The Whitey Bulger Murders: Goodbye to the Mullen Leadership of South Boston 2 of 4

Whitey was alone at the meeting because his fellow gunman, the gangsters referred to such people as being “capable,” was Billy O’Sullivan who was murdered on March 28, 1971. Martorano who says he helped set up the Chandler’s meeting put the date of the meeting in the Spring, 1972, prior to the time of the murder of Donald Kileen. He does that because he is writing the book with Howie Carr. Carr has already written in his earlier book that Whitey murdered Donald so they twist to fact to try to make it correspond with Carr’s false version of events.

It is just another example of fabrications throughout these books. The authors just make things up and pass them on as facts. When they see they are wrong they go on and make up additional falsities. It also shows how Martorano recitation of the past events is far from accurate. He too tells the story not as it happened but to fit his whims.

Martorano said he set up the meeting because Whitey came to him asking him to do this. Others say that Whitey went through Mafia tough guy Joe Russo. Martorano said he was sitting in his place, Duffy’sTavern, when Whitey approached him. Martorano said he referred to Southie as the Town, ”That’s what they all call Southie – The Town.”  I never heard Southie referred to as such nor did any of the people I know from Southie but the media types who wrote the books all suggest that. The Town was Charlestown and the guys there were the Townies.

Martorano is candid enough to admit he did not know Whitey before this time and had no idea what was happening in Southie. I would have to guess that this Whitey/Martorano meeting is a figment of Martorano’s imagination. Nothing he said about it makes sense but it does help Carr’s credibility.

I have to go with Nee’s recollection that it happened in the fall of 1972 after Donald’s murder. Nee clearly remembers how elated the Mullens were when Donald was gunned down in May 1972. He said after that “The buzz around town had us going for Whitey next.” He tells how Whitey went into hiding down Cape Cod.

The meeting happens; the peace is established; Whitey stays out of Southie and spends his time over at Winter Hill but gets his 50%  of the Killeen Southie business; the Mullens get the other 50%. We know that Howie Winter puts up with Whitey but neither of his partners, Joe McDonald or Jimmy Sims particularly warm up to him. We also know that Howie and John Martorano will meet with Gerry Agiulo and agree to do hits for him three of which occur in March 1973. Whitey at the time is new to the group and not trusted.

It will not be until November 1974 that Paulie McGonagle is murdered. Martorano has Tommy King murdering Paulie while Whitey is sitting in the car. A year later in November 1975 Tommy King and Buddy Leonard will be murdered. Tommy King is shot in the head by Martorano while Whitey sits in the car. No one seems to know how Buddy Leonard was murdered but he was killed around the same time as King since his body was found in King’s car.

Whitey is there. Whitey has the motive in one sense to get rid of them because he knows they never took to him and as long as they lived he would never really be safe in South Boston. He had no financial motive to murder them because the 50/50 split would still be going to Nee and others. Nee was the one with the financial motives since he would have three less people to split with; it was alleged that Nee would be involved in the murders of McGonagle and King at least to the extent of burying the bodies.