The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-02-23
MOLLY MAGUIRES ON TRIAL.
A Thrilling Story of the Murder of Alex
ander Rea, by One of the Murderers.

A Thrilling Story of the Murder of Alex
ander Rea. by One of the Murderers.
[Bloomsburg (Pa.) Cor. New York Heraldl
The excitement in the court incident to
the Molly Mcguire trials of Hester,
McHugh and Tully was intensified this
forenoon by the appearance of Mrs. Rea,
the widow of the murdered man, upon
the witness stand.
DIR, Betterly, who made the post-mor-
tenn examination, described the appear
ance of Alexander Rea's head after it was
riddled by the bullets of his assassins,
any one of which bullets was sufficient to
kill.
The climax of the thrilling trial was
reached, however, when Manus Gull, or
Kelly the Bum, was placed on the wit
ness stand for the prosecution. He is the
man who fired the first shot at Alexander
Rea, and who has now turned States
evidence against his companions in crime.
His story of the devilish deed held the
crowded court spellbound, and the large
audience was as still as death while he
told of how that desperate band of ten
men plotted and prepared for the murder
of the mine superintendent He said
that Pat Hester was the first who sug-
gested the crime, at the saloon of a'man
named Donohue, where a dozen "Molly
Maguires' were present, including the
Witness and McHugh and Tully, who are
on trial. Hester, he said, stated that the
murder would be a good thing, as Rea
would have at least $40, 900 in his posses
sion. This was on the night of the 10th.
On the morning of the 18th of October,
1868, nine of the Mollies set out at dawn
on their deadly mission. Hester and
three others turned back after going lit
tie way, and five, including Kelly, went
on to do the deed. They hid themselves
in the woods on the roadside, between
Centralia and Mount Carmel, where they
waited several hours, and drank freely
from a whisky bottle they had with them.
1t was customary for Rea to have his lit
tie boy with him in his buggy, and the
murderers held council as to what they
should do with the Lad when they would
kill his father, in case he was along. One
of the number, who knew Mr.. Rea bet
ter than the rest, went out on the road
side to give the signal as soon as the
doomed man was to appear. Two bug
gies passed by, and the murderers lev
eled their revolvers at the occupants,
only to lay them down in disappointment
when they saw their expected victim was
not there. At last he came in sight. The
picket gave the signal, and when Rea
drove by the assassins rushed from their
ambush, and the witness says that he
called on him to surrender, Rea then
handed him his watch and $50 in money,
whereupon Kelly asked Tully what they
would do with the man. Tully replied,
Kill him, of course won't be logged
through the country for my life by any
one" Then they fired simultaneously at
the Superintendent, who attempted to es-
cape through the woods, but was already
wounded and fell bleeding on the grass.
The assassins rushed upon him, and
Tully, placing his pistol to the PROSTATE
mans ear, discharged bullet into his
brain, after which they ran off and di-
vided the money.
The pent-up agony of the audience
during this recital of Kelly's fearful story
broke forth in expressions of horror
when he reached this point.