# A Question About "The Rascal King"-by Jack Beatty

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-rascal-king-by-jack-beatty/640381
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [November 8, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-rascal-king-by-jack-beatty/640381 "2012-11-08T17:36:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)
#### Post date: [November 8, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-the-rascal-king-by-jack-beatty/640381/1 "2012-11-08T17:36:00Z")

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“The Rascal King” is the biography of James Michael Curley-long time Massachusetts politician and mayor of Boston. I found the book fascinating, but I had a question about some of the facts reported. Beatty claims that Curley lost his entire fortune in a failed Nevada silver mining venture.  
The story goes like this:  
Curley was a master of graft-he took about 3-5% off every city contract, and diverted these funds to himself. In order to conceal his activities, he never had a bank account-the stolen funds were kept in cash (in a safe in the basement of his house). In the mid 1930’s, Curley was in his 60’s-and wanted to retire. So, he bought a abandoned Nevada silver mine (the “Curley Luck” mine), and attempted to work it. Despite all the money invested, the mine yielded nothing-Curley had been swindled. I checked the Nevada state department of mines, and the “Curley Luck” mine is still listed-I don’t know who owns it or if it is being worked. Does anyone know more about this?  
Strange that such a canny, sharp politician was himself scammed…but the story does explain Curley’s subsequent desperate attempts to stay in politics-he needed the money, now that he was broke.