Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1877-06-27


Chunk and Wilkesbarre, last
Thursday. and their Executions
as per Dispatches.
For fourteen years, ending with 1876,
the populous mining districts of East
eru Pennsylvania were terrorized over
by mysterious secret society. During
that time at least twelve brutal assas
sinatiJns of PROMINENT citizens were
committed by it; but the ten men who
we're executed at fotisvilIe and Mauch
Chunk aud the one at Wilkesbarrs last
thursday we're the first OF its members
to suffer for their crimes.
In the excitement, confusion, and
laxiiy of civil discipline into which
every community was thrown by the
outbreak of the rebellion, the Mollie
Msguires came to the surface. 1t was
called by various names, but that OF
"Moliie Maguires" was the most corr
mon one, and the participants in one of
the early ou,rsges openly boosted of
being :. Mollie Maguires." This vas
IN December, 1862, when an attack was
made by an armed force Of about two
hundred men on the colleries of Wm.
Goyne, in Cass township, Schuy kill
county.
They stopped the engines and pumps,
closed the co!liery store, beat number
of miners who had persisted In work.
ing for the new tenant, and severely in
jured three other men who came in their
way.
The first murder committed by the
organization was that of T. W. S. Lang
don, June IA, 1862. Langdon was
"breaker boss" at colliery near Au-
denried, Carbon county. lie was faith
ful to bis employ ers, insisted that the
men under his charge should do good
work, and obey the rules, and his good
conduct cost him bis life. The lawless
spirits employed about the colliery re-
sented bis ofiiciousness," and only
waited for favorable opportunity to
stop it efTectually.
They found it amid the noise and
hustle at public meeting to arrange a
Fourth of July celebration. The Amer
lean flag Was displayed, and somebody
spat on it; LaDgdon demonstrated,
when / crowd of ruffians gathered about
him with angry words aud threats
Ths, nigh, Langdon started to walk
home alone he vas followed by mob
and stoned to death. There we're no
arrests at the time. TIE murder vas
charged to "Molie Maguires," aud that
was the end of it-for fourteen years.
HOW THE WORK WAS DONE.
The murder Of George X Smith, at
Audenreld, in November, 1863, was
followed by MolIie fuueral, but no.
body deemed 1t advisable to ask iudis-
Greet questions. On the night of Feb
ruary IL, 1867, the house OF John Z.
NOrthall, a coal operator, at Tuscarora,
SchuylkilI county, was attacked by a
body of men, who fired into ths win
dow of his bed room. Mr.. Northall
was away from home, but the neighbors
gathered and the sssailants fed leaving
behing them the body OF Uue Of their
number.
la 1875 the Philadelphia and Read
ing oal and Iron Company, two or
CARNATIONS which owned most of the
collerles in the region in which the
Mollie Maguires were most active,
established the Coal and Iron Police, a
body Of men who combined the duties
OF scon,s, crnstables, and detectives.
The establishment of this force was
followed by more murders. On the
night of the 9th of July, 1915, Benja
min X. Yost, policeman, of Tamaqua,
Schuylklll county, was shot on his beat
as he was mounting his ladder to ex-
tinguish street lamp. On the morn
ing of the ist Of September, 1873, as
the miners employed in the colliery of
5. NJ. Heaton &Co, at Raven Run,
SchuylkIli county, were going TO work
Eve strangers were observed lettering
about the works; but this was too com
mon a matter to attract attention.
Seven o'clock was the hour for be-
giniDg work, ard about half past six
the workman began to gather about the
mine, and there were one hundred or
more in the vicinity when Thomas San
er, the s.lnside boss" came out of his
house aud walked toward the entrance
of the nine, accompanied by young
man named William Uren. The FIVE
strangers advanced, shot Sanger and
Uren fatally, epptid their revolvers at
the miners who were looking on in
stupid surprise, and then escaped to the
surrounding woods, where all trace of
them was lost.
Two days later. on the morning of
the Sd of September, John Z. Jones,
mining boss at Lsnsforj a coliery town
in Carbon county, between Mauch
Chunk and Tanaqua, was met, as be
was on his way to work, by two strange
men, wLo, without saying word fired
a uumber Of shots into him, killing him
instantly, then turned aud escaped be-
fore pursuit. could could be organized,
The telegraph was instantly set to work,
the whole c,uniry, already highly
excited by the murder of Uren and
Sanger, was thoroughly arousen, busi-
ness was suspended. aud crowds of men
began systematic search for the muir
derers.
About noon of the same day three
men were found sitting by spring on
the outskirts of Tawaqua, and a chain