Tammany's cigar-mouthing regulars had been confident that they could capture New York's City Hall just by looking pious and letting nature take its course. Their blueprint for victory was simplicity itself. A disciplined Tammany hand named Vincent Impellitteri, who became temporary mayor after Bill O'Dwyer's hurried resignation, was to smile frequently, keep his mouth shut, fight down ambition, and step back into obscurity when Tammany put its big man up for the job.
With this assured, Tammany would have had only to aim its squat, greying Candidate Ferdinand Pecora in the right direction, let...
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