Jimmy Kerrigan's Confession

DESCRIPTION: "You know I am that squealer that they talk so much about... So please in kindness listen to Jimmy Kerrigan." He fought for the Union in the Civil War. He was talked into committing murder. He turned informant. He bids hearers not to drink, and departs
AUTHOR: allegedly James Kerrigan (c. 1845-1898)
EARLIEST DATE: 1938 (Korson-MinstrelsOfTheMinePatch)
KEYWORDS: homicide mining trial warning
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
c. 1845-1898 - Life of James Kerrigan
1875-1878 - The end of the Long Strike and the cases against the Molly Maguires
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Korson-MinstrelsOfTheMinePatch, pp. 257-259, "Jimmy Kerrigan's Confession" (1 text)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Muff Lawler, the Squealer" [Laws E32] (subject: the Long Strike and the Molly Maguires) and references there
NOTES [2042 words]: Korson says that this was created by James Kerrigan and printed in a Mauch Chunk newspaper. (Mauch Chunk is the town now known as Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania.) The latter I assume is true; the former I would take with many grains of salt. In any case, there is no evidence that it is traditional. But with almost all mining songs being from the Molly Maguire side, it's probably good to have at least one balancing piece.
For the Molly Maguire saga, see the notes to "Muff Lawler, the Squealer" [Laws E32], the song from the period with the best claim to be traditional.
To summarize briefly, in the aftermath of the failed "Long Strike," the rate of murders in the anthracite region had gone up. Most were attributed to the shadowy "Molly Maguires," who were thought to be using terrorism to improve their working conditions. The Pinkerton agency infiltrated James McParlan(d), who is mentioned in this song, into the Mollies. When the alleged Mollies were put on trial, McParlan was the key witness against them. But the prosecution could hardly hope to convict based on the evidence of one man, and a man with a personal axe to grind (and, as it turned out, a very fuzzy relationship with truth). They had to seek out other witnesses to corroborate at least part of McParland's testimony.
Muff Lawler was one of these, but the single most important informant, or "squealer," was James Kerrigan, who (unlike Lawler) had been a very active participant in the killing. Kenny, p. 292, has this capsule biography: "Kerrigan, James 'Powder Keg.' Informer. AOH [Ancient Order of Hibernians] bodymaster in Tamaqua, Schuylkill County. Born near Tuscarora, Schuylkill County, about 1845. Served in the Union Army during the Civil War. Worked at the Alaska collieries, Tamaqua. Self-confessed participant in the assassinations of Benjamin Yost and John P. Jones. Appeared as a chief witness for the prosecution in the trials of James Carroll et al, Alexander Campbell, John Kehoe et al, John "Yellow Jack" Donahue, James McDonnell, and Charles Sharp. Was never tried for his own part in the killings of Yost and Jones. Lived after the trials in exile in Richmond, Pennsylvania under the name of his wife's family. Died in Manchester, Virginia, on October 1, 1898."
According to Riffenburgh, p. 85, he was barely five feet tall, making him highly recognizable (a fact that mattered in identifying him in court cases). Someone who saw him described "his shrewd, cunning eyes, his small stature and the uneasy, fidgety motion of his body" (Riffenburgh, p. 115).
The nickname "Powderkeg" wasn't just because he had an explosive personality (although it sounds as if he did); it is reported that, during his mining days, he had asked a group of colleagues to make room for him by a fire on a cold day. No one moved. He responded by grabbing a keg of powder and putting it into the fire. When everyone fled, he took it out -- and had the fire to himself (Riffenburgh, p. 116).
Kenny, p. 216, says that he was being held in solitary confinement during the trial of Paddy Doyle (one of the subjects of another piece printed by Korson, "The Doom of Campbell, Kelly and Doyle," and the purported author of Korson's "Doyle's Pastime on St. Patrick's Day" and "Michael J. Doyle"). The lawyers for the other defendants were doing nothing to defend him, so Kerrigan decided to look out for Number 1 (Riffenburgh, p. 116).
"Just before Doyle's conviction, Kerrigan apparently decided to confess, and he told his story of how the Yost and Jones murders were connected, implicating Thomas Duffy, James Roarity, Hugh McGehan, Alexander Campbell, and James Carroll in the plot, along with Doyle and Kelly. As the bodymaster of the Tamaqua division of the AOH, Kerrigan freely admitted his own role in the killings of Yost and Jones. After turning informer he testified in several trials and was evidently promised immunity in return, as he never stood trial for any crime" (Kenny, p. 216). His confession would result in several additional arrests; the newspapers thought it clear that someone had turned informant, although it was some time before they knew who (Riffenburgh, p. 117). According to the testimony of McParlan the spy, at least, Kerrigan had been the one to plan the murder of Benjamin Yost -- he had even shown McParlan the gun (Riffenburgh, p. 89).
According to Kenny, Kerrigan's confession appeared in the April 6, 1875 Philadelphia Inquirer. On p. 219, Kenny describes Kerrigan as the primary corroborator of the claims of McParlan. On p. 229, in discussing the trials (which resulted in many convictions and twenty executions), he says "The most notorious of these informers were Daniel Kelly ["Kelly the Bum," a known liar] and Jimmy Kerrigan, whose characters and backgrounds ought to have called their evidence into serious question."
On p. 230 of Kenny, we learn that "Jimmy Kerrigan's own wife denounced him as a liar and a traitor; she called him a 'dirty little rat' from the witness stand, and she refused to visit him in prison." Bimba, pp. 95-96, prints some of her court testimony, given under cross-examination, in which, when asked why she did not care for him in this period, she declared "because he picked innocent men to suffer for his crime." Of course, she might not have known the truth. But she certainly didn't like her own husband (they eventually reconciled, but what choice did she have in the 1870s?).
According to Riffenburgh, pp. 128-129, it was actually his act of informing that turned her against him -- but that statement was extracted from her by a lawyer in court, so I am far from sure I believe it.
In at least one case, the trial of Thomas Duffy (the subject of "Thomas Duffy," which see), Kerrigan was the only substantial witness against him (Kenny, p. 231; Riffenburgh, p. 145).
One can perhaps understand why Kerrigan turned informer. I'm deeply troubled by the fact that his testimony was taken so seriously. It almost makes me believe that this "Confession" might be legitimate, simply because no one else had any sympathy for him. It is a sad commentary on American justice that he received no punishment at all. Turning informant should perhaps have saved his neck -- but I'd at least hope he would have been put away for a decade or two. But the coal companies owned the justice system in the anthracite region, and they didn't care who they punished -- if anything, they may have preferred to have justice be imperfect, to keep everyone else in fear.
Kerrigan is also mentioned in "The Doom of Campbell, Kelly and Doyle" and "Hugh McGeehan."
Miscellaneous references in the song:
"Carroll, Donahue, and Campbell"; "Alex Campbell": James Carroll (c. 1837-1877) was the AOH secretary in Tamaqua. He kept a saloon at Tamaqua at which the murder of Yost was planned. He was hung at Pottsville on June 21, 1877. John "Yellow Jack" Donahue was AOH bodymaster at Tuscarora. Convicted of multiple crimes, he was hung on June 32 at Mauch Chunk. Alexander Campbell (1833-1877) was born in Donegal and migrated in 1868; after a brief period in the mines, he opened a hotel which he later turned over to Carroll when he moved to Summit Hill and started a new business. An AOH treasurer, he was hung on June 21 at Mauch Chunk (All data from Kenny, pp. 289-290). Campbell is one of the characters in "The Doom of Campbell, Kelly and Doyle." There are sketches of Carroll and Duffy in Kenny's photos section after p. 164.
"Summit Hill": The town where Alexander Campbell ran a tavern. But if the song is correct that Yost's murder was planned at Carroll's saloon (which the song says), then the reference should be to Tamaqua. Furthermore, Yost was murdered in Tamaqua (Kenny, p. 194). To be sure, the two towns are right next to each other, so it's a trivial distinction.
"Young Kelly and Michael Doyle": The other two characters n "The Doom of Campbell, Kelly, and Doyle." Kenny, p. 292, has little to say of Edward Kelly except that he was born at Mount Laffee, PA, and hanged at Mauch Chunk on June 21, 1877. See above for the list of the three songs about Doyle; they have more information about him. According to Kenny, p. 291, there were actually two Michael Doyles in the AOH, but the one presumably meant was born in Mount Laffee and hanged at Mauch Chunk on June 21 for the murder of John P. Jones. There are sketches of Doyle and Kelly in Kenny's photos section after p. 164.
"The hated Jones": This is the aforementioned John P. Jones. Riffenburgh, p. 88 calls him a "Welsh 'inside boss'" who had blacklisted several miners; not surprisingly, they wanted revenge -- and were willing to kill to get it. (It is noteworthy that McParlan knew about this murder before it happened, and although he tried to take it over to prevent it, he didn't blow his cover and didn't actually try to stop it.) Jones knew he was in trouble, and avoided his home for weeks (Riffenburgh, p. 99), but he was shot, supposedly by Kelly and Doyle, on September 3, 1875 (date from Kenny, p. 8). The song is correct in saying that the initial plan to murder Jones was put on hold, but the plot was revived. There is a sketch of Jones in Kenny's photos section after p. 164.
"Jerry Kane": Jeremiah Kane, according to Kenny, p. 291, was AOH bodymaster for Mount Laffee. He eventually was accused of complicity in another murder, but fled the coal country and was never caught. Doyle and Kelly were members of the Mount Laffee AOH lodge, so it makes sense that Kane would have recruited Kelly.
"James McParlan": The Pinkerton who infiltrated the Mollies. Rather than explain his whole part in this, I'll just refer you to the notes to "Muff Lawler, the Squealer" [Laws E25]. He was also important in the Harry Orchard case, for which see "Harry Orchard."
"Tom Fisher and Kehoe": Tom Fisher (1837-1878) was born in Donegal and emigrated in 1849. Worked in the mines at Summit Hill before becoming a hotel owner there. Involved in both the AOH and in Democratic politics, he was hanged at Mauch Chunk on May 28, 1878" (Kenny, p. 291).
John Kehoe (1837-1878), known as "Jack," is an altogether more significant story, because he was alleged to be the Molly-in-chief -- the "King of the Molly Maguires" (Kenny, p. 292). Born in Wicklow in 1837, and emigrated in 1850, at the end of the famines. Married Mary Ann O'Donnell in 1866. Worked as a miner, then -- like many senior AOH officials -- became a tavern-keeper, in his case in 1870. He was charged with roles in several murders and hanged at Pottsville on December 18, 1878. There is a sketch of Kehoe in Kenny's photos section after p. 164.
Kehoe was certainly important in the Irish community: "Intelligent, driven, and uncommonly successful for an Irish immigrant miner -- he reportedly purchased Hibernian House for the large sum of $3,500 -- Kehoe soon became a leader of the Irish community in Girardville, where he was twice elected high constable, was the bodymaster for the local lodage of the AOH, and in 1874 was elected the AOH's Schuylkill County delegate" (Riffenburgh, p. 57). He had been against the Civil War and had not served (Riffenburgh, p. 56). Thus he would have been a logical leader of an organization of disgruntled Irishmen. That is, of course, not the same as saying that he took part in or ordered assassinations! As Kenny points out on p. 222, he was clearly associated with the AOH, and McParlan and the Pinkertons based much of their case against the Molly Maguires on a claim that the AOH and the Mollies were the same (a claim which was probably false), so they really needed to nail Kehoe to make the rest of their cases credible. Kenny concludes on p. 227 that "It is difficult to imagine how, under normal conditions, a guilty verdict could have been reached in this case." But the Molly Maguire trials mostly took place in kangaroo courts, and so Kehoe was convicted and hanged, not because he was guilty (although I will not say that he was clearly innocent; the evidence just isn't decisive) but because Gowen, McParlan, and the Pinkertons needed him to be guilty to justify all their other acts against Irish workers.
Kenny's photo section has a photo of Kerrigan as well, though it apparently did not appear until several decades after these events. - RBW
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