Joe Walnut and the Madawaska Mob

The Maritimes' biggest Prohibition Era rum running kingpin.

When you think of the Prohibition Era, the mind immediately goes to famous American gangsters like Al Capone. But The Maritimes were home to our own rum running gangsters, the biggest, most powerful and widely feared gang was “the Madawaska Mob” led by a man who chose the distinctly less-than-intimidating alias “Joe Walnut.”

Joe Walnut was described by his nemesis, Detective William Carr as “Tall and slim, agile as a cat, with thin, cruel lips. His eyes were black as coal, yet slightly protruding, with white bloodshot from constant drinking. He was reported to have a fiendish temper, and few scruples. He was a real adventurer – a relic of the old buccaneering type. There was nothing on earth he enjoyed more than to match his wits against those of the men who represented law and order.”

https://backyardhistory.ca/popular/f/joe-walnut-and-the-madawaska-mob