In casting about me for a chief assistant of Mr. Franklin and co-worker with McParlan, in the coal country, I was quick in deciding that the very man, of all others among my large number of operatives, was Robert J. Linden, then of Chicago, a gentleman who had long been connected with the Agency, and in whose courage, judgment, and discretion I could place implicit reliance, and this from the reason that all of these qualities were united in his mind and body, and had received abundant trial during the time he had remained in my service. Capt. Linden was eminently qualified to assume a leading part in such a hazardous undertaking as we were to enter upon in Pennsylvania. A man of attractive personal appearance, captivating address, great energy and perseverance, and with more than ordinary powers of perception, I knew he would make an excellent open operator, when the time might arrive for that kind of business. About forty years of age, tall, powerful in frame and physical organization, with black, close-curling hair, whiskers and mustache of the same texture and color, blue eyes, which were expressive of confidence, and just the kind of orbs to win the confidence of others, Linden was a person who could ably command my coal police. A native of Pennsylvania; at an 281early day a ship carpenter by trade; possessed of a fair education and many qualities of head and heart to entitle him to esteem and regard, I wished for no better man. He had performed labor for the Philadelphia office previous to 1871, was then detailed to Chicago, and engaged in the responsible position of Lieutenant on my local Preventive Watch. So well did he perform his duty there, that when my son William, several years since, went to Europe on business of the Agency, I appointed Linden to temporarily fill his place in the detective corps. He was yet acting as an Assistant Superintendent, and permanently located, with his estimable family, in Chicago. The only cause of hesitation that I felt in returning him to Pennsylvania, was found in the separation from his wife and children that must necessarily ensue. Still, no other officer that I could spare from the west would fill the position so well, and he was therefore directed to report in Philadelphia at once. His experience in the navy, during the late war, had given him confidence and coolness under trying circumstances, with capacity for the training and management of bodies of men, and I was certain that there would be no needless delay in making his appearance, ready and willing to perform his task. Nor was I disappointed. Linden soon reached Philadelphia, accompanied by a detail of six stalwart men—partly chosen from the Chicago Preventive Watch, and partly from the Detective Department—and there received his orders and instructions. Without resting a single day, he entered upon his labors, taking the cars for Pottsville, Friday, the sixth of May, 1875. Once in that city, where he arrived a little after noon, he took his men to the Merchant's Hotel, directing them to remain and await his return, and then hunted out General Pleasants, to whom he delivered his letter of introduction. The General received him cordially and at once sent for Mr. Heisler. A long consultation between the three men ensued, during which plans were exhaustively discussed and arrangements carefully 282made to cover every conceivable condition of affairs. Then followed the induction of the men I had sent into the Coal and Iron Police, which ceremony transpired at the court-house and consisted in taking the usual oath of office. After this the six officers parted company, according to orders, going in pairs, in different directions, with strict instructions to make their headquarters at a certain place, and then survey carefully their field of operations, gaining, by actual experience, a correct knowledge of the shape and character of the country, the towns, villages, patches, collieries, creeks and rivers, mountains and ravines, so that, in the performance of their work, they might have no trouble in finding their route, without inquiry, from one place to another, even in the darkness of night. Two men were sent to Locust Run, two to Boston Colliery, and two to Tunnel Colliery. Mr. Linden received a commission, showing that he was given full control of these policemen. Among the arrangements was a cipher for communicating with General Pleasants, and badges for the men to wear. Mr. Linden—or Captain Linden, as he was soon to be called—made a visit to Ashland on the eighth, where he tarried for several days gaining such information as might prove of value during the summer. At Ashland, on the fourteenth, he was introduced to his assistants, chosen from the Coal and Iron Police, by Mr. Heisler, and found them of the right class, the majority having served with honor as soldiers during the war.
Soon afterward the Captain was made acquainted with Barney Dolan, of Big Mine Run, which is not far from Ashland.
In the meantime, McKenna had visited Ashland, and meeting Linden privately at a hotel, they adjourned to a place where they conversed over a social glass of beer. It did not consume many minutes to agree upon a means of communication and a point in the bush where, the proper signal being given by either party, they might subsequently 283meet and hold private discourse. It was so fixed that one could send a letter to the other without the possibility of any third person suspecting their correspondence. There was only one thing that seemed impossible to be provided for and guarded against. This was the necessity existing for Linden suddenly going from place to place, as the acts of the Mollies might demand. All they were enabled to do in this regard was to promise to write each other, as often as it would be prudent, and plainly set forth the spot removing to, at as early an hour as practicable. McKenna would hardly know in advance when he might need Linden, and Linden would probably be unable to say, should violence and outrage continue to increase, where he might be most in demand. Still, every precaution was taken to have their whereabouts known one to the other. After their meeting, McKenna returned to his friends and Linden to his headquarters.
To go back a few days: On the third of May, and subsequent to McKenna's first council with Linden, the former took the train for Pottsville, where he was under promise to meet County Delegate Kehoe. Court was in session, and their business, connected with the trial of Dan Dougherty, for killing the Chief Burgess of Mahanoy City, resulted, as before stated, in the defendant's acquittal. Among those that the detective encountered during this visit were Alex. Campbell, of Summit Hill, and John Gallagher, with many other Mollie Maguires, all of whom were deeply interested in the result of Dougherty's case. There was great rejoicing indulged in, and much drink consumed, when their friend secured release. He was quickly taken possession of by his brother Mollies, and in their company made a night of it. Schuylkill County Jail was voted a good place for most people, but for a Mollie past endurance.
The return of Dougherty to Mahanoy City, an event occurring about the ninth of May, was made remarkable by 284a prompt renewal of hostilities between the lately liberated man and Jesse Major, a brother of Dougherty's former victim. Major was at the time accompanied by Wm. M. Thomas, alias "Bully Bill," a notorious desperado, who was known to be opposed to the Mollies and always ready to pull a revolver and shoot, upon the slightest possible provocation. Dougherty was fired upon and narrowly escaped death. Instead of calming the strife between the Welsh and Irish miners, this encounter added fury to the fire, and it raged more fiercely. The detective heard of the circumstance on the following day, and made up his mind that, if the feud was kept up, it could be but a very short time before Mahanoy City would become a modern Gehenna.
In the meantime John Gibbons brought the startling information to the Mollies of Shenandoah, one morning, that preparations were going on, looking to the early resumption of work by the surrounding collieries, and, this time, the Coal and Iron Company seemed determined to protect their laborers with arms. He suggested that such a course must be properly met by the Hibernians, force with force. The rumor was, that the company had already stationed seven heavily armed policemen at Plank Ridge Colliery, fourteen at West Shenandoah Colliery, and eleven at Indian Ridge Colliery.
"And," said Gibbons, with an oath, "the next thing to be done is for the boys on our side to get their guns; for I hear that these new police are all armed wid repeating rifles. If Irish miners are to be forced into open war, we will at least have suitable arms!"
Gibbons was loudly applauded by the surrounding Mollies, and by none more vociferously than by Jim McKenna, whose enthusiasm over the prospect of a fight was unreasonable and knew no bounds.
The scene of warlike operations, judging by the number 285of outrages committed, appeared just then to be transferred to parts of Columbia and Northumberland Counties; hence, in accordance with Mr. Franklin's orders, as well as to give Linden a free course until he should be quite familiar with his future field of campaign, McKenna resolved to pay a visit to Canning, County Delegate, and resume the acquaintance of the Mollies thereabouts, with whom he had previously made himself popular. As an excuse for the trip, one day, after this idea was fully formed in his mind, he gave out to Tom Donahue, brother of "Yellow Jack" Donahue, that he had, when in the vicinity, not long before, formed a great liking for the youngest daughter of the celebrated Pat Hester. The latter was known to be at the head of the clan, as far as deviltry was concerned, in that region. Donahue he knew to be an intimate friend of Hester, quite at home at his house, and, McKenna had reason to believe, knew more of the late troubles in that vicinity than some living in more close neighborhood. Therefore, assuming a sober air, the operative made known his wish to go to see Miss Hester, but he was rather bashful, and did not exactly know how to accomplish a fair beginning of his proposed courtship. He told his friend Tom, that "everything depended upon a good commencement." This was assented to by Donahue, who was on a protracted spree, at Girardville, where this conversation occurred, in Jack Kehoe's hotel.
The idea of the devil-may-care Jim McKenna having experienced a qualm of the tender passion caused Donahue to smile, but the confession of embarrassment made him nearly go into convulsions of merriment. Such a thing as bashfulness connected with McKenna—proverbial, the country over, for the brassiness of his entire composition—was altogether too much for Donahue. He roared with laughter, but soon found voice to exclaim:
"An' is it yourself that ye are, or some cruddy gorsoon, right from the auld sod? Be me sowl, I niver entertained a 286thought that ye had a shadow of bashfulness in your whole body until this minit!"
"Sure," answered McKenna, blushing all over his face, like a verdant boy being interrogated by a handsome school-mistress, "an' I can't be brass through and through! There must be some tenderness in a fellow—an' mine is Pat Hester's younger daughter. I'm free to confess it's a new thing for me, but there must be a starting, and I want to see her! I'm not much acquainted with Pat, her father, an' what I'm axin' of you is to go wid me to his house an' give me an introduction to the whole family. I'll trate ye well if ye'll do it!"
"I've only been away from there, this day's but wan wake," responded Donahue; "beside, I'm out of money, an' can't get enough for me whisky, let alone gallavantin' around like a country parson. It costs cash to ride on the cars, an' I have none of the commodity, good, bad, or indifferent!"
"That nade make no difference," returned McKenna, "fur I'll stand the expense! You see I've had good luck in a 'quare' way, lately, an' can afford a bit of a lark! Jist join in wid me, we'll go to Hester's, have a good time, an' be back here in a few days!"
"I promised Jack Kehoe I'd help him wid his garden fence; but I'll see! If he'll let me off, I'm yer man, an I'll introduce ye to Pat Hester and all the young Hesters wid pleasure!"
Kehoe was glad enough to get rid of Donahue, for a while—though he might have particular use for such as he in a little time—as Tom drank more whisky, by half, than would hire a man who could perform twice as much work. So the two men started.
While en route, after having swallowed a few drinks, Donahue proved very loquacious, and wanted to tell the detective all about the recent destruction of Empire Colliery 287near Excelsior, but McKenna gently stopped him, saying: "It is a courtin' we are goin', an' not to a match at telling long yarns!" This, as the officer had expected, only aroused the pugnacity of his companion, and prompted him, from pure obstinacy, to keep up the conversation. Once more recurring to the subject, he went on—the hearer apparently absorbed in contemplation of the happiness in store, through sparking Hester's daughter, but, in reality, noting in his mind the most trivial incident Donahue alluded to—and was telling, not only of burnings in which he had been engaged, but in pointing out those yet to be consummated in the locality. In this way the fellow was literally pumped dry. Occasionally McKenna would interrupt the flow of criminal talk with:
"But phat about Pat Hester's daughter?"
"To h—l wid Pat Hester's daughter!" would be the impatient reply of the drunken Mollie, and then he would proceed, with much volubility and extravagance of gesture, to unfold a new rascality, tell of late outrages, and who had performed them, with a detail of fact and incident convincing the detective that, with Donahue at least, the old saying, in vino veritas, was as correct in modern times as in the days of Imperial Rome, for the more whisky Donahue drank the more recklessly he spoke the truth, and the more McKenna opposed his thus talking, the more he would insist upon dwelling on the very topics that the operative desired to hear about. In this way, out came the fact of the recent burning of a bridge at the junction, when the watchman had run after and fired upon the incendiaries. Donahue confessed to having burnt the telegraph office in the neighborhood, himself, and said he was not yet through. In several of the deeds he was not a participant, but he knew something concerning all of them and who were the real perpetrators.
When the cars reached Locust Gap, McKenna and his, 288by this time, maudlin companion, alighted, and went directly to the residence of Dennis F. Canning, the County Delegate of Northumberland, but learned from Mrs. Canning that her husband was absent, in Philadelphia, on business. They could not remain there, so adjourned to Scott's tavern, where Donahue soon made himself ridiculous by quarreling with everybody, and the agent was pleased to lead him away on the rto Locust Gap Junction, near which place Hester resided. After a fatiguing walk, the drunken man rallied a little and was sufficiently himself to point out certain bridges that they had tried hard to burn. Donahue concluded, from their ill success, that kerosene oil was not sufficient for setting fire to heavy timbers. It might do with small trash, but utterly failed when applied to large beams and girders. The watchman at this bridge was a brother of Mrs. Hester, and Donahue said the structure would yet have to go. Had not the powder been mismanaged it must have met destruction some weeks before.
At this period another well-timed query about Miss Hester set Donahue's tongue running regarding the attack on Helfenstein's, or Ben Franklin Breaker, which he pointed out.
"It made a devilish fine blaze!" the Mollie said, in a tone of exultation, "an' the cowardly watchmen made no show of resistance!"
This breaker, after repeated notifications to its owners that it was in danger, had been left to the care of one or two useless and cowardly attendants, and was leveled to the ground. Donahue said that Enterprise would have been left standing, had not the bosses continued to put good miners out and blacklegs in, after notification to stop it. Then that structure had to go the way of the others.
"Here we are, at Pat. Hester's, at last."
"Here we are at Pat Hester's at last," said Donahue, as they gained the locality.
They entered the house and McKenna was placed on friendly terms with Mrs. Hester and the boys—for Hester 289had a large family, several lads, and two blooming daughters. Presently Donahue retired to the sitting-room to visit the girls, leaving the operative to be entertained by the old lady. This was a joke that McKenna appreciated, but the tables were quickly turned upon Donahue, who was surprised, a moment later, to see his former companion walk into the parlor with Mrs. Hester, who gave him a favorable introduction to her daughters. They were both handsome misses, as McKenna had previously been informed, and received him very graciously. The conversation soon assumed a kindly and interesting phase, despite Donahue's condition. Even that tough customer was somewhat sobered by his long walk on the railrtrack.
Hester came home to dinner. In the meantime, McKenna had talked his best to the fair one of his choice, whose name was Maria, and she seemed to take his blarney with a good grace, but really giving him, in joke, as good as he sent.
Pat Hester was a rather large, heavy man, with dark eyes and hair, the latter worn long and turned under at the ends, with massive and stolid, but by no means evil-looking features. He had a slightly wicked expression in the eye, arching eyebrows, thin lips and a narrow chin-whisker, the beard in hue a little lighter than the hair. In all, he was not a man to fall in love with at first sight, yet wearing a decent outward appearance, seemingly smart, and not ill-natured unless provoked. When Hester reached home, after overseeing a gang of laborers working on a railrbridge, he met and was presented to McKenna. Taking a natural fancy for him, Pat immediately suspected his object, and gave the young man encouragement, that, if the lady was entirely willing, the father had no sort of objection to the courtship. But after dinner, and the departure of Hester to his labor, the arrival of Pat McCool and Ned Skivington, the latter ex-County Delegate, interfered considerably with the enjoyment of the ladies' society, and the greater part of 290the afternoon was passed by the Mollies in the bar-room. McCool was an old acquaintance of McKenna's, as he had many a time tasted his liquor in Shenandoah. Of course he spoke favorably of the Secretary and made much of him. Skivington was also very friendly. Toward night the men walked out upon the track and met Hester returning. While passing a bridge, just before, Donahue had whispered to McKenna:
"See that bridge! Now, for two hundred dollars from Pat Hester, I'd see it well down wid the ground, but I'll be hanged if I'd do it for nothing!"
This was as good as a hint to the hearer that Donahue had been speaking to Hester about destroying the bridge and disagreed with him as to the amount to be received for the undertaking.
McKenna accepted the information with many nods, winks, and grimaces, expressive of rapt attention and interest, without hazarding an opinion on the subject for or against burning the bridge. But he thought that here was another warning to be sent to Mr. Franklin.
"That night there was an interesting group gathered in Pat. Hester's parlor.c
That night there was an interesting group gathered in Pat Hester's parlor. The center lamp shone on the principal characters, bringing them out in bold relief. Donahue sat in a big arm-chair, asleep. Whisky had at last overpowered the redoubtable relative of "Yellow Jack," and he slept, his head hanging to one side, and occasionally starting up to show that he still lived, and to save his neck from entire dislocation. Pat Hester and his wife—the latter somewhat advanced in years, yet spruce as a sunflower and as lively as a cricket—were opponents in a game of euchre; the lady having McKenna as a partner, while Pat played with his oldest son. One of the Misses Hester was busy sewing, and the other—the younger, and McKenna's particular affinity—sat at his elbow, telling him how to marshal his cards in order to defeat her respected father and brother at the game. 291She was bright and interesting, and no fault can be found with the detective if he permitted his eyes to wander occasionally from his hand to gaze into the blue depths of those of the lady at his side. Knowing Pat Hester, as he did, there was no danger that he would allow himself to go too far in his wooing. Indeed, there chanced to be a charming girl living over at Tamaqua, that he had met at the Polish wedding, and on whom much of his thoughts in that direction were lavished. He could not forget the touch of those light hands, and the velvet kisses he had received on the cheek so many weeks before. Yet he had never met Miss Higgins the second time. He believed he would see her some day, however, and determined to remain heart-whole until that moment. Miss Hester's case was a hopeless one. Still her assistance in euchre was very convenient, and he could not help admiring the grace and vivacity of the girl, notwithstanding her connections. When two games had been finished, and success was about equal on either side, the house was closed, and all, excepting McKenna and the young ladies, retired. It was not quite morning when this trio separated, mutually pleased with each other and the manner in which they had passed their time.
The next day McKenna left, receiving a warm and pressing invitation to repeat his visit, which he was not slow in promising.
On the way home, Donahue, who had nearly recovered from his spree, only to engage in another, gave the detective, in confidence, the circumstances attending the cutting of the wire cable at Gordon Plane—thus dropping down the cars and entailing much loss and delay for the company—upon the space below, but fortunately taking no lives. He also told him of the cruel beating of a boss, on the fourteenth of the month, at Mt. Laffee, both outrages perpetrated by the Mollies. But he was not so communicative in giving the authors of those deeds, if he knew them, 292which might be suspected, as he was in the locality at the time.
When McKenna returned to Shenandoah, he found more trouble awaiting him. McAndrew, the Bodymaster, having for a long time been out of work, was determined to go to Luzerne County, where somebody offered him employment in the mines, near Wilkesbarre, and, on the night of the seventeenth of May, gave notice, in open division, that he would have to resign, or leave the , papers, and business in McKenna's hands while he should be absent. All expressed regret that he must go, and none more sincerely than the Secretary, in whose care the division would be, in such an event, as there was no Vice-President and no other person considered capable of occupying the managing position. After the close of the meeting, McKenna tried his best to make McAndrew believe it his duty to remain, whatever might happen, and even went as far as to promise to use his own best efforts, and the entire influence of the Mollies, in obtaining work for him if he would stay; but McAndrew's mind was fully made up. Go he would, and on the eighteenth he started, the operative regretfully accompanying him to the train and wishing him "a safe journey, good luck, and a quick return." Here was a trial for the detective. Here was that under which he well might tremble. The Mollies all aroused—the wicked element in power—work hard to get—murder and assassination riding rampant over the country, and he, the officer sent to ferret out and report their operations and their misdeeds, acting as the head of one of the most sanguinary divisions in Schuylkill County. What if the order might chance to agree upon the killing of Jesse Major, or Gomer James, or Wm. M. Thomas, or any one of the number who had been secretly threatened with death? What if Jack Kehoe were to call upon him for men to assassinate somebody? Evidently it would require his finest ability to prevent himself from being drawn into the 293execution of crime, which was foreign to his duty. What should he do? In which direction should he turn?
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