The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-12-13
in
the American
Labor Unions
BY WILLIAM Z.aFOSTER

Murphy attracted national atten-
ton over the killing of Maurice
(Mossie) En1ight in 1920. Enright
was notorious labor gunman, as
sociated with Chicago's most des-
perate criminals. A pal of skinny"
Madden's, he'was active in grating
and inner-union feuds for 20 years.
He was leader in the bitter juris-
dictional war between the plumbers
and steamfitters, in which many
men were killed. His educational
committee touring the streets in
the "pirate car" terrorized his OPP
ponents. Enright participated IN
many shooting scrapes. In 1911 he
killed Vincent Altman and Clutch"
Gentleman, two professional labor
sluggers. For this he received life
sentence, but, by virtue of his pull,
he was released in two years and
went back to his old game of graft
and terrorism, in which he had
grown rich.
Enright "made" Murphy in the
unions, "electing" him as organizer
of the Building Trades Council and
business agent of the Street Clean
ers' Union. But the militant big
Tim" soon began to GUST Enright.
Bad blood brewed between them.
Bitter quarrels developed over split
ting a $4,000 bride from the Peo-
ples Gas Light & Coke Co. for pre-
venting a strike of the gas work
ers, and over the control of the Gas
Workers and Street Cleaners
Unions. The situation climaxed dra-
matically in Feb. 1920, when En-
right, stepping from his automobile
at his door, was riddled with bull
lets fired from an automobile which
had followed his. Enright was bur-
led with great pomp, his funeral
being attended by senators, judges,
aldermen, priests, 5000 people and
300 automobiles.
Murphy and his 'black hand"
friends, Carozzo, Cosmano and Vim
CT were arrested for the murder.
Cosmano was shown to be the man
who fired the shots. Boglio the
owner of the car said he had loaned
it to Carozzo who was accompanied
by Murphy. Vinci, the car driver,
declared they had followed Enright
for weeks before they "got" him.
Things looked black for Murphy.
But of sudden the skies cleared
mysteriously and completely. Fusco
and Cifaldo, the two key witnesses
disappeared and Vinci repudiated his
confession. So Murphy walked free
from Jail without even going to
trial.
Soon Murphy was in trouble again.
Twenty days after his release in the
Enright affair he and Cosmano were
arrested for 100000 mail rob-
berry in Pullman. He managed to
squirm out of this also.
The great Chicago building trades
struggle of 1922 found Murphy in
the middle of the picture. The en-
ployers, through the so-called Lands
Award dealt the local unions shat
tering blow and established semi
non-union conditions. Most of the
reactionary leaders, Murphy among
the rest, traitorously accepted the
award although the masses of the
workers bitterly opposed it. The car
penters, painters and a few other
trades truck against it. The Build
ing Trades Council split in two.
many of the unions remaining at
work. The strike was exceedingly
bitter. Wholesale bomhings of
union and non-union workers and
buildings took place. 1t climaxed in
the killing of two policemen. Wild
excitement prevailed and, in lynch
ing spirit, the police ,raided all the
offices of the local building trades
unions and arrested 200 officials.
Murphy, ''Frenchy" Nader, and
aeon" Shea. although professed sup
porters of the lands Award, were
charged with the murders. With this
usual braggadocio Murphy ridiculed
the whole affair as a "seven days
wonder that would soon blow over"
He was right. Eventually the
charges against him were dropped.