Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1905-05-11
SENT ELEVEN
TO THE GALLOWS

The death week ago, of Captain
Thomas Anderson, of DEVILS Lake, n.
d removed one of the few surviving
figures of the bloody Mollie Mcguire
Rebellion in the anthracite region.
Anderson was chief of the Reading
Goal and Iron Police. aud in his cam
paign against the Mollies, he coop
Grated with James McParlan, the
famous detective whose discoveries re-
suited in six haugings at Pottsville IN
one day. McParlan, like Anderson,
was threatened scores OF times with
assassination, but he is still living in
the West and is hale and prosperous
Captain Anderson, who held his office
until 1897, was credited with having
made the suggestion to President Frank
lin B. Gowen, of the Reading, that Alan
Pinkerton be employed to expose the
Mollies. 1t was the result of the call
ing in of the Pinkerton men that Nc
Parlan, who became widely known
throughout the anthracite region as
james McKenna," became an actor
in the terrible tragedy.
1t was in February 1876, that Cap
tain Alderson's most delicate work
against the Mollies, was accomplished.
By that time, after his long residence
in the coal region, suspicion had be-
come aroused as to the identity OF Nc
Parlan, and it was necessary to guard
him with the greatest vigilance for
fear he should be murdered and all the
results of the investigation during the
past years be lost.
The men who had SO long carried
the affairs of the county with hlgh
hand were now in state of demor'
alization. They apparently realized
that they were at the end of their
career. The prison and the gallow'
loomed up before them. They were
determined to destroy all evidence OF
their criminal acts. The books anc
papers of the society were burned and
it was resolved to murder McParlan.
A letter was sent to the detective from
police headquaI tersin order to decelVe
the MollIes. McParlan had all along
pretended to be fugitive from just
ice, but to be on friendly terms Will
Anderson and Captain Linden, VIII
were protecting him. This letter ad
vised him to fee McParlan receivet
and opened the letter in company wit
a crowd of Mollies.
"I'll not bulge wan single inch t
save them all from perdition!" !" ex
claimed McParlan after reading tn
letter aloud to the crowd of Mollies
Il am innocent. I'll only be arreste
anyhow. An if others stand by, VIII
, shouldn't |? 2"
The Mollies applaudad him for thi
exhibition of mock courage. The
would have acted in an entirely diffel
, ent manner had they known that wa
rants had already been sworn out tc
their arrests.
But the suspicion against the d'
! tective could not be allayed. Plo
we're laid to kill him and throw b
o body down deserted mine shaft.
; which hiding place it would never
, found. Dennis Dowling,a burly Mo
i, lie was then designated to kill Nj
Parlan, but all these plans were fru
trated by Captain Anderson.
The summary of the work of Captal
= Anderson and those who were associate
o with him, shows that twelve Molli
. were found guilty of murder in hr
degree; four of murder in the secol
4 degree; four of being accessory to Il
q murder; six of perjury in establlshlr
the familiar alIbi, and many others
+ assault and 5attery.
q Eleven of these men were hange
;. This is record it is believed fe
!, officers of the law can equal.