There were troublesome times in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, in the anthracite coal fields caused by Mollies, a secret organization who murdered all that interfered with their plans, causing a reign of terror.  I knew many of the Mollies.  I knew also several of those they murdered.

May I relate one incident that happened to me.  I was standing on the sidewalk in Mahanoy City one day.  From the valley below two thousand miners came up the street.  Two of them came from the rank over to me and asked me if I wasn't a miner and did I belong to the union.  I told them that I did.  Get in line, they said.  I knew it was useless not to.  They gathered all miners standing around and made them march in line.  First, we marched to the jail to get some miners out who were in jail for being too rough in the city.  The police and eighteen citizens

were there all armed to defend it.  It was then and there that I first saw Jack KEHOE, a leading Mollie, with his pistol in hand, arguing with the police at the jail door.  At times they would place their pistols at each other's breast.  Just as it got to a critical point an old man with very white hair rushed up.  His name was Squire GROODY.  He said he would go on the three miners' bonds.  The Squire's action saved lives as I found out that many miners, who were strangers to me, had their guns in their hands to shoot the police and the squad of citizens.

We all got orders to form in line, marched a short distance to a small mine called a drift mine; there we gathered around the opening of the mine.  Now our number was five thousand.  Orders were sent into the mine for all to cease work and come on out.  Suddenly a voice called out, "Here comes Sheriff Warren" of Pottsville, a town eighteen miles away.

With a posse of eighteen and two uniformed police on each side of him, the sheriff ordered the crowd to disperse.  No one moved.  He then drew out a long document and began reading it.  There was so much shouting and cursing, I could not hear his voice although I was only a few feet from him.  A pistol cracked and the crowd, paused from its noise, forced those in front on towards the sheriff and police. Suddenly I saw several hands reach over and heckle the police.  ELLISON, standing by the side of the sheriff, was picked up bodily and passed back over their heads.  ELLISON was a very large man and was fully able to put up a strong fight.  Why he allowed himself to be handled in that way I never could understand nor find out unless he was in sympathy with the miners.  No harm was done to him.  

The other policeman stood his ground and told them not to crowd him.  His name was LIGHTENBERGER, a German.  He had served four years in the Civil War.  But the crowd in the rear kept pushing us on.  It was impossible for me to get out of line of the shoving which I knew would soon commence.  I could see LIGHTENBERGER's eyes and his firm chin.  He backed away about twenty feet, placed both elbows to his side and began shooting rapidly.  There was no need to aim.  We stood so close together.  Every shot found its mark.  After every shot we could hear cries of "Oh! Oh!".  A large man on my left cried out in pain, "I'm shot", and fell over on me in a faint.  I got my shoulder under his arm pit and pushed him and partly carried him to the side of the hill out of the range of the shooting.  He wore a heavy flannel shirt.  I tore this from his neck where I saw much blood where the bullet entered, smashing his shoulder and part of his neck.  When he could, he called on the blessed Mary to save him. After examination I told him that the bullet did not enter his body.  I thought he would get all right.  I asked him his name and he told me his name was Shean and he lived down the valley close by us.

Some miners were lying behind rocks shooting with carbines.  The miners were leaving hurriedly, fearing state troopers would arrive.  As a miner, I never was in sympathy with others in violating the laws.  It was rumored that several were killed.  When I looked over the ground, I expected to see several bodies lying around.  They must have been carried off with the wounded man, Shean.  Not much was said about the shooting as it might cause future trouble for them.