The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-12-29
MTHDERERS HUNTED DOWN


borrowing a q. =. Fiag-The smith Case
One Why Of seuiina 1avern scores.
PoTTsvILLE. Pa, Dec. 2S.-At no time,
except In the last half Of 1875. did the notorious
Molly Magures display more activity than
during tho late war. Their work then Included
resisting the drafts, and otherwise obstructing
the authorities; and the coal regions were
perfect pandom onium Of crime. Never were life
and property moro Insecure anywhere.
Dunn. a mining superintendent, waa shot
down on the public road within a mile Of Potts
Vile. VIM. Lttlehalcs, another superintendent.
was also murdered ON tho public highway Draft
riots were Of almos, weekly occurrence, and It
wa. difficult to procure men with sufficient cour-
are to execute tho laws. Troops were stationed
In various parts of the coal regions but they
could not. or di1 not. prevent murder. being
only useful to prevent open outbreaks.
Gen. Sgel, while IN command Of this depart
ment was assaulted at public meeting IN the
fall Of 1853 A large armed posse Of the Sheriff
Of schuylkill county was put to flight at Heck
sheryille. and II required the military to protect
the draft officers. In some localities II was even
dangerous to show any patriotic feeling even to
display the United States mug.
At the recent trial Of the murderer. Of i. w.
Lanedon at Audonried ~ 1867 II came out that
LangdOn got up tth Of July sunday school ccl-
ebratiun, and borrowed a flag for the occasion:
The gentleman who loaned him the dag warned
him OF the danger Of carrying II at such time.
Jack DOnahoe. and others conducted them
selves In boistetous manner. splitting at aud
cursing the stars and stripes. and threatening
LRnedon. In the evening, IA langdon was
gOiug home, they attacked him but a few hun
dred Yards from the hotel and beat him 50
badly that he died within a few days. Neil
DOugherty now stands convicted - this crime,
aud the other half dozen are yet to he tired. with
Jack kehOe, the boss OF the gang AZ the head.
The last session Of the court At Mauch Chunk
resulted n tne con,lciion Of lhomss Fisher
| and Pat Mckenna for the murder OF Morgan
| Powell Al summit IIil-the former la the first
degree aud the latter IN the second. Alexander
| Campbeli, who had already been convicted Of
| murder IN the first degree for the killing Of
| Poweli's successor John Z. Jones, WAS also con
! victed OF murder In the ntst degree for his
| share IN the Pow ell murder. Pat Hester Is stil
| In the POttsyille jan, waiting to be tried in
| Columbia county for the murder Of Alexander
Rea IN iSts. lie Is Kept here because the iail at
DOomsburg II uot considered secure for suoh a
desperate, IN 4M Of whose coadjutors are rtil
| al large.
| Pats clso shows how secure these culprts
| formerly felt Themselves from punishment. aud
| how justice will have tts own. ShortlI after the
! murder luoinas Donahoe and Fat wsri arrested.
| At the trial they asked to be tred separately.
| Iom was taken urst ana srduitf.d. ia spito of
| very direct evidence OF his guilt Thereupon
| Pat's counsel asked for anu iru-. in his case,
| when WIS granted. IL WAS IA fntai mistake on
hi- part. He viii have no sucn ch snce Vi escape
fhe ,rill Of this case will develop some new
| features In Molly Mnsuireism. nnd will uudoutt-
| edly involve number OF the band who have not
| es YET been spoken Of. some new characters
| Will enter tho play. The Rea murder was
| L.
| The Reading companys police are quietly &C.
| tive. and are closely watching she movements u
| uuuib Der of suspected NOles. None Of them
during the trial Of Campbell for the Jones
| murder. james kerfgan. states evidence. testi-
| TED that he was initiated by Campbell aud ell
| low Jack DOnahOe;
Canphcl held the candle While Donihoe put me
sr9us .si y e aoTn & ia h s va so MA,
that Powell rad refused Inn breast saying that there
called hin mar and that TO prove It ne got the men
wsS,es 10 sSe"t Ps~eu tnronsh The wisaos and
Smpoeii 'sio ~. ,ne es msn ths, vac taken Tor
eoins - s John + J9ncs he killed hun ,ni ne " .
| sii'Di'y' Div.. ior another -roe pili.
ono Il he casrs now being worked ny Is the
| murder of George X. sinith. ~ Carbon county
| I'm l-tS. II illustrates the Work of the Buck hot-
| aud Mollie. durng the war SMITH was -upcrin.
| tendent oi a c1uiory. Ia the evening ~ Nov. )
| lSf. Just after returning from MAuch ChunN. d
number II men came g. hs house aud kno, ked
al the door. George ". UiTich. smiths clerk
answered the cali, but WAS told that they wanted
smith. who then came out. lie wss nred upon
OF or bis dwelling. wniie Ulrch was se
yorel wounded. The peculiar atrccuY OF
to discover cause Tor the deed but II was
known that the military authorities irequentlJ
applied to the superlutendents Of cOlierios foi
information concerning the men IN their eui-
uloy. Smith was suspected of having given suct
Information about souo BucksnotS ana theii
friends murdered aim IN revenge. suspicion oi
this KIND, whether well founded ur not. caused
many OF the murders and other Outfages OF those
| times and: 50 well have they been concealed
| behind the secrecy Of the society, that only now
after the lapse Of thirteen or fourteen years, ~,
| tho authorities able to solve tue mystery and
| bring the guilty to Justice.
| shortly after the smith murder several Buck
| shots were arrested on suspicion aud lodged ~
| Mauch Chunk Jail A few nights afteTward the
| Jail was attacked by mob and these prisoner,
| rescued. Though they are somewhat scattered
| by this time, those Of them who are yet among
the living are where they can be lid when th e,
| are wanted.
Twelve Molly Maauires are already convictet
| Of murder in tue hrst degree In Schuykii
and CARBON counties, and several more IL
| promises to add to the number. Quit,
to tell all they know, In the nope Of thereby SO
| curing a II litigation of their sentences, now tha
there " no other loophole fof them TO creep ou
of. The principal reason why more arrests aT,
| not being made Just now IA because they woulC
pile up too much business on the courts. which
| are already oyeTtdxsd. one hundred and twentl
| prisoners are now In the Nchuykill county jail
over one.third OF whom are Molly Maguircs.
| Some idea OF the amount Of work done by thi
| court this year may bo CLEANED from the fac
that. for the first time Ia the history Of III,
| country, the jury nOx was exhausted long be
lore tho 81 ,se Of the year, ana bad TO be- renled
| one Incidental result OF the nnll act In th
tragedy OF Molly Maguirelsm IA the swelling u
| thIcs; but the citzens do not mud the pfice toe
| dear TO nay for relief from terrible sCOuIg
that has kept them in terror Tor years.