Anthracite Lads: A True Story of the Fabled Molly Maguires
by William H. Burke
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Book Summary Information
Author: William H. BurkeEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2005
ISBN: 1883658470
Number of pages: 242
Publisher: Erie County Historical Society
Book Reviews of Anthracite Lads: A True Story of the Fabled Molly Maguires
Book Review: Historical Fiction as a Vehicle For Truth
Summary: 5 Stars
I believe it was George MacDonald Fraser, creator of the legendary Harry Flashman, who said (and I paraphrase), "The best way to teach history is to tell a story." In Anthracite Lads the author uses a fictional narrator (as MacDonald and others uses fictional characters like Harry) to reveal historical truth. Judging by some of the reviews here it seems some believe history should be free of conventions like story telling.
This is absurd.
If anyone reading this review doesn't believe large amounts of generally accepted history are historical fictions, they are uninformed. For example, it is generally believed that tens of thousands, perhaps millions perished under the Spanish Inquisition (not true the real number is approx 2500 in 360 years, see Kamen), that Galileo was persecuted (also not true) for teaching the truth (he lied and falsified data, see Koestler's, The Sleepwalkers) and the Crusades were an evil perpetuated on the peaceful Muslims (the Emperor of Byzantium asked the pope for aid in 1095, the Byzantine's had suffered a huge loss at Manzikert in 1071 that cost them dearly, they lost so much land and so many people they nearly lost their empire).
With this in mind you'll no doubt guess that I find the criticisms by some of minor factual errors not affecting the story/truth inane. I'm also suspect of someone who posts only a single review, it looks more like someone with an ax to grind rather than an honest reviewer, add in a egregious Irish name and it's just over the top absurd. As to the novel format, novels allow a more nuanced communication of the social conditions/ethnic rivalries that existed at the time and shaped the conflict. The author does this well. What happened was a private business (railroad/coal company) was enpowered by the State to have it's own police force, this force hired detectives to investigate the "Mollies" (only one found any such organization and the author argues convincingly they were in the employ of the Pinkertons and killed for them). These agent provocateurs killed for the coal companies/Pinkertons and then pointed fingers at others (Kehoe/Campbell for example who were clearly innocent). The purpose....break the unions. The company lawyers (one trial being led by the owner of the coal company/railroad himself) tried the defendants and the state supplied the ropes.
Innocent men died with the guilty, to claim that this is not true is factually incorrect. What is needed is a formal investigation into this by the state of Pennsylvania and/or the Justice Department. This is real good introduction into Mollies, after reading this I would recommend (assuming you want a more academic treatment), Kenny's, Making Sense of the Molly Maguires. In spite of being "Real History," it also has it's faults, but regardless of it's shortcomings it's still good book and so is Anthracite Lads.
Summary of Anthracite Lads: A True Story of the Fabled Molly Maguires
Anthracite Lads offers to prove that the notorious Molly Maguire organization never existed. Newspapers from the 1870's report that a Irish gang known as the Molly Maguires was controlling the nation's energy supply through murder and arson in Pennsylvania's coal region. A lone Pinkerton detective allegedly infiltrated the Mollies. When he testified against them in Court, the nation's press was joyful. Twenty accused Mollies were hanged. But the book's author, William H. Burke, insists the detective lied about infiltrating the Mollies. Burke demonstrates the detective, himself, first formed the gang then used it on behalf of powerful business interests to discredit labor unions. Burke is from a hard-coal mining family who survived the Molly era. He knew that no fable was needed to explain the violence blamed n the Mollies. To him, the detective's story made no sense. A trial lawyer, he went back through old transcripts, detectives' reports and the admissions of Alan Pinkerton, himself. He shows how these primary documents prove there was a conspiracy. But not of working men. It was of business interests led bu the Reading Railroad. "This book does a great job of tearing the Pinkerton/Gowen case to pieces. You should all run out and buy a copy and get the real deal scoop on the Mollies." -- Patrick Campbell, foremost Molly Maguire historian and grand nephew of hanged Molly leader.True Crime Books
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