The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1874-12-04
TuEMOLLY MAGUIRES.

IL has, for some time, been charged
that rutfianly and murderous gang Of
men, banded together under the above
name, lnfest the Pennsylvania coal re-
gions. Here they are reported to glory
in fiendish deeds of blood, and thrive up
ON murder and outrage unmolested.
These charges have, to some extent, been
denied by certain members OF the Penn
syIvania press; but the New York Her
aid of the ID inst, publishes various
letters from the villains to citi-
zens. warning them to leave the
rerion or die. These letters, adorned
with hideous cuts of collins, skulls and
cross-bones, and such like devices, in each
case, bear the signature, "Mollie Mcguire
or M. NJ.
Added to this evidence of the existence
of the gang, the following editorial en-
tract from the Scranton Free Press, said
to be one of the leading and representa-
tive sheets of the city, is published
Murder runs riot and bloodshcd is an
everyday occurrence, while tie shooting
of firearms is heard upon the streets
every night of the year The authori-
ties frequently awake in the morning to
find the body of man lying in the pub
lie streets. cold and still, weltcring i'll his
gore. He had been murdered some time
during the previous night, by whom no
one but the perpetrators know, and no
one interests himself to find out. A reg
ular fight in which ten or dozen take
sides and use clubs, stones and pistols, Is
a regular Sunday night occurrence down
about John Horn's-and this Is only four
blocks from the very centre of the city.
No one is ever arrested there. No COM
plaints are ever entered. Mr.. Horn
fears to complain of the desperadoes who
break in his windows and smash up his
furniture for fear that they, in turn, will
complain of him for keeping his house open
on Sunday in violation of law. 1t is all
nonsense to try to cover up and hide the
true state of society here. 1t is awlcSs
beyond precedent, desperate beyond
measure, murderous beyond imagination.
The Times remarks that strangers who
read these accounts and are unaCquaint-
ed with the facts here, would naturally
have an idea that the coal regions are
almost equal to the western frontier
The writer of this has lived on the West
ern frontiers-on the very borders of
ciyilization-and ne has never yet seen a
state of society more dangerous to bust
ness, to life and the peaceful pursuits of
happiness, than the LuZerne coal regions.
The business men OF Scranton owe il to
themselves, and to the community gener-
ally, to take prompt and active measures
to bring about such a revolution in the
government of the city as will meet out
swift punishment to the desperadoes who
have made the third city in the State,
synonymous with every bloody deed on
the criminal calendar
Here is represented terrible picture
of crime stalking abroad, with freedom
and IMMUNITY. Can such things be, and
in the neighboring State of Pennsylvania
too?
Why does not Governor Hartranft
of that State, follow the example set him
bv the Governors If Kentucky and Ten
nessee, and suppress these outrages, or
failing to do this Why does no not call
upon the President for troops? Such
horrors as are here depicted, exceed all
the Coushatta affairs which have ever
existed, and yet there has not yet ap-
peared in single administration organ,
that we have seen, a
double loaded editorial on these North
ern Ku-Kluxes. Can it be possible that
the Southern citizens life is so much
more precious than his Northern brcth-
ren's, that falsehood must be invented
as prectence to shield the one,while the
truth is passed by UNDECIDED, to the dam
ger of the otherf