The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-05-25
THE MOLLY MAGUIRES.

uVE hhu beuFUe0 ItS SiBUs
and Passwords - How Murders are |
Planned and Executed.
Detective James McParlan, alias Nc
Kenna, in the court of Pottsville, Pa,
told the story of his exposure of the Sc
cret organization of Molly Maguires, so
far as 1t related to the prisoners at the |
bar. McParlan related how he became
connected with the Ancient Order of |
Hibernians, more commonly known in |
the coal regions as the Molly Maguires,
on April IA, 1874. After his initiation
he was ordered to take off his hat and
kneel down. An obligation called "the
test b" was then read to him, the sub
stance Of which was that he should obey
the officers of the society in all things
lawful, but not otherwise; If he heard
friends or members lily spoken of he
was to report the fact, and he was to
keep everything pertaining to the order
O secret. He kissed the test and arose,
which ended the ceremony.
The password, signs and grips were
called the goods" and were obtained
by the members from the body master,
or division master, who was the chief
officer of q division or lodge. The wit
ness obtained them from the county
delegate, who obtained them from the
State delegate at Pittsburgh, who, in
turn, got them from the president of
the national board, headquarters at New
York city, who, in turn, received them
from the board of Erin, which some
times meets in England, sometimes in
Scotland, and sometimes in Ireland. It
was transported across the water through
a steward of one of the Inman line of
steamers. The national board is COM
posed of four: the national president,
who is also president of the State of
New York, a national delegate, secretary
, and treasurer.
, Each division must pay SO quarterly
! for =" the goods" or password and signs,
! and they are changed quarterly. The
a order in America always receives these
! "goods" the quarters succeeding that
in which they we're used in the old coun-
p try. Some of the signs were explained
q and shown in court by the witness, Great
: ing quite q sensation. Besides this they
a had passwords, some of which were as
a follows: If member wanted to test
q the membership of another, he would
y ask the question, "What is your opin-
y = ion Of the Tipperary election think
h England broke her constitution 10y
: Mitchell's rejection2" The answer
!. would be: "But, didn't O'Connell re-
q sign his oath and seat? Yes, and by
" agitating the emancipation. This is 6
4 sample. Then they had the quarreline
toast. If two members should happier
to quarrel and one should give the ques
tion pertaining to this toast, the quarre
must cease, otherwise the party con
1t tinuing it will be expelled from thu
If order. This was "Keep your tempe
z cool y answer 81 will not raise it to
1T friend" Another was "You seem t,
d be vexed2" and the answer Not a
ID you, sir" In the winter time they hat
le additional toast to facilities recognition
le at night: "These nights are fine r
70 Answer "We shall have fine harvest.
le The body of division masters were i
1t possession of a distinctive toast to pre-
le vent ordinary members from passin
Re themselves off as such. This was
0, "Here is that every Irishman ma
se stand to his cause, and subdue the Brit
1. ish government in her coercion laws"
le The society, so far as the coal region
ot were concerned, while ostensibly work
A ing under the constitution and bylaw
ia Of tl-o 4.-~i~--s O-Sa~- rI.L -,
S, under charter from that body, whic
is in Pennsylvania is chartered corpora
ce tion, was, through the influence of som
le ten or q dozen men, who designed
Of use it for their own special purpose.
ne perverted from its original purpose an
K became what was variously known as th
p Molly Maguires and Buckshots, the la
in ter being the name given them i
IT. 1; Luzerne and Carbon counties. The
so we've here banded together for murder
ar GUS purposes, and the manner in whic
er some of those murders were concocte
us and planned by them is truly appalling
all The defense strenuously objected
he the witness giving the particulars {
ed their practices, but the court ruled i
of favor of the prosecution. McParlan the
IS, proceeded to relate the various chara,
~, ters he assumed to gain his object {
RI. discovering who and what the Mol
ed Maguires were, and yet ward off susp
nd cion. By sharp practices he obtaine
lie few of their secrets and the names {
'us several prominent members, previous
IN his joining the order on the fourteent
ore of April, 1874. He told some of the1
;he that he had belonged to the Anciel
OK Order long time ago, and on bein
the asked why le did not rejoin, he reptile
OILS that he had belonged in Buffalo, an
ex- having committed some depreciation
ed. there, he WIS afraid to send for care
ific Upon that, and his giving certain e.
of cuses for being able to live withol
uld work, he WIS admitted without the usu
ties vouchers. He caroused with them, a
an tended thar murderous conclaves, AL
eat gained ther confidence fully. The usu
practice WIS that if member felt hin
self aggrived by any outsider, and d
sired revuge, he laid his grievances b
lew fore the body master of his division
,wd who theniook certain trustworthy men
all bers into ouncil-never the whole div
ect. sion, becase they could not always |
ere depended in all cases. If the
.ere were any mong the trusted ones wi
this were entiBly unknown to the jntende
lus- victim, tD or more were chosen to
ing the deed. If none such unknown on,
had could be'ound among the most truste
lid ones, thebody master made applicable
7ely to the boy master of a distant divisio
ex- Cor assasins. Here the ceremony
pe-' choosing was repeated, and the me
lied were assred that if the division whiC
who furnishe the men ever wanted lii
was job doe the division asking for Il
,nal men INST reciprocate. Thus the Sur
ms, NIT Hildivision of Carbon county fu
rom nished lcGeehan and Boyle to kill p
ing. liceman Yost of Tamaqua, with Il
at stipulation that some division of Schuy
ent. kill couty must furnish the men to k
8 of Mining Boss John P. Jones of Ian
w a ford )Oyle and Kelly did the latt,