New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-06-21

The gallows-tree in Pennsylvania bears to-
day frightful and fruitful crop. At Pottsville
are to be executed Thomas Duffy, James Carroll,
James Roarty, James Boyle, Hugh McGehan,
Thomas Munley; at Mauch Chunk, Michael j.
DOYLE, Edward Kelley, Alexander Campbell,
james Kerrigan and Andrew Lenahan. Such an
uncommon example has the force of terrorism
without its immortality For fourteen years the
wild beasts of the cOllieries of Eastern Penn
sylvana have fed fat their petty and bottom
less grudges, with but small let or hindcrance,
making human life as uncertain in that nOm-
naIly Christian State as ever it was in the
iungles of India before advancing civilization
had cleared them of tigers and OF Thugs.
The outrages were innumerabe, but murder,
in its most repulsive form of assassination, was
the commonest of them all. The first OF
these crimes was committed IN Iooz'
when Langdon, the " breaker boss" was
stoned to death by mob at Audenrclh,
in Carbon County. No arrests followed TINS
initial and aggravated butchery; the right arm
of the law seemed for time to be paralyZed;
and the killing became common and chrome.
Nobody knew how he might offend the Molly
Mcguire, or when or where tins mysterious
daughter of Moloch might Stake her thirsty
gr1ldges in human blood. The oaths OF the
banded butchers we're stronger than the Whole
police force of Pennsylvania, and those VINO
were indspcstd to sell their lives chcapy
bnucht and bore arms, and, if occasion de-
handed used them promptly. Here the OBJ
noxious boss" was fired at through the win
dow of his bedchamber and while sleeping;
there he was shot while walking home in the
tlu
were appointed. but when they entered upon
their duties they took their lives in their
hands, and one OF them at least was shot upon
his beat. With Internal ingenuity the work OF
death was cOnlided TO those who were strangers
TO their intended victims and TO thc scene
of the slaughter. But with all Its
seeming strength, the diabolical society
was inherently weak. The personal vices in
which it originated were already gnawing mt
its vilals, and the degraded selfishness upon
which it was founded was stronger than It's
initatory oaths, however frightful their penal
clauses A witness for the State was found III
one Kerrigan, the very man who was supposed
TO be the most INSCRIPTIONS tool OF the asso-
citation, and who had been employed to guide
the murderers to their unknown victims. In
May, 1876, an excellent detective who had
been stealthily pursuing his work completed
it. A number of the criminals were arrested,
tried. and convicted. Since that time all
the usual machinery has been employed to
save these men, and employed in vain. To-
day they pay the penalty OF the law over ana
over again violated, and enforce the truth
which the minds of their associates have so
little cOmprehended, that not only murder VIII
out, but that society in the long run Is too
strong for any conspiracy against lis peace
and safety, however iDgenously planned or
cunningly executed.
We would not speak too harShly of men who
are about TO suffer the extreme punishment OF
their crimes but it is saying very little to say
that this spectacle of human degradation fills
us with wonder and Encouragement. we
could hardly have believed that men living
under the influences of religion and civilza-
ton could sink so low in the scale of being.
So far as we can discover, they appear to have
suffered no provocatiOn worthy of the name.
There was some quarrel about the wages OF
labor, but not much. and certainly not enough
to account for the sanguinaTy measures which
were adopted. The grudgeS, the hatreds, the
hostilities, and the revenges seem to have been
almost purely personal. The Body Masters
of the lodges or divisions of Molly Magiires
possessed almost unlimited authority. Each
LODGE upon being called upon, furnished men
to- do the work of any other, and i'll This way
it happened that when these homicidal ennis
sares struck, it was in no personal quarrel OF
their own They were the blind. unquestiOn
ing tools of this barbarous fraternity. They
simply received their orders to kill. and exc
cuted not caring for the cause OF the quarrel,
and hardly asking what it might be. Az we
have pcuIsed these disheartcning disclosures,
we have almost wished that some decent and
tolerably eXtenuatng injury might be discov-
cred which would at least account for such
unusual crimes. We have been able to find
none, and have been driven back to a deprav-
iiy of human nature which seems almost i'm
possible and utterly improbable.
Whatever may be thought of the ordinary
effect of executions, there is something about
those which VIII take place today Which must
make q deep impression upon the surrounding
population. For years many of these miners
have laughed at the Jaw, until through a
great region, nominally under it, that law was
wantOny and steadfastIy dehod. A variety of
circumstances postponed the day of reckoning,
and those who had so deeply offended might
well reckon confidently upon immunity to the
end The executions to-day show how miSer-
able was the mistake. The surviving Mollies
may be as bad as those who will be dead to-
night, but they are not idiots, aud hereafter,
if they know what self-preservation means,
they will add nothing to the list, already too
long, of murders at the mines.
THE NEW LOAN.
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