Carr: Whitey Bulger peddled big myth
Drug dealer tells how Whitey took over
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 By: Howie Carr
So much for keeping the drugs out of Southie.
“I gotta admit, it was ground floor,” Joseph E. Tower was explaining of his initiation into Whitey Bulger’s gang. “They didn’t know anything about that part of the business. Prices, customers, quality — but I taught ’em.
Joe Tower (of Babble) is 59 now, living in Florida, that sunny place for shady people. He makes guitars. When he began his story on the witness stand yesterday, he was in a rock band. That lasted about 30 seconds. Then he was a drug dealer — cocaine and marijuana. The marijuana lasted about as long as his rock band.
“I had a pretty extensive cocaine business, extending north, south, east, west, all directions.”
Business was good, but Tower had a problem — Tommy Nee.
“I understood he was a very bad person, a murderer, and if you crossed him you were in trouble.”
Nee was so “capable” he later handled hits for Whitey and Stevie Flemmi. One night near the Pen Tavern he made the mistake of bringing his fists to a gunfight. Stevie reports Whitey was quite pleased to hear that Nee would not be coming down for breakfast.
A meeting was arranged with Mr. Bulger. Kevin O’Neil made the introductions. “He called my house. He said wait for the car to appear.”
The prosecutor, Brian Kelly, asked Tower what he meant by “the car.”
“Blue Malibu, wire wheels, white vinyl top. It was well-known in South Boston as Mr. Bulger’s car.”
It was at this point that Kelly asked him if he recognized Mr. Bulger in the courtroom. Tower looked quizzically around the room, then suddenly pointed his finger at the geriatric gangster sitting no more than eight feet away.
“How ya doin’ Jim? Right here!”
Uh oh, Tower had just violated another of those ’80s Southie rules. He’d named the Man. But now even Whitey had to smile. Back to their first meeting:
“I explained the situation. I said I got a problem. He said you definitely have a problem.”
The deal was, Whitey made sure nobody bothered Tower, and in return he taught them the biz, you know, how to cut the bleep, because “it gains weight and weight is money.”
Later Tower and Billy Shea would meet and then Whitey would come by for “his end.” Kelly asked him what “his end” meant.
“I imagine his end of the money.”
Kelly: “You don’t imagine, it is his money.”
Tower: “Positively!”
Finally in 1983 Tower got busted. He got a “Concord five,” got out, was paid a grand a week until they were sure Billy Shea had it down. Then Tower got a call from Pat Linskey to come down to the variety store.
“He told me I was out of the business. He says, this is orders from the other guy. The other guy says it’s over.”
Tower had no illusions about going into business for himself.
“They don’t fool around. You’d get hurt.”
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