Bill W. knew of them. They were a group of men who gathered at a local pub in Baltimore, MD and who decided to get sober. They are a part of AA history as they were able to prove that one alcoholic helping another alcoholic works quite well. They met weekly at the pub....without drinking, most likely after hours...not sure
They are also part of the history of how the 12 Traditions in AA came about as they tried to do all kinds of things to promote themselves....they fell apart because of the lack of agreement