After this came the arrest of the murderers—or those interested in the murder—of Gomer James. Thomas Hurley, having for the time made his escape—though it is reasonable to suppose that he will, with other fugitives from justice, some day be caught and punished—Chris Donnelly, John Donahue, Michael O'Brien, Pat Dolan, Sr., Pat Butler, and Frank O'Neill were arraigned at Pottsville on the 17th of August, 1876. James Roarty, charged with aiding and abetting in the killing of Gomer James, was, with the others, 543found guilty. Chris Donnelly was given two years in the penitentiary, while Patrick Butler, partly in consideration of his having given State's evidence, met similar leniency. John Donahue, having already received sentence of death, was not sentenced. Mike O'Brien was sent to prison for two years. Patrick Dolan, Sr., was sentenced to eighteen months' imprisonment. Frank O'Neill also received two years.
"Pat. Hester smiled when he saw Dan. Kelly, alias Manus Kull, alias 'Kelly the Bum., in the witness box."
September 23, of the same year, John Slattery, John Stanton, Michael Doolan, Chas. Mullhearn, Ned Monaghan, John Kehoe, Chris Donnelly, Dennis F. Canning, Michael O'Brien, Frank O'Neill and Pat Dolan, Sr., were arraigned for conspiracy to murder Wm. and Jesse Major, stood their trial, and all but John Stanton were found guilty, and sentenced to imprisonment as follows: O'Neill, five years; O'Brien, five years; Canning, seven years; Donnelly, five years; Kehoe, seven years, and Ned Monaghan, seven years.
At the same term of court, Thomas Donahue was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for aiding in the escape of John Gibbons, one of the men assaulting Wm. M. Thomas.
September 22, 1876, Muff Lawler was brought to court, as accessory after the fact to the murder of Sanger and Uren, found guilty, but not sentenced, having enrolled himself among those willing to aid the State in convicting men more guilty. James Duffy was sent one year for perjury. Mrs. Bridget Hyland, Bernard M. Boyle, and Kate Boyle, having been rather too fast in swearing their friends clear, were found guilty of perjury and given two and three years each at the State prison.
The murder of F. W. S. Langdon, by the Mollie Maguires, at Audenried, in Schuylkill County, committed July 14, 1862, implicated John Kehoe, County Delegate, John Campbell, and Neill Dougherty. Campbell and Dougherty were arrested, and with Kehoe brought to trial at Pottsville, January 2, 1877, found guilty of murder in the second degree and sentenced, Campbell for nine, and Dougherty five years to the State penitentiary. Kehoe was brought in guilty of 544murder in the first degree, and sentenced to be executed the 16th of April in the same year, but his cause was taken to the Supreme Court, where it will doubtless be decided in accordance with the testimony and its merits.
In November, 1876, Chas. McAllister was convicted of an assault, with intent to kill, upon James Riles, at Shenandoah. Sentence thus far has been deferred.
All of the above were Schuylkill County cases.
In Carbon County arrests were made almost simultaneously. John Donahue, Thomas P. Fisher, Patrick McKenna, Alex. Campbell, Patrick O'Donnell, and John Malloy, were taken, charged with the murder of Morgan Powell, at Summit Hill, December 2, 1871. The defendants were tried, at different terms of the Carbon County Court, at Mauch Chunk, James McParlan frequently appearing—as in most of the suits in Schuylkill County—on the witness stand and testifying to the confessions and admissions of the Mollies. They were found guilty as follows: Donahue of murder in the first degree; Fisher of murder in the first degree, and sentenced to death; Pat McKenna of murder in the first degree, and sentenced to nine years' imprisonment; Patrick O'Donnell, as accessory, and sentenced to five years' imprisonment.
In Columbia County, February 24, 1877, Pat Hester, Pat Tully, and Peter McHugh, were arraigned for the murder of Alex. Rae. The circumstances of the crime have been related in these pages. The court was held at Bloomsburg, the county-seat, and attracted a very large attendance. McParlan was present, and his testimony was fully corroborated by Dan Kelly, alias Manus Kull, and Mike, alias Muff Lawler, was also a witness. An interview between McParlan and the last-named personage is thus described by an eye-witness:
"At about a quarter to ten this morning, February 12, 1877, the stage from Rupert Station rattled up the street, into town, and disgorged its occupants in front of the Exchange 545Hotel. With Messrs. Hughes and Ryon, from Pottsville, the redoubtable Muff Lawler made his appearance. The meeting between Lawler and his old friend McParlan—Muff once knew him as McKenna, and initiated him into Shenandoah Division of the Mollies, a few years ago—was particularly interesting. Stretching out his hand, McParlan inquired of Lawler, as he indulged in a warm shake: 'Have you the "goods" for the last quarter?'
"'I have not!' was the blushing reply.
"'Well, now, that's a pity,' said McParlan, 'as I wanted to get the quarreling toast!'"
Several witnesses of the scene were convulsed with laughter.
I had at the time the "goods" for the quarter ending the first of February, 1877, in my office, and at once sent them by telegraph to McParlan, so that he might not have to inquire about them of Muff Lawler. They were as follows:
"Day Words: Question—How does Erin stand?
Answer—The Russians will be victorious!
"Night Words: Question—The nights are getting short!
Answer—We'll soon have the Spring!
"Quarreling words: Question—Don't be outrageous!
Answer—I never was such!"
The sign of recognition was made as follows:
"Question—With the thumb and forefinger of the right hand, take hold of the lapel of the vest between the top buttons, or button-holes.
"Answer—Draw the back of the left hand across the chin."
The leaders of this society can make up their minds that henceforth, as in the past, I will not remain in ignorance of their most secret transactions. It is simply out of their power to prevent this. As long as it is a society, and as long as its signs, mummeries, and passwords are used for purposes of murder and assassination, so long will its imported "goods" remain my "goods" in the interests of humanity and justice.
It was the ninth of February, 1877, that the trial at Bloomsburg approached a crisis. Sitting in the prisoner's 546dock, Pat Hester smiled when he saw Dan Kelly, alias Manus Kull, alias "Kelly the Bum," in the witness-box. But his humor changed to dire dismay as he discovered that there were still other witnesses, who fully corroborated what Kelly made oath to. Dan Kelly's story of the Rae assassination was about as follows:
He met Pat Hester, Peter McHugh and Ned Skivington at Big Mine Run, in Barney Dolan's place, on the sixteenth of October, 1868, the day preceding that of the murder. Hester was on his way, he said, down the mountain with Skivington, but had missed the train and returned to Dolan's, where all had something to drink. Afterward they walked to Ashland, and entered Donahue's saloon. There Hester informed the witness that he had lost something by not going down the mountain that day, adding, "But there is a good thing to be had to-morrow, for Rae will go to Bell's Tunnel, and there is money in it for us!" It was then agreed that Hester, McHugh, Tully, Skivington, Brian Campbell, Jim Bradley, Billy Muldowney and Dan Kelly should go and rob Rae. Roger Lafferty, alias Johnstone, went across the street and procured some powder and bullets, returned and ld the pistols, each one of the persons named having a weapon. After this they had more liquor and stayed there all night. All but Lafferty went out in the morning to meet and rob Rae. But when they got as far as Germantown, Muldowney left, saying that he was too lame to keep on. After they got above the toll-gate, Hester and Skivington left, and Hester handed witness, Kelly, his pistol, saying: "Kelly, your pistol is no good! Take mine! for I know it's sure!" And he remarked that he would go to Shamokin, to purchase hair to mix with lime to make mortar for plastering. Skivington was off also, wanting to go to work in the mine to throw aside suspicion from the rest. All the others went as far as the water-barrel, and remained there. They then begun talking about Rae and his son, and finally concluded that, if the lad should chance to be riding with his father that 547morning, as he often did, they would send the boy home with the horse, if they had to shoot Rae. The object was plunder, not murder, unless the latter was necessary to secure the money. Bradley, who was not known in Centralia, went and procured a quart of whisky and some crackers. When he got back all hands drank and ate. Five of the number present did not know Rae if they saw him, so Dalton, who was acquainted with him, walked out on the rto signal the others should their victim arrive. Soon a man came along in a wagon, but as Dalton did not shake his hat the person was allowed to pass. Still another man moved up while the assassins waited in ambush, driving a horse attached to a light wagon, and he was permitted to go his way unharmed, as Dalton again failed to give the notice. He presently stepped out into the rto see who was coming and returned to his former position. Quickly afterward a buggy hove in view and the assassins saw that Dalton was standing in plain sight, shaking his hat, and they knew that the driver was Alex. Rae. When the vehicle reached the watering-trough, all jumped out upon their victim. Rae alighted from the buggy when the men ordered him to, and quickly handed his watch and pocket-to Kelly, the witness, but said nothing. He was confronted by a squad of heavily armed ruffians. What was there for him to say? Kelly asked McHugh what should be done with the man? McHugh replied: "I won't be hunted around the world by any living man," when the shooting began. Rae ran toward the woods, and Tully went up to him, put his pistol to his head, and shot him near the ear. Seeing that the man was sure to die, all ran up the mountain, where they divided the money, about sixty dollars, and the witness remembered that Dalton received a ten dollar bill with a corner torn off. Tully and McHugh and Kelly got in at Graham's some time that day, and in the afternoon witness drove to Locust Gap with a beer-seller. He got home at half-past three. They killed Rae at about nine o'clock. 548He struck the ground upon his face, and they left him where he fell, after putting the horse and buggy out of sight in the wood. Kelly acknowledged that he fired two shots, but could not say how many the others fired. Dalton did not shoot at all. All of the rest discharged their weapons at the man. He was sure he saw Tully fire. One shot hit Rae in the cheek. He left Hester's pistol at Graham's and had given his own to Bradley. Hester's weapon was a sort of navy pistol and held five cartridges. It was ld at Donahue's house. Dalton had a small pistol and McHugh's was not as large as Kelly's. McHugh had a seven-shooter. Hester met him the same night in Graham's, at about nine o'clock, when the rest were there. The next he saw of Hester was three days later, when he rode in his wagon with him from the Gap to Ashland. Hester received none of the money taken from Rae. It was Hester's idea that Ray would have eighteen or nineteen thousand dollars with him, but when he heard how small a sum had been realized he said it was not worth dividing, so took none of it. About the seventeenth of November, after Donahue and Duffy had been arrested, Jack Smith told Hester of the capture, and he remarked it was about time for him to go, and he did go, without telling his confederates where he went. They all separated, remained away a month or two, and returned. When they got back Hester was in jail. He said he had been to Illinois, but it would look better to go back, as he might be taken there. A woman got Rae's pocket- The watch—a gold one—witness gave to Mike Graham, to keep for him. He took it from him afterward and left it with Con Garrah for ten dollars. Garrah restored it, when Kelly gave it to McGuire for ten dollars and turned the money over to Garrah. The watch was subsequently broken up with rocks and thrown into a creek, for fear it might lead to trouble.
The attorneys for the defense were unable, after many efforts, to shake Kelly's testimony in the least. Despite his bad character for truth and veracity, it was the conviction 549of everybody that he, for once in his checkered career, was bent upon telling the straightforward truth. It had its weight with the jury.
Judge Elwell presided at the session of court, and Hon. F. W. Hughes assisted the District Attorney in the prosecution, John W. Ryon, Esq., of Pottsville, and others, appearing for the defendants.
On the 24th, the jury returned a verdict in the three cases of "guilty of murder in the first degree." This was not unexpected by the general public, but formed a complete surprise to Pat Hester and his Mollie friends. So confident had Hester been of release, that, the day before the reception of the decree, he sent word to Locust Gap, ordering a grand supper prepared at his house in commemoration of his discharge and triumphant acquittal. While he did not actually fire the shot that killed Rae, he was virtually as guilty as those who did, having originated the job, and justice will, without doubt, be meted out to him.
Hester, Tully, and McHugh found that they had but one course to adopt, and got a new trial; but all has failed, the Supreme Court has affirmed the judgment against the prisoners, and sentence of death is their doom.
While these trials were going on, the Mollies were not idle. They moved every string possible to pull in money and influence to defend their brethren in the coal region. Contributions were levied by the National head of the order, in New York, upon the subordinate divisions of the country for a large amount of money—some place it as high as $30,000—part of which was to be expended in clearing the criminals, and the rest, I have reason to believe, in paying assassins to go to Pottsville and take the lives of McParlan and all of my employés in that section of country. But the refusal of one of the Philadelphia lodges to respond to this levy brought the matter to the notice of the public press and stopped at least a portion of the funds from going forward to the National officers. New Orleans and some other distant 550branches had sent their share without knowing exactly the purpose for which it was to be employed, but it is presumable that not more than one-half of the assessment was ever realized, and that must have been expended in paying for legal services.
During the session of court, at which occurred the trial of Kehoe and others for conspiracy to murder Wm. M. Thomas, I learned that an attempt would be made to assassinate Mr. Gowen, McParlan, and the entire court. It seems at first there was an informal meeting of the Mollies, in Pottsville, and it was arranged that twenty-four men should be chosen to go to the court-house, twelve to sit on the back row of seats, and twelve on the front tier, near the prisoners. All were to be armed with ld revolvers. Those on the front row of seats were, at a given signal, to rise and simultaneously fire upon the judges, the attorneys for the Commonwealth—Mr. Gowen especially—and the officers, including McParlan and Capt. Linden, and the members of the Coal and Iron Police. Those on the back seat were to kill off those left by the first platoon, when all were to rush in, seize the prisoners and with them fight their way out and make their escape to the hills. An influential member of the order, and a county official, hearing of this arrangement, after the twenty-four men had actually been appointed, made his appearance at their rendezvous and informed the ringleaders in the movement that such an act was evidence of sheer madness. "If you do this, boys," said he, "there will not be an Irishman left in Schuylkill County, and what is more, if you persist in the plot, I shall consider it my bounden duty to go at once and have every mother's son of you arrested! It can't be done, and it shall not be done!"
This, for the time, broke up the conspiracy. Subsequently a young Mollie Maguire made his boast, in the presence of several friends, that he would go to the court-house, any time when he could hear that Mr. Gowen was alone, and shoot him down. He was soon told that the President of the Reading 551Railway, and the personal head of the prosecution of the members of the bloodthirsty organization, was writing, all by himself, in a jury room. The assassin walked into the apartment, his hand upon his revolver, and was about to produce it and fire, when an officer of the Coal and Iron Police, having business with the gentleman threatened, unexpectedly appeared on the scene. As the would-be murderer had no reasonable excuse for remaining, he took his hand away from his pistol, and, thwarted in his design, sneaked out of the place. These and other equally foolish acts of the Mollies were duly reported to Mr. Gowen, and he was advised that he must take some precautions or his life would pay the forfeit of criminal rashness. Up to that date he had not as much as worn a pistol, or any other weapon, upon his person, and it is questionable if he ever did subsequently. He is a brave, frank man, but depended too much, I think, upon the justness of his cause, for with the Mollie Maguires the common instincts of human nature are outraged and disregarded. Still he was not attacked. While there were hundreds present thirsting for his blood, he turned upon the Mollies the heaviest deluge of invective that they have ever received.
But one New York newspaper, I believe, has ever openly taken the part of the Mollie Maguires. That was the Irish World. The animus of its article was contained in an attack upon Mr. Gowen and James McParlan, calling one "the head of a coal monopoly," and the other his "hired informer." As the editor possibly had to do something to earn his proportion of the $30,000 received for the defense of the Mollies, and as his modicum of the labor was so insignificant and trivial, I have not the heart to devote space to an answer. He is sufficiently replied to, perhaps, by the verdicts of the courts of justice, which point to something more serious than the editorial writer in question had in mind at the time of the preparation of his weak and idle philippic.
A well informed writer in the American Law Review, for 552January, 1877, seems to have taken a more sensible impression of the matter, and found interest enough in the trials of the Mollies to devote twenty-eight pages of valuable space to the calm and dispassionate discussion of the subject from a legal standpoint.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
The work of several years is now nearly finished. About seventy persons have been arrested in the coal region. Of those twelve have been, by a jury of their countrymen, found guilty of murder in the first degree; four of murder in the second degree; and four of being accessory to murder; sixteen of conspiracy to murder; six of perjury; one of assault with intent to kill; eight of aiding and abetting a murder; one of assault and battery; one for aiding in the escape of a murderer, and several others of lesser crimes. The sum-total of the time of these sentences to imprisonment foots up one hundred and twenty-four years and eight months. Eleven have received sentence of death.
On May 21st, 1877, Governor Hartranft issued warrants for the execution of eight of the murderers, viz.:—Alexander Campbell, convicted of complicity in the killing of John P. Jones; James Carroll, Hugh McGehan, James Boyle, and James Roarty, convicted of the murder of Benj. F. Yost; Patrick Hester, Peter McHugh, and Patrick Tully, convicted of the murder of Alexander W. Rae. Campbell was hanged at Mauch Chunk on the 21st of June, in company with Michael Doyle and Edward Kelly, concerned in the murder with him. Carroll, McGehan, Boyle, and Roarty expiated their crime on the same day on the gallows from which Thomas Munley was suspended for the murder of William Sanger and James Urens; and Hester, McHugh and Tully will be executed at Bloomsburg on the 9th day of August next, which will be the first executions that have ever taken place in Columbia County.
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