The press and police, dub Irish miner organizations - 'Molly Maguires', after a group of Irish peasants who dressed up as women to antagonize their landlords - infamously labeled as murderers and assassins.

The label, used by the press and police is adopted by the owner-operators of the mining companies to their distinct advantage. They call anyone who is pro-union a Molly, inferring they are criminals at best. This helps to subdue uprisings in the work place.

1868 - John Siney, an Irish immigrant from the coal-mines in England, forms the Workingmen's Benevolent Association (WBA). Siney's main objective - trying to improve pay and working conditions (Union). Conditions in the mines are horrendous and the men endure accidents, floods, fires, cave-ins, and explosions. In one seven year period in Schuylkill County, 566 miners are killed and a further 1,665 are seriously injured.

One of the worst disasters takes place at Avondale colliery (1869) - a fire kills 179 miners. This results in Schuylkill County passing legislation that states all mines to have more than one opening and it is the responsibility of mine-owners to provide effective ventilation.

State mine inspectors are employed - legislation is rarely enforced.

John Siney, a moderate trade unionist, believes in negotiating with the employers and strictly forbids the use of violence by his members. The Workingmen's Benevolent Association threaten strike action and after a short dispute the coal-mine owners agreed to a small wage increase. Part of the deal involves Siney promising he will not allow miners who use or advocate violence to retain membership in the union.

Franklin B. Gowen, president of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad, is unhappy about the increasing power of the WBA. Gowen's company owns a large number of coal-mines in Schuylkill County.

1873 - Gowen approachs Allan Pinkerton (Pinkerton Detective Agency) about methods of dealing with the union.

Pinkerton decides to send (Irish immigrant) James McParland to Schuylkill County.

Assuming the alias of James McKenna, McParland finds work as a laborer in Shenandoah. Soon afterwards he joins the Workingmen's Benevolent Association and the Shenandoah branch of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), an organization for Irish immigrants.

James McParland

After a few months McParland reports back to Pinkerton -

Some members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians are also active in a secret organization, the Molly Maguires. McParland estimates the group is about 3,000 members.

Each county is governed by a Molly bodymaster - who recruits members and gives orders to commit crimes. The bodymasters are usually ex-miners, who now work as saloon keepers.

Over a two year period McParland collects evidence about criminal activities of the Molly Maguires. This includeds the murder of around fifty men in Schuylkill County. Many of these men are managers of coal mines in the region.

John Kehoe, one of the leaders of the Molly Maguires, becomes suspicious of McParland and begins to investigate his past. McParland is tipped-off that Kehoe is planning to murder him so he flees from the area.

John Kehoe

1876 - 1877.
McParland is the star witness for the prosecution of John Kehoe and the Molly Maguires. Twenty members are found guilty of murder and are executed. This includes Kehoe, a former union activist, convicted of a murder - fourteen years earlier.

There is a great deal of controversy about the conduct of the trial. Irish Catholics are excluded from the juries while immigrants, who cannot speak English, are accepted. Welsh immigrants, who have a long-time conflict with the Irish, in Schuylkill County, are also on these juries.

Most of the witnesses, in these cases are, like James McParland, on the payroll of the railroad and mining companies who are attempting to destroy the trade union movement. In other cases, defendants are persuaded to turn state's evidence to help convict the alleged collaborators.

Most of the murder victims are employees of small coal companies that are later taken over by the Philadelphia and Reading company.

Note: 1980
After a long campaign, Mister Joseph Wayne managed to persuade Pennsylvania governor, Milton Shapp, to grant John Kehoe, a posthumous pardon. Wayne is Kehoe's great-grandson.

HOW THE
MOLLY MAGUIRES OPERATED.
McParland / McKenna Report

It has been reported, throughout the State, that there are hundreds of thousands of Mollys. The number of Molly Maguires, in the five counties, had been grossly exaggerated in the popular mind, through fear, however, there were not really more than three or four thousand active members of the organization. McParland / McKenna found however, that it was impossible to exaggerate the desperate character of these men.

Each county was governed by a "county delegate," his territory being divided into districts, or "patches," each under a " body-master " or chief officer, who gave out the signs and pass-words to trusted members, and ordered the execution of crimes that had been decided upon. In nearly every case the body-master was the keeper of a saloon near one of the shafts, slopes, or drifts, and no autocrat ever wielded a power more irresponsible than his over all who came within his jurisdiction.

In order to force the miners and workmen to buy liberally at his bar, usually run without a license, it was necessary for him to control their relations with the mines, and to do so he must have the superintendent absolutely in his power. If any superintendent dared to refuse the request of a body-master to hire or discharge any man, with or without reason, that superintendent's life was as good as forfeited.

"Bosses" were in the same way constrained to give Mollys the best jobs - that is, the easiest - and in case of their failure to do so they were promptly made an example - with clubs or revolvers. Before killing a superintendent or a colliery "boss" - the body-master would usually serve him with a "coffin notice" (above). Woe to the man who allowed such a notice to go unheeded! In nearly every instance he was shot or clubbed to death within a few days - by unknown assailants.

1883 - Gowen leaves his post as president of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad, returning to his private law practice.

On December 13, 1889, locking himself in his hotel room, Gowen commits suicide.