Remembering the acts of the Molly Maguires

AGRARIAN societies have a long tradition in Ireland. Faced with rack-renting landlords, tyrannical employers and the injustices of British rule, communities were often forced to take matters into their own hands.

Agrarian societies launched campaigns of sabotage, beatings and in some cases assassination in defence of workers and tenants. During the waves of forced emigration in the 19th centenary, some Irish emigrants brought their agrarian societies with them.

One such organisation was the

‘Molly Maguires’, which came to prominence amongst Irish emigrants in Pennsylvania, USA, in the 1870s. Many of the Irish in Pennsylvania found work in the anthracite coalmines.

Mining was a tough job where the working conditions were very poor and the wages were notoriously low.

Despite ethnic and religious tensions, the miners began to band together to fight exploitation and established a trade union called the Working Men’s Benevolent Association.

While the majority of Irish miners were members of the union, some were ready to take more direct action.

This is where the

‘Molly Maguires’ enter our story. Throughout the 1870s mine companies known for exploiting workers began to report a series of attacks. These incidents were attributed to the

‘Mollies’.

Frank B Gowen, owner of the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company and the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, decided to take on the workers.

Gowen organised the other mine owners into the Anthracite Board of Trade and, determined to break the workers, decided to provoke a strike.

This led to the Pennsylvania Long Strike of 1874-75 involving 7,000 strikers.

The mine owners brought in strike-breakers and announced pay decreases of up to 20 per cent.

As the workers organised resistance, Gowen used his influence with the Governor of Pennsylvania to have troops sent to the region to combat the strikers.

The miners fought for six months, while their families descended into abject poverty and starvation. Unable to defeat the employers the strike ended in failure and the workers were forced to return to the mines under worse conditions and much less pay.

Outraged at the failure of the strike and the inhumanity of the employers the

‘Molly Maguires’ increased their activity.

Death threats, known as

‘Coffin Notices’, were sent to mine owners and their agents.

It seems the

‘Mollies’ followed through and a campaign of beatings and assassinations were widely attributed to them.

Gowen feared the

‘Mollies’ might inspire the workers to continue the fight for their rights and decided to wipe the organisation out.

He also hoped to be able to link the

‘Molly Maguires’ directly to trade union activity, and crush the workers’ movement for good.

The details of suspected

‘Mollies’ were passed to thugs working for mine owners and several Irish miners were seriously beaten or murdered.

Gowen also hired the Pinkerton Detective Agency in his war against the

‘Mollies’ and the union.

James McParland, a Pinkerton agent from Armagh, was used to infiltrate the union and also claimed to have infiltrated

‘the inner circle of the

‘Molly Maguires’.

McParland claimed to have identified the ringleaders and those responsible for the assassinations. The Coal and Iron police, a private company, arrested those implicated by McParland while Gowen, organised a trial, brought in a hanging judge and acted as chief prosecutor.

The evidence against the men came largely from McParland, a paid agent provocateur.

Gowen was determined to use the arrested men as scapegoats in the hopes of crushing the miners and ending workers’ militancy.

During the trials, which lasted from 1876-1878, 20 men were hanged as

‘Molly Maguires’ despite no clear evidence linking them to the organisation.