill his campaign promise. And he knew that the old man McGowan would get it done, by any means.

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Second on our list is Frank Bals. Now William O'Dwyer appointed Frank Bals as the captain in charge of his large private detective staff. He only had to answer to O'Dwyer, and not the police commissioner or the mayor, which was the usual protocol. Much scandal followed Balls throughout his career, especially the death of Kid Twist Reles. Balls had been responsible for Reles when he died in police custody.

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Third on our list is Edward Heffernan. Now, O'Dwyer named Heffernan Chief of Investigations for the DA's office. He was in charge of the probes into Kid Twist Reles, the Malinsky murder trial, and every other botched case that went down during O'Dwyer's reign. Ultimately, Heffernan was forced to step down from the DA's office, as we will soon find out. This was due to impropriety and complete ineptness. Heffernan, along with Homicide Chief John McGowan, had been at the forefront of Uncle Abe's murder investigation for O'Dwyer.

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Fourth on our list, and the most nefarious of O'Dwyer's cronies, was James J. Moran. James Moran had only a high school education. He went to work as a court reporter and was soon promoted to court attendant and assigned to William O'Dwyer, back when he was a Brooklyn County judge.

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Now, O'Dwyer adored Moran and trusted him completely, finding him to be loyal and letting him handle his personal financial affairs. This was the start of their bromance.

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When O’Dwyer became DA, well, he took James Moran with him, appointing him the Chief Clerk of the DA's office. It was there that Moran was said to have so much influence that if Moran said no, you could never get O'Dwyer to say yes.

It would later be learned that Moran was responsible for making sure that the Special Prosecutor, John Harlan Amen, never saw the reports on the waterfront rackets or Murder Incorporated.

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In 1942, O'Dwyer took a hiatus from his DA position to be part of the war effort. Well, he left James Moran in charge of the many important matters in the DA's office. This gave him the power to open and close investigations at his whim. Well, this was considered outrageous that a clerk was in charge, especially one with no education in law enforcement. But it happened.

Along with assistant DAs such as Edward Heffernan, Moran had the muscle to decide who went before a grand jury, such as our fall guy, Sam Kovner. It turned out that not only were these DAs discarding incriminating documents, but they were all extorting money from racketeers. Yes, racketeers like Uncle Abe.

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When William O’Dwyer returned from the war as a Brigadier General in 1945, he promptly resigned as DA within months because he had received the support of Tammany Hall and secured the nomination of Mayor of New York City. James Moran, he quit the DA's department as well, and he went on to become O' Dwyer's campaign manager.

But things weren't going that well for O'Dwyer. There were a lot of allegations of corruption that plagued his mayoral campaign, and even continued once he was elected.

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A new DA was brought into Brooklyn in 1945, when O'Dwyer had resigned. Well, this new DA, he brought up corruption allegations against O'Dwyer and his staff. You see, when O'Dwyer had been DA, he really appeared to be taking down the mob. But his own ties with mob bosses, negligent homicide investigations, and all that evidence tampering, would be brought against him and his staff by this new DA in 1945, and again in 1949.

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Some thought this new DA's rampage was just a political move by the opposition. O'Dwyer was at the tail end of his really successful mayoral race and about to be elected. But, a grand jury did charge O'Dwyer's former assistants, Edward Heffernan and James Moran, with over 44 counts of basic ineptitude. Unfortunately, the statute of limitations had run out, so the charges were dropped.

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The following year, the new DA requested an extension into his investigation. But, O'Dwyer was ready to start his new post as mayor. It is said that James Moran actually went to the judge and pointed out that there were technical flaws connected to the presentment by the DA. The judge in turn, well, he shot down the entire case against O'Dwyer and actually had it expunged from the records.

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With that, O'Dwyer took his place as the 100th mayor of New York City. It's amazing that O'Dwyer was elected, considering the wild accusations. But he had made a name for himself as the DA who put criminals away, and it stuck.

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Historian Thomas Reppetto has noted that New Yorkers were just tired of economic depression and war. They wanted to get back to “the happy days with a mayor who smiled a lot and dished the blarney.” And that's what they got.

Now here's where things get interesting. As soon as O'Dwyer became mayor. All of his cronies moved into new positions as well.

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Retired Captain Frank Bals, well, he actually got appointed the 7th Deputy Police Commissioner, which actually caused a huge amount of controversy because of his past record. Police all across the borough were complaining that he was bringing down morale. But once Bals was appointed as Deputy Police Commissioner, had no one to answer to, once again, except O'Dwyer.

His new squad of covert detectives, well, they immediately started shaking down gamblers and bookies for monthly payments. Well, the racketeers, they were not going to take it. They called their political protectorates complaining about this big money shakedown. Well, that forced O'Dwyer to look into the matter, and two months later, he released Bals from his duties. But, O'Dwyer had him stay in the position on paper for over a year so he could collect fat retirement benefits.

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The other ridiculous thing that happened was that once elected mayor, O'Dwyer appointed James Moran, you know, the guy he's having the bromance with, well he appoints him first deputy fire commissioner.

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Well, almost immediately when Moran moves into this new position, he starts a fuel-oil racket and collects over $1.5 million dollars over a three-year period.

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As O’Dwyer was getting ready for his second mayoral race, more and more details were coming out about him and his cronies. He couldn't take it anymore. He was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He actually checked himself in to Bellevue Hospital due to the, quote, “Dangerous and vexing situation” that was coming to a head with his corrupt buddies.

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 O'Dwyer quickly drafted a letter of resignation. But when James Moran found out about this, he went to see O'Dwyer in the hospital, and a tremendous fight ensued. Moran tore up O'Dwyer's resignation letter and demanded that he be placed in a more lucrative government job before O'Dwyer resigned. Well, it sounds like their bromance was definitely coming to a close.

But, O'Dwyer still gave Moran a life appointment as the Commissioner of the Board of Water Supply. Then O'Dwyer resigned as mayor in 1950

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Well, it's no wonder O'Dwyer was about to crack. With the increasing criminal activities of Moran and Bals and others, and even his own involvement with mobsters, I'd be sick too. Historians have pointed out that with O'Dwyer, we are left with a picture of a very enigmatic politician who never got caught with his hand in the till.

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Well, upon resignation in 1950, O'Dwyer was given a ticker-tape parade up Broadway's Canyon of Heroes in Manhattan. It sounds like the end of his story, right? Uh, but not quite yet.

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Accusations against O'Dwyer and his former staff, well, they ballooned even further during the very famous Kefauver Senate Committee Hearings on Organized Crime in 1951.

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These were televised hearings that were explosive. They were like the O. J. Simpson case of the 1950s. All of America was glued to their TVs and their radios. The five member Senate committee became this sensational traveling roadshow. They went to 14 cities to take testimony from big mob leaders, such as Frank Costello, Meyer Lansky, Mickey Cohen, as well as bookies, gunmen, racketeers, and others.

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The televised hearings were highly charged as the committee matched wits with professional criminals and their defense lawyers. The hearings also demonstrated for the very first time that there was an organized and connected national crime syndicate that was comprised of mainly Italian and Jewish groups across the country.

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They also revealed the names of some of the politicians who were in bed with them. This brought O'Dwyer back to New York.

Many riveting testimonies transpired at the Kefauver Committee Hearings, but what was of most interest to me were the players from O'Dwyer's district attorney days who were called back to testify.

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Now James Moran, he had been arrested and was in court for that oil shakedown as fire commissioner. Well, O'Dwyer was called in to testify before a special grand jury about Moran's racketeering and political tie-ups when in the fire department. Remember, Moran had collected almost one and a half million dollars during that three-year period.

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Well, the big mystery was who Moran had actually delivered the fat sum of money to that he collected, because he said he only kept ninety thousand dollars for himself. Well, Moran refused to tell and was sentenced to up to 28 years in Sing Sing prison.

Well while all this was going on, he was being simultaneously grilled at the Kefauver committee hearings for the death of Kid Twist Reles.

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Why? Because he had been in charge of Captain Frank Bals, who was in charge of the police, who were protecting, supposedly, Kid Twist at the hotel.

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 Also, both Moran and Edward Heffernan were exposed for their mob ties and called out as completely inept while running the DA's office when O'Dwyer was away in the army.

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Well, James Moran, he only did about two years in prison. He wound up writing a 75-page letter to the state court of appeals saying that he would spill the names of those he had collected that one and a half million dollars for if they granted him appeal for reduction in sentence.

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Well, they did. And the letter revealed no names at all. It was just a long rant about how Moran felt there was a political conspiracy against him. Still, Moran was released from prison after serving only 10 years. Many historians believe that the money in question was actually going to mobster Frank Costello.

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Today, it's well documented that James Moran was the link between the underworld bosses and the Brooklyn authorities. Tons of allegations came out against him during the Kefauver Committee Hearings, and he came under heavy scrutiny. He was nailed on the stand, not only for covering up the waterfront rackets, but also for mob connections. He was known to have dinner and drinks with mob bosses like Frank Costello and Joey Adonis, and he was extorting money from bookies and policy operators, which included Uncle Abe.

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Now here's a really interesting side story that a lot of people don't know. During the initial grand jury inquiries into the corrupt DA's office in the late 1940s, 10-year-old son was mysteriously shot while walking home from school.

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He survived, and the public story was that a neighborhood teenager was suspected of the shooting from a rooftop. Yet, no one was arrested and the case was never pursued. I actually spoke with one of Moran's cousins, and they told me that his family was sure It was a warning from the mob to stay quiet. A 10-year-old boy. Can you believe that?

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Well, the climax of the Kefauver committee hearings actually came when O'Dwyer had to face the committee and was questioned about the mysterious death of Kid Twist Reles. But we're going to get back to all of these interesting details about Kid Twist's death in another episode.

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There's lots more to all of this and the Kefauver committee hearings were amazing. But in the end, only Moran saw jail time. Everyone else got off.

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Despite all those slanderous allegations against O'Dwyer, well, they wanted to keep up respectful appearances, and as the once, much loved, mayor, O'Dwyer was appointed U. S. Ambassador to Mexico, and he promptly left New York in 1952.

 At this point in my journey, I was exhausted from researching all of this. All I could think was just as Jeremiah McKenna had ranted into the phone: corrupt, corrupt, corrupt. It was pretty clear to me that Uncle Abe's death was another cover up by these same diabolical men. But the question was still, why?

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I suspected there might be more to Uncle Abe's death than just silencing him from testifying for Special Prosecutor Amen.

Corruption is always about money and power, and Abe knew something about the higher officials that gave him power. But what was it? What did Abe know? What caused the DA and police to panic and create so much of a cover up?

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At this point, it had been 20 years since I found my first clue, and the mystery had splintered off into many other roads. There was the police, the district attorney, the attorney general, the Mob, family members who were missing, and then the Brooklyn Eagle ran a story in 1943 about the top six most baffling cases in Brooklyn history.

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Abe's story was one of them. It was listed as a perfect crime. I thought to myself, why is this so baffling? It seems pretty obvious, right? Well, I guess it was baffling because everyone was on the take and everyone was lying!

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Were Uncles Abe and Frankie really destined to go down in history as unsolved cases? This was upsetting to me. I could only take encouragement from the article's closing statement. No case is closed until the murderer is brought to justice.

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Thank you for listening. I'm Jana Marcus. Join me next time as our story takes a tremendous turn. I put together a team of investigators and we are getting ready for an explosive, on the ground investigation in Brooklyn. You can join me in this investigation, episode-by-episode, by checking out all the amazing historical files on our website at lineofblood-podcast.com.

 If you've enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, tell your friends. And if you want even more of a deep dive, check out the book version of Line of Blood, which is available at all online booksellers.

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Special thanks go out to Suki Wessling, Eric Sassaman, Valerie Marcus Ramshur, and Amy Scott.  Music by Blue Dot Sessions.