The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-12-03

Mike " DIleN, DOiu oI lntIn db Ont
time "body masters" of the branch of
Mollies at their old homes. They are
serving two terms of seven years each.
They have frequently but vainly ap-
piled for pardons, and have now given
up hope of escaping the judgement
pronounced on them by the Court.
Donnelly lived in New Castle, three
miles from here. He was young
man, and an active politician of more
than ordinary intelligence. He bad
a wife and six children. O'Brien had
wife and family. He is not a man
Of as good Intellect as Donnelly, but,
by reason of cert ain native talent,
became the leader of his branch at
Mahauoy City. He never held any
municipal Office, as his fourteen.year
colleague bad, for the reason that the
native American and anti-Irsh factions
pretty well ruled the town.
Between these nationality factions
there was deadly feud for years, and
First street, Mahanoy City, became
known as the dead line, to cross which
was as fatal, or at least serious for the
Mollie-lrish as it was for the "Modocs,"
as the American-German-W Welsh-Eng-
lish faction had become known. Chief
among this latter clan were the Major
boys. George, the eldest brother, had
been Chief Burgess of the town.
"Bill" and "Jess' were his younger
brothers. They were tall, wiry fellows,
who never ran away from fight The
intensity Of feeling between the two
parties was raised to its highest pitch
when one night in 1874 George Major,
while in the discharge of his official
duties at an inceudarv fire, was fatally
shot. Daniel Doughcrly was tried,
under a change of venue, at Lebanon,
but proved an alibi, setting up the un-
usual defense that the murder was
committed by John McCanp,
stranger in the neighborhood. Until
two years later many people believed
"McCann" myth, but the jury be-
lieved the story, and Dougherty was
acquitted, as subsequent events proved
very justly. Majors friends returned
from Lebanon, doubling Doughe,tv's
inuocense, and much incensed, while
the Molie crowd were made equally
defiant by the verdict.
On May 80, 1875, meeting of the
County Board was held at the house
of Jack Kchoe, the county delegate at
Girardville. The business of the Board
was to arrange for the proper and eff
cient disposal of the Major boys and
Bully Bill (Willam M Taomas), their
chum. Obrlen, Donnelly, and seven
other body masters attended this meet
ing, at which men were selected who
were to kill the obnoxious Modocs
named. The meeting had been open.
ed as usual with prayer, and then the
bloody deliberations proceeded Two
men from Shenandoah were selected
to kill Thomas, and three from Don
nellys division and the Tuscarora
branch to shoot the Major boys. All
OF the assassins selected were strangers
to their intended victims. The whole
story of the meeting, which is So briefly
stated here, sounds like an Old World
romance. To begin plotting murders
with prayer is revolving until it be-
comes classical"
Pursuant to the directions of this
bloody conclave, on the 2Sth of June
following, men selected for the purpose
attacked Thomas in the stable at
Shoemaker's colliery, near Mahanoy
City, and fired four bullets into his
body at distances of SIX inches to
four feet from him, killed one horse,
wounded another, and, though thew
lett Thomas for dead. a supposed
"clean job" he miraculously ESCAPED
even serious wounding. The attempt
to kill the Major boys failed by reason
OF their having received notice indi-
rectly from the detective and their alb.
sence from their accustomed place on
the day set.
On August 16, 1875, Tom Hurley.
since then fugitive from justice, and
recently reported dead in Colorado,
killed, at Shenandoah fremen's pic
nic, in broad daylight, Conner James.
The assassination tonk place in the
presence of hundred persons, and
within few feet of the dancing plat
form, where a hundred couples. were.
Hurley escaped, and in Mollie circles
it was regarded as such a "clean lob"
that a convention of body masters was
called, and it was agreed to pay Hur-
ley reward of $500. At this meet
ing Donnelly and O'Brien were again
present.
They were arrested in MAY, 1876.
with nearly dozen others. The de-
tective's disclosures had been made
meanwhile, and number of the guilty.
fled. The chief conspirators were un-
der constant surveillance, however,
and on the evening of May 9lh Cap
tain Aldersohn strolled into the tele-
graph office here and sent this mes
sage:
To, G. and I. Police at;
Spring the trap.
This message was repeated to every
Coal and Iron policeman in the region.
He knew his duty, knew his man, and
on the morning of the 10Th there was
a squad of handcuffed men, all arrang-
| ed along stout steel chain and guard
ed by the now united force. marching
up Centre street and up the hill to the
great stone castle, from which some
never came again alive, except to cross
the street TO the Court House, and TO
walk to the scaffold in the prison yard.
In the gang were Donnelly and
O'Brien. With Others they were tried
for conspiracy to kill and as accessor-
les after the murder. Ga each charge
each was sentenced to seven years i'm
prisonment. The Communication for
good behavior reduces the sentence to
eleven years each, and this will expire
just year hence.
Their prison life has been made as
comfortable as possible. Mrs. Donnelly
visits her husband every two weeks and
occasionally brings one or two of the
children. She has had hard struggle
for ten years, and her faithfulness de-
serves better reward than her hus-
band can hope to give her, Mrs.
A n ll,raa Iaa IA