The racketeer and the reformer : how James Munsene used Clarence Darrow to become the bootleg king of Warren, Ohio

Abstract

James Munsene, a reputed bootlegger in Warren, Ohio, had been tried so many times for allegedly attempting to bribe the Trumbull County Sheriff in 1925, that the case had become known colloquially as his annual bribery trial. The 1928 trial appeared to be merely a repeat of the previous two trials until Munsene revealed that the identity of his new lead defense counsel was none other than world famous defense attorney, Clarence Darrow. Darrow’s decision to defend Munsene elevated the trial from a marginally important local bribery trial, to a nationally covered media event.

For Clarence Darrow, the trial was supposed to be a triumphant return to the Ohio county where he was born, raised, and first practiced the law. Darrow had attempted to retire from the practice of law for many years and he hoped to do so with a victory in front of a home crowd. For Munsene, the trial marked the third attempt by Trumbull County Prosecutors to convict him of offering a five hundred dollar bribe to Sheriff J. H. Smith. If Darrow could secure Munsene a victory, the racketeer hoped to expand his operations in Warren. Munsene did not intend to leave the lucrative business of bootleg alcohol. In fact testimony in the first two trials implied that he was looking to establish control over gambling activities in the area as well. The fates of Darrow and Munsene both hinged on the outcome of the trial. Munsene’s need for an acquittal was obvious, as he faced three years in prison. Darrow’s need for a victory was less apparent, but no less important. Darrow had always longed to impress the people where he had grown up, and no matter how much prestige he gained nationally, he still did not feel respected in his hometown. All of that could change if he could just secure one last victory. Though the outcome of the trial was not exactly what either man had had in mind, it had an enormous impact on both crime and politics in Warren, Ohio and the Mahoning Valley for decades.