Lehigh River & Canal at Jim Thorpe, PA

Chapter 7 - The Molly Maguires

The Sherlock Holmes novel, The Valley Of Death by Arthur Conan Doyle was inspired by the story of the Molly McGuires. The Molly McGuires was a major motion picture, filmed in Jim Thorpe and starring Sean Connery. A most complete story of the Mollies is told in The Molly Maguires by Wayne G. Broehl, Jr.

What was it like to be an anthracite coal miner?

Anthracite was created when soft coal was compressed. When the Pocono mountains were formed by earthquakes millions of years ago, the coal veins were compressed and bent upward with the rising landscape. Therefore, the coal veins tended to be in vertical walls.

The miner often worked alone. He would free the coal by picking and blasting. It was a highly skilled job. Knowledge of blasting, shoring and safety had to be combined with strength and endurance. Risk was everywhere: poisonous gases, cave-ins and black lung disease. Since 1900, over 100 thousand people have died in mining accidents.

Once the surface layers were mined, the mining continued underground. The miner wore an oil lamp on his cap. This further increased the danger of setting the methane gas on fire.

It was a hard life. Long hours, low pay, poor working conditions, lack of safety equipment, child labor, continuous health problems, high death rates and total powerlessness made the miner a prime candidate for unionism.

Who were the Molly Maguires?

The history of the English and the Irish feuds was already centuries old in the mid 1800's. In the Jim Thorpe (Mauch Chunk) and Summit Hill areas, the mines were owned and managed by the English and Welsh Protestants and labored by the Irish Catholics. Besides the mining life being physically hard, the workers had to work long hours. There were frequent accidents and children had to help sort coal for the families to make enough money to survive.

The mine owners took further advantage of their workers by paying them in a script that was redeemable only at the company store. (Remember the song "Sixteen Tons"). Further, the owners would require the mine workers to pay for their gear and supplies. Any men objecting to the low pay and hazardous conditions were fired.

Beginning in 1842, there were unsuccessful attempts to unionize the miners. During the Civil War, the miners rioted to protest the draft. In 1862, John Kehoe, a miner and opponent of the war spat on the American flag. A mine foreman, F. W. Langdon objected to this act and was stoned to death. Over the following decade, this violence grew and developed into a secret society called the Molly Maguires

What is the source of the name "Molly Maguires?"

Some say Molly Maguires was the wife of the first miner that died. Others say it was the name of a secret society in Ireland. It was rumored that sometimes they would disguise themselves in woman's clothing.

What is the Molly Maguires Story?

In 1869, Frank B. Gowen, a lawyer, became head of the Reading Railroad company. He lead the railroad into the mining business with a policy of scaring the mine operators and destroying the unions. Gowen had the money, the power and the police in his control. His only opposition was a secret avenging group called the Molly Maguires.

In order to break the Mollies, Gowen hired Allen Pinkerton. Pinkerton planted an agent, James McParlan, within the Mollies. Over the following two years, McParlan gathered evidence on the Mollies for several murders in Carbon County. The Mollies including John Kehoe were hung.

What is the legend of Cell 17?

One of the Mollies named Alexander Campbell was found guilty of murder. He admitted being at the murder of John P. Jones, a mine superintendent, but he did not pull the trigger. Although he was only an accessory, the court found him guilty of first degree murder.

As Campbell was dragged from his cell, he continued to plead his innocence. On June 21, 1877, as he was taken from cell # 17 of the Carbon County Jail, he placed his hand on the wall and stated that its mark would remain there visible to attest to his innocence.

After over a hundred years and several coats of paint and the best attempts at cleaning, his hand print remains. Ask the sheriff to show you cell #17.

Continued: Lehigh River & Canal - Chapter 8 - Jim Thorpe, All American