The Molly Maguires: The Secret Society's History Explained
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By Allen McDuffee/Jan. 28, 2021 9:46 am EDT
The Coal Region had become a dangerous place in the 1870s. A shadowy group of Irish immigrants in northeastern Pennsylvania working in the mines assassinated 24 foremen and supervisors, and they sent "coffin notices" to many others, including scabs during mining strikes. They blew up workplace machinery and exacted revenge against rival gangs, politicians, and police, and they could always turn to their comrades for alibis to avoid prison. For the better part of three decades, the group that became known as the Molly Maguires defied the law in the region until a detective infiltrated the organization and brought them down from the inside.