Lament for the Molly Maguires

by Arthur H. Lewis

Fascinating true story about the secret Irish society that took revenge on the Pennsylvania mine owners for the starvation-type conditions resulting from not being paid a living wage. An undercover Pinkerton agent ended their 30 year campaign for which several were executed.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

278 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

Reviews

[Jimmy Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides the story of James MacParlan, the Pinkerton agent who went undercover in 1870s Pennsylvania coal country to break the hypothetical choke-hold the secret Molly Maguire society held upon all aspects of life there.

The "Mollies" were originally formed to fight against injustice toward the Irish in Ireland, Liverpool, and the eastern U.S. Although in Ireland the organization was largely peaceful, in Liverpool and particularly the U.S., members of the organization - if you follow the narrative - became violent, especially in coal towns of the latter, suppressing and killing witnesses, owning judges and juries, and terrorizing entire towns. The theoretically true story narrated in "Lament for the Molly Maguires" is itself is incredibly exciting, with an early-day Donnie Brasco living precariously among murderers and thieves to gather evidence of wrong-doing.

According to the flyleaf, "Arthur Lewis has again blended depth of research and depth of feeling to produce and exciting, meaningful, and superbly human document." Published in 1964, unfortunately the book lacks chapter headers, citations, references, or even an index, so you're reading a straight narrative of McParlan's experiences. At times the author uses nicknames and names interchangeably in the same paragraph, which is a great tool if you're avoiding the bogey of repetition, but creates challenges for the reader. I'm not clear if the author was writing entertainment, or history - but it's a good story.

Perhaps in answer to my question, this book was the basis for the film "Molly Maguires," starring Sean Connery and Richard Harris. The movie was shot in the towns of Eckley PA (saving the town from demolition and turning it into a mining museum, according to Wikipedia) and Jim Thorpe, PA.

There is some dispute today as to whether the violence was a widespread as is said; whether the police action was focused more on responding to said violence or breaking any semblance of a union, and how much right/wrong was on both sides. "Lament" leaves no such ambiguity, not even offering the alternate spellings for our principle character or mentioning any other Pinkerton agents.

I wish the book had been more focused on research, and less "human" - I would have liked it a lot better. The title of the book, by the way, is based on a song, which talks about "Trying to make a living on a dollar a day, Digging coal in Pennsylvaniay." (The lyrics are not in the book but you can find them on the web.) Interesting, engrossing - hard to know where the "research" ends and the "human" portion begins.

[Rusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and intriguing read! I read a fiction book some time ago called Flanagan's Run in which one of the protagonists was from the coal mining area in the Appalachians. Lament originates in Pennsylvania where the Irish coal miners decide to organize in the hope of improving mining conditions for the miners. Miners worked in poor, poor conditions. They lived in mere shacks with dirt floors, no insulation and if they were lucky a window. In winter the cold sifted through every crack and opening. They were forced to scrounge coal from the slag heaps to heat these hovels. They had to buy from the company stores where prices were twenty percent above that of other stores and if they did not they lost their jobs. Wages were determined arbitrarily and miners were let go for minor offenses. When a miner was killed or injured there was no help for his family. Unfortunately, the organized Irish, known as the Molly Maguires, became as ruthless as management. This is their story and the story of an Irishman who infiltrated the organization to bring it down. Good, good read.

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book about a piece of forgotten American history told from the perspective off people involved and affected my the Molly Maguires.

[Bill FromPA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lewis’ account of the rise and fall of the Molly Maguires in the coal fields of Eastern Pennsylvania makes for compelling reading for most of its length. His account of the Mollies’ early days is a rather confusing series of acts of arson, brutality, and murder, just his telling of the last days of the organization is a sequence of barely differentiated executions by hanging. However, the central portion of the book, making up about 80% of the book, is given narrative coherence and drive by being an account of Pinkerton detective James McParlan’s undercover infiltration of the Mollies. Some of the episodes recounted in McParlan’s own words, such as his exposure of a card sharp during his early days as an infiltrator, seem a bit too dramatic to be true as recounted here, but they certainly make for suspenseful and engaging reading.

Though Lewis explicitly treats the Molly Maguires as a criminal organization, denying their status as an early form of organized labor, he is hardly blind to the cutthroat capitalism practiced by the mine and railroad owners (the same people in many cases) and the oppression and exploitation suffered by the Irish immigrants who fed the ranks of the Mollies.

Lewis writes as a journalist, albeit telling of events almost a century past, and the book fails as history by its lack of broader perspective as well as its absence of notes, bibliography, and index. Lewis often quotes contemporary newspaper accounts and some of these are written in a hyperbolic style which has mercifully gone out of fashion. At other times, where he relies on personal reminiscences of participants, it is seldom clear whether the account is being given days, months, or years after the events being described. Nevertheless, if it’s a good yarn about the days of the Mollies you’ll be wanting, and you don’t mind an occasional bit of blarney, this tale will fill your pipe admirably.

[Shannon McGee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat historical account of the rise and fall of the Irish group called The Molly Maguires. The Molly Maguires took law into their own hands, trying to find justice for miners and their family who were poorly treated. This book tells of the Molly Maguires group and The Pinkerton Spy that brought them down.

I knew the basics about the Molly Maguires. I also knew of rumors that my family helped The Pinkerton Spy hide. My great grandparents and grandparents on my father’s side grew up in the Pottstown area called St. Clair. I think while reading it I was a little hopeful that I would see a familiar last name connected to me but… I did not. The book did mention many names, so many that I got confused at who was who.

Most of book was... pretty boring. I kept comparing it to the beginning of the bible. Just listing this person did this and this other person did that. I feel like the most emotional moment was at the end of the book where some Molly Maguires were hung.

I had hoped for more from this book but I think most of it went over my head or my eyes gazed over no matter how many times I read the same spot. I think that the reason I did not like a lot of the book is because of the author’s “voice”. For a book with so much death and violence, it seemed very slow and boring.

[Julie]

Fascinating true story of the secret Irish society that waged a campaign of revenge against the Pennsylvania mine owners that would not pay them a living wage resulting in near-starvation conditions for their families. An Irish undercover Pinkerton agent infiltrated the group and brought an end to their activities, resulting in the execution of several of the 'Mollies'.