Yeah, I was alive. Criminal intimidation and power are relative terms. They apply to your own domain. Featherstone was a maniac, and he was very much feared in Hell's Kitchen. But he wasn't a household name, and he held no real power outside his own neighborhood.

But to give credit where credit is due, I should point out that Featherstone is one of the few WITSEC success stories. By all accounts, he stayed clean. I think one of his kids is a doctor now.

And "The Westies" was one of the better books ever written about Irish organized crime in New York. I highly recommend it.