Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-03-29
MOLLY MAGJJIREISM.
TIE TRIPLE EXECUTION LAST
MONDAY.

TIE TRIPLE ExECUTION List
MONI1AY.
The Story of Crime Committed Over Tel
Years Aeo--A Detective Working Up tn.
Case by Making Love to the Daughter o.
| One of the Alleged Murderers--Was Pat
Hester Guilty His Sad Parting With HI.
Family-.The Confession of Pat Tully.
At Bloomsbury, Pa, Monday the 25th
inst, three Molly Maguires were executed,
viz: Patrick Hester, Patrick Tully and
Peter MoHugh. correspondent of the
Philadelphia Times gives the following &C.
count Of the crime and its detection:
Nearly ten years ago, on crisp Sunday
morning the lfeless body of Alexander Rea,
with six gaping bullet wounds upon it, was
found lying on tho roadway passing from
Centralia, in Columbia county, to Mount
Carmel, In Northumberland county, and
about mile and half from the latter place.
OF the ten men concerned il the killing,
three will meet their deaths on Monday.
Columbia county has never had hang
ing, and when it's initial performance aims at
three studded takings- OFF and the subjects all
fully aedged Mollie Maguires at that,
Bloomsburg, the county seat, and known
only to fame as the home of Hon. Charles r.
Buckalew, feels a degree of excitement hith-
erto a stranger to the quiet little town. Pat
Hester, Pat Tully and Peter McHugh have
been in Bloomsbnrg fail for more than a
year. sIhe 9th of August last was to have
seen their swinging-off, but the inevitable
writ of error came in the way, and hanging
day was put off, but only for time. The
judicial killing of man of Testers stamp
among his fellows-Tully and McHugh are
not out OF tho ordinary as Mollie Mcguire
rascaity runs-is not the only peculiar
phase about this next act in this drama of
retributive justice. The murder of Rea was
remarkable in its way. None ever accused
the sons of Mollie being above theft, but
during their reign of violence at the time of
and ante-dating the "long strike' their
hands and their revolvers- they never used
knives-were kept too busy with
destroying the railroad and coal COM
panies property and accomplishing schemes
of revenge to permit them to rob peo-
pie, and in the long list Of murders exposed
by the ferretings Of Detective McParlan,
there is not one, with the exception of that
of Alexander Rea, that was not committed
for the purpose of satisfying the malice of
some one. Nor can Alexander Rea's death
be ascribed to the robbers greed, for he
gave up his all peaceably, and his death was
purely the result of wanton brutality.
ALEXANDER REA.
Alexander Rea, q mining superintendent,
was peaceable and inoffens i've man, but
naturally fearless, for in the pursuance Of
his duty in lawless region he was never
armed. He had wife and six children, and
was considered an estimable gentleman.
About half-past nine o'clock on the morning
of October II, 1863, Mr.. Rea was riding in
his buggy in the highway in Conyngham
township. Columbia county, in the direction
OF the Coal Ridge Improvement company's
colllery, and when near roadside spring,
where had been erected rude watering
trough, he was fired OH and killed. The
excitement ran high. John Duffy,
Of Mahanoy City; Michael Prior,
OF Branchdale; Thomas Dona-
hue, of Ashland, and Pat Hester, of Mt.
Carmel township, were looked upon as the
assassins, and they were at once arrested.
Their trials began in February, 1869, the de-
PENDANTS electing to be tried separete ly. A
test case was made against Donahue, but he
was acquitted, and the prosecution aban-
doned the rest of the indictments, and Pat
Hester was again free man.
What Jack Kehoe was among the Schuyl-
kill county cut-throats, so was Pat Hester
among the gang in Northumberland and
Columbia counties-the noblest Mollie of
them all. Unlike Kehoe, he was not coun-
ty delegate, Dennis F. Canning holding that
envlable position, but there was no deviltry
foot round about that he had not finger
a Vr,oo bro lo1 -
man, but he was of high standing in the
Ancient Order of Hibernians. Near Locust
Gap junction, where the counties of Schuyl-
kill, Columbia and Northumberland come
together, Testers tavern-all the Mollie
leaders gained their influence from behind q
pine board-fronts the railroad, his surname
figuring upon heavy oval sign-board sur
mounting tall post in the regular
olden style. Hester is rather large, heavy
man, with dark eyes and hair, the
latter worn long and turned under at the
ends, and with massive and stolid, but by no
means evil looking features. He has a
slightly wicked expression in the eyes, with
arching eyebrows. thin lips and narrow chin
whiskers, little lighter in hue than his
hair. McParlan, the detective, in his wan
behring's, rarely travelled out Of Schuylkill
county, and no had long been among the
Mollies and was fully accredited member
when he first found his way to Northumber-
land county and to Pat Hester's house.
M'PARLAN MAKING LOVE.
Outrages were somewhat decreasing in
Schuylkill county, while in Columbia and
Northumberland counties the Molies were
exercising their own sweet will without let or
hindrance, and SO MoParlan was ordered to
hi c$a klck NM,
Donahue, brother of "Yellow jack Don
ahue, who was hung in Mauch Chunck last
June, was an intimate friend of Hester, and
being on first-class spree in Girardrille, in
schuylkill county, was met by McParlan in
Jack kehoes hotel. McParlan, or McKen-
ma, as he was then known, intimated to
Donahue that he had tender feeling for
Pat Hester's youngest daughter and desired
some one to give him an introduction. The
pair accordingly journeyed to Locust Gap
junction, Donahue the while RECALLING his
comrade with stories of outrages he had COM
mitted. Arriving at Hester's house, the cele-
brated Mollie was not at home, but McParlan
was soon placed upon an easy footing with
Mrs. Hester and her two blooming daughters,
a couple of sons making up the family. Hes
ter, who had been overseeing gang of
laborers working on railroad bridge, came
home to dinner. Ned Skivington, ex-oounty
delegate, who will be heard Of hereafter, and
Pat. McCool afterwards Joined the party.
During the day Donahue informed Nc
Parlin that Hester desired him to burn
bridge in the neighborhood, but the latter
thought 5000 too fair price. That night
the detective played euchre in the parlor with
Hester, his wife and eldest son, and the next
morning he left the house. He saw little
moro of Hester until February, 1877, when
the latter, who, in his rush of wickedness,
had almost forgotten about poor Alexander
Rea's death, was arrested together with Pat.