The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-06-08
Dealing with Organized Murder,

Ma COIL ItSlOuS, NOt 1855 SlIihlllS al tle
methods by which a few resolute men, rep
resenting the law abiding portion of the
community, obtained information of the
secrets of the gangs that planned, and the
| man who executed the murders, and
brought them before the tribunals of the
| law.
| For Years the coal producing mines Of
| the region about Pottsville. Pa, which
| employed many thousands of miners, many
Of them ignorant foreigners, had been the
scene of outbreaks and outrages. Labor
unions had made. from time to time, vari-
GUS demands regarding pay. If these were
not acceded to, there followed str likes and
| retaliatory outrages, such as throwing coal
| trains off the track, burning buildings and
destroying machinery. BY populating the
region with police and military, the au-
thorities succeeded in stopping the out
rages-but there was sullen hatred among
the miners, and no production of coal
| Out OF this state of things arose the Sc
crct association called the Mollie Maguires
made UP of the more desperate OF the I'm
ion men, A more reckle and bloody set
| of scoundrels meyer infested the face OF the
earth They had but one remedy for ex-
listing hard times, low prices and lack of
employment-and that was murder.
In every town or by every mine was the
order of Mollie Mag uire. an oath bourd
association with grips and passwords, the
members of which were ready for any job
Of outrage and blood. Did an overseer be-
come obnoxious by discharging men, or
cutting down pay, or a policeman arrest
one CT the order, or citizen express him
selfagainst the Mollies, 4 pistol shot would
be heard at night, perhaps at the victims
| own door, and the man be found wel.erlng
in blood. BY their rules, body of them
| reullirinu murder to be done, could draw
on Instant LvdJ ~. I. lnuiu eIeI, at 81 M,
to ward Oft suspicion from themselves, and
he would be sent. The superintendent of
! the companies have been shot down in
cold blood and the officers of the law have
| been powerless to prevent it. The muir
derers have been caught red handed, but
conviction did not follow. The staple de-
Tense of the region was the alibi, and any
| number Of witnesses could be put on the
| stand to place the defe ndant anywhere but
| where lie was at the moment of the muir
der. 4 man named Dougherty, three
| years ago was charged with the murder
OF the chief burgess Of AIahonoy City, up
on the public street. His lawyers = of
whom he had the best-changed the venue
to Lebanon county, and the witnesses were
taken there and an alibi proved. Superin-
| tendent Dunn was shot down within the
very borough limits of Pottsyille in the
| twilight, and his death scream Was heard
by numbers of people, and yet no one was
| ever traced. Sometimes the obnoxious
men received a letter containing the rude
| drawing of a coffin, as a warning of the
fate awaiting them. The people closed
| their doors, and with bated breath told
| where information might be had-in the
| bloody councils Of the Mollie Maguires
This state of things called for the action
of a strong, determined, fearless man
He was found in Franklin B. Gowen,
President of the Reading Railroad, whose
business was being destroyed by these
cutthroats. He gave his time and talents
to the work of DISCRIMINATING the scoun-
drels. He conferred with Pinkerton's de-
tective agency, and they undertook to
furnish Il man who would fathom the Sc
crets and expose the persons who did the
bloody work of the Mollie Maguires. This
man was Joseph McParlen. He was Sc
| lected for his courage, shrewdness and
tact. He was an Irishman and Il North
of-lrcland Catholic, and fully appreciated
| what he was to do and what dangers were
to be seen. He took his life in his hand
from the time he started into the region,
at Port Clinton, in October, 1878, and
each day made report in writing of his
proceedings to the home authorities, who
communicated directly with Mr. Cow en-
His first duty was to understand the topo-
graphy of the country. the names and
characteristics of every man who kept
shop in which the miners were accustomed
to congregate, and even the gossip of the
villages were noted down. From time to
time he received instructions from Phila-
delphia, and was furnished with unlimited
money, although the mission required him
to partake of the hospitality of the place
in which he might be- He couldn't 90 to
a hotel, but must take to his quart of tur-
pentine and q cold potato with those
whose secrets he was to find out.
He stayed in the heart of this country
till April, 1875, before he was initiated in
full fellowship into the order Of MollIe
Maguires. He disarmed the suspicious of
his comrades by representing that he was
"shover' of counterfeit money, and
kept up the illusion by seldom having
anything else in his possession but "queer"
paper. He made himself the familiar of
everybody, hale fellow well met. who
could get up cock-fght or enter any
scheme which required pluck to carry it
through. He was 'Micky from Donny-
brook" jolly Irishman by the name of
Jim McKenna, and could tell the bog he
was born on, prove blood relationship
with all the numprous Nick annas in tho
county, and ''divil the one could conthra-
dict him" He was the first fellow to con-