Historedia
AmericasEvent

Murder conviction breaks the power of the Molly Maguires

When
1875–1876
Where
Pennsylvania anthracite fields; Pennsylvania anthracite country; Pennsylvania
Episodes
4

The 1875 murder conviction that began breaking the power of the Molly Maguires in Pennsylvania anthracite country is not directly supported by the supplied passages. The sources describe the Long Strike beginning in January 1875, a series of murders in July and September 1875, and subsequent trials in 1876. No specific September 1, 1875 conviction is cited.

Episodes

  1. 1 January 1875 · Pennsylvania anthracite fieldsLong Strike Begins

    Miners struck on 1 January 1875 following a pay cut announcement, leading to the breakdown of the WBA.

  2. July–September 1875 · Pennsylvania anthracite countryMurders in 1875

    A series of murders occurred in July and September 1875 following the strike breakdown.

  3. 1 February 1876 · PennsylvaniaDoyle Conviction

    Doyle was convicted of first-degree murder on 1 February 1876.

  4. 6 April 1876 · PennsylvaniaKelly Conviction

    Kelly was convicted on 6 April 1876.

Background and detail

Background. The Molly Maguires were active in Pennsylvania anthracite fields from the Panic of 1873. In December 1874, coal operators announced a twenty percent pay cut, leading miners to strike on 1 January 1875. This conflict, known as the Long Strike, involved the breakdown of the Workingmen's Benevolent Association and precipitated a series of murders in July and September 1875.

Legal Proceedings. Following the murders, arrests occurred over the next year. Trials began in 1876, with Doyle convicted on 1 February and Kelly on 6 April. Franklin B. Gowen acted as special prosecutor in these trials, notably for John Kehoe. Executions occurred in 1877 and 1878, marking the decline of the group's power.

Context. Franklin B. Gowen, counsel for the Reading Railroad, played a significant role in the conflict. He characterized the union core as 'Communists' in 1875 testimony. The period was marked by financial depression following the Panic of 1873, which influenced the coal trade and labor relations in Schuylkill County.

People involved

Sources

  1. Molly Maguires Wikipedia, revision of 2026-04-28
  2. Franklin B. Gowen Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-25

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.