The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-03

mined upoE. It was not intended at first
that Mcfarland should be a witness. The
intention was that he should discover, II
possible, the criminals who infested the coal
regions, learn OF their inside workings,
give notice Of intended outrages, and when
this could not he done, point out Offenders
and secretly furnish information and evil
dence for their conviction.
The detective went into Scuylkill county,
taking the name Of James McKenna, by
which he was known for three years. He
went to work az u miner, but BOOT found
out that little information could be obtained
from the real workingnen about the Molly
Maguires, for practically all the leaders
were holding political jobs or keeping ga
looms.
A FRIEND OF THE MOLLY MAdUIREs.
SO then he began TO hang out in the places
frequented by these men. He could sing
a good song, dance a jig or pass a rough
Joke with any Of them and soon he began
to make friends with them. One OF the
men who took n liking to him was Pat
Dormer, a Molly, who kept a saloon. From
him Mcfarland learned that If every MEM
Der of the Ancient Order of Hibernisns was
not a Molly at least every Molly belonged
to the A. O. H.. He determined then to
ioin the organization. He told Dormer
that he had belonged to the A. o. Ii. in
Buffalo. but was forced to fee from that
city because he had killed a man in a fight.
He also let it be known that be was a coun-
t~erfeiter and a bogus pensioner on the Gov
eminent. That was the way he accounted
for the fact that he was able to live without
work.
His supposed criminal record rather
raised him in the estimation Of the leading
Mollies and there began to be serious talk
about taking him.
The whole scheme came near falling to
the ground and Mcfarland narrowly es-
capped losing his life one night when a MEM
Der of the A. o. H. not friendly to the detec-
tive began to question him about the ritual
of the organization. MCFARLAND pretended
TO be drunk and finally rolled to the fioer
as If in a stupor. Some OF those present
were for kicking him to death, but it was
finally decided that he was really drunk
and not accountable for what he said. All
the while MCFARLAND was listening and he
heard enough about the inner workings
of the A. O. II. to become familiar with the
titles of the officers.
He renewed his application for member
! ship. When asked why he did not come
in through the Buffalo branch he declared
that he feared that any communication
with that place would result in his arrest.
He was finally initiated and from that on
was the master OF the secrets Of the Molly
MaRuires. He became secretary OF the
division, with a seat in the county conven-
ton.
CONVICTIONS ON Hrs TESTIMONY.
Following the long strike of 1874 came the
worst Of the outrages committed by the
Mollies. During April and May OF 1875
there were threats, notices to leave the
country, burnings Of houses and breakers,
murders, the gathering of mobs, the OBJ
struction of railroads, and many other out
RACES incident to the then disordered state
OF the mining communities. Through it
all Mcfarland was indefatigable in col
lectinR evidence against the perpetrators
OF the outraRes. His was a difficult and a
dangerous task, for the leaders of the Mollies
were both suspicious and cunning, and if
he had betrayed himself in the slightest
degree his life would have paid the forfeit.
Valuable assistance was given to him by
r. j. Linden. a Pinkerton man who had
been sent on from Chicago to help him.
SO closely did MoParland initiate the
ways Of the Mollies that he got to look and
act like them. The vast amount OF bad
whiskey he was obliged to drink in order
to keep up the part undermined his health
for a time.
1t was mainly on his testimony that the
malefactors were sent to the gallows. Little
or nothing has been heard Of the Molly
Maguires since JUNE 81, 1877, when six OF
them were hanged in Pottsville, four at
Mauch Chunk and one in the Luzerne county
prison yard. Others were convicted of
perjury and lesser crimes, and the Mollies
ceased to terrorize the anthracite regions.