The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-07-06

of 2, 5000. The anti-Molies tried to ''hide
/ the bloody dagger in the bed of innocence
No device was left untried to fasten the
! Wiggans massacre on the Irish. The J07ty.-
nal speaks intelligentiy when it saws the
massacre was committed ''by men who, if
( the reports are true, pretend to be respect
able citizeus.'
With very little effort on the part of the
authorities these offenders could long since
! have been hSDught to justice. Who coun-
seled, abetted and committed the Wiggaus
! massacre has long been an open secret. Mr..
( GOwen said of remark made by counsel,
''lf they mean that Molly Magures or any
. others have right to kill people because
/ their characters are not good, then the
! foundations of society are overturned and
we have nothing TO rely on for protection.
There is no man in the cOmmuni-
4 ty, no matter how despicable, how low his
/ character, how abiect his condition, whose
| life must not be held as safe as the bravest,
/ nObest and best man in this cOmmuui-
! ty." Ii this be true, why have not the per
petratOrs of tie Wiggans aud other out
RACES, whom Mr.. GUwen STYLES "any 9th
ers, been brought TO justice? Has Nc
! Parlan been sent among them, whose testi-
| mony when it comes viii be cOuclusive2 Is
the evidence against them considered insult
( ficieut to overcome the suboTued testimony
of 'those who pretended To be respectable
citizens ?' Since the community at large
! has had so little dcnuuciatiOn to spare on
thai crime does the District Attorney be-
leve there is not enough love of Justice
of even-handcd iuStice-left in Schuylkill
, county to secure their conviction, no mat
ter how strong the evidence against them
To be consistent, those that condemn
| Molly outrages must as vigorously decIy
and severely punish the Wiggaus mas
! sacrc aud other outragcs. Mr.. Gcwen says,
''ln this country there is no man however,
despicable, whose life is not as s1cred in
my eyes as the life of the Judges who sit
in this court Sound doctrine, from the
practice of which peace can only be looked
for.
The failure to mete out prompt, impair
tial justice in Schuylkill county bias been
10 small element of bad feeling and disor-
der. Let a case in point be taken. For an
| attempt to murder William NJ. Thomas aud
for conspiracy to murder the Majors eigh.
men were tried, convicted and sentenced
to an aggregate Imprisonment of seventy
seven years yet the record OF their con-
! victiou proves that William Thomas and
! the Majors were the aggressors, courted
and provoked the attacks and conspiracy
for which these eight men were convicted.
HISTORY OF THE MAJOR CASE.
The history of the case is briefly this ::
| George Major was shot during a riot be
| tween rival fire companies by John NcCaun,
| it is believed in lie ,aliatiUn for an assault
by Major on McCann's brother. For the
killing of George Major Daniel Dougherty
! was, by a change of venue, tried aud ac-
quilted at Lebanon. (The testimony of
| McParlan subsequently eXonerated Dough-
erJy from any participation whatever in
the murder.) William NJ. Thomas, alias
Bully Bill, a notorious rongh, was used 10y
the respectable citizens of Mahanoy City to
intimidate, by a prodigal display and use of
| pistols, other roughs. The Majors and
others did not acquiesce in the acquitfal of
| Dougherty. Several unsuccessful attempts
| were made to assaSSinate Dougher.y, and
| it was not the custom to expect, much less
to Look to the law for plotec ion, Dougherty
took measures to protect himself. McPar-
| Ian testilies :--"lle Doug gherty) showed us
one or two bullet holes in his coat, near the
shoulder, and stated that he believed Jesse
| Major was the man who shot him. and
! stated that he had come to the conclusion
| the Majors were going to kill himany how,
! and he thought hat if the Majors and
| Bully Bill were put out of the way he would
have peace" When this piece of testimony
| was given no one doubted its uuth. 1t
was a we'll known fact that Bully Bill and
others had conSpired and attemp ed to as
sassinate Daniel DOugherfy, whose life, ac-
| cording to Mr. Gowen and every right
| thinking man, was TO be regarded as sacred
| as the life of the Judge upon the bench. In
| have made information against Wm, VI.
| Thomas and Jesse Major in open Court be
fore Judge Walker, Mr. kaercher, the Dis
trict Attorney, and even before hr. GOwen
| himself. With One-tcnth part of this in-
| formation insiuuayed against a Molly Mr.
! Gowen would have had him in prison IN
| tweuty-four hours. The conspiracy and
attempt to kill that were allowed 10 20 uu-
/ noticed and uupunished were as wicked,
deliberate, and cowardly as the one Mr..
GOwen expended his rhetoric upon, and
! which received a penalty of seventy-sevou
! years Imprisonment In order TO make
out cases against one class immunity was
granted TO the very worst class of crlmin-
/ ais. Why was not the same system pur-
sued in order TO punish criminals of t3e
other class who were guilty of similar Of
/ fences? Fiat JUsttti0 gBIt cE50Ht. The
/ only safety of a community is 10 let Justice
! scourage friend and foe alike when they de
! serve 1t, otherwise injustice viii react, be-
/ get retaliation, disorder, anarchy. Ii is
folly to expect peace except t. expect IL as
/ the work of justice-og1t' jUstftia par TO
/ quote Mr. Gowen, if people can be killed
because sheir characters are oad then the
/ foundations of society are overturned.
/ Governor Seymour, ib an address before
/ q convention OF prison officials, said III
4 you wish to study the morality of com
( muuitv go to lis prisons. Criminals are
not, as Is generally supposed, thorns in tie
side Of society. They are men fully imbued
+ with the false notions aud maXims which
prevail in their day, and they sin only by
running little faster than Others ~ carry
ing those maXimS 30 their ultimate cOnclu-
sions.'' Judge SchuJlAll county in tie
light of the truth, and what will yOu fiIid
lou will find it was willing for presenC
advantage to sacrifice IFS permanent good.
You will find That tAUlg WAS not one will
ing to sacrifice personal interest t0r the
wefaie OF tle community; that there was
not one who would not cuque e with The
head devils" uf the Ancient Order of Hi
bernians in order to advance himself that
long ago the best citizens, moved not by
love of Justice or feelings of pity, but by
political motives, petitiUned for the pardon
of crim EalS la comparison to whom the
worst ol the six 20 be executed ~ roitsville
,,,;,t,, ,,.,e t,., ~, nrpl Nuu will find that