Thanks for this, Dan. - Jerry ----- Original Message ----- From: Dan Hogan To: IRISH-AMERICAN-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Monday, June 14, 2004 3:27 PM Subject: [Irish-American] Fwd: OT - Pennsylvania 1832, Philip Duffy From The Irish Times http://www.ireland.com/ Begin forwarded message: > > Bodies of murdered Irish rail workers to be exhumed in US > (Seán O'Driscoll in New York) > > A Pennsylvania coroner and district attorney are standing by for the > exhumation of 57 Irish railroad workers believed to have been murdered > by 19th century anti-immigrant vigilantes. > > The Pennsylvania Emerald Society, an organisation of Irish-American > police officers, has agreed to pay for memorial signs at the burial > site > and is negotiating with the US national railroad company, Amtrak, to > allow for more tests on the land before the exhumation. > > Under Pennsylvania law, a coroner and district attorney's office must > be > contacted in suspicious death cases, even alleged murders dating back > to > 1832. > > Two history professors at Immaculata University in Pennsylvania, Prof > William Watson and Prof John Ahtes, are organising the exhumation in > Malvern, in the south-east of the state, and believe that a now-defunct > railroad corporation hid files on the deaths to stop the truth from > emerging. > > Prof Watson said that the 57 were most likely single men, possibly > Gaelic-speaking and many might not have been accustomed to a money > economy. "They were in a very vulnerable position and were easily > forgotten," he said. > The men are officially listed as cholera victims, but, according to > Prof > Watson, the railroad corporation hid the records for decades. The two > professors have made an extensive search of state and national records > to uncover the men's identities. > > A Pennsylvania cemetery has volunteered individual graveyard spaces for > all the men when their bodies are exhumed, and the research team has > employed Irish graduate students to help research emigration and census > records. According to Prof Watson, anti-Irish feeling was very strong > at > the time and the Irish were widely blamed for spreading cholera. A > group > of vigilantes was roaming Pennsylvania looking for Irish to attack, > particularly when the fear of cholera gripped the wider public in 1832. > > He believed the Pennsylvania and Columbia Railroad Company covered up > the deaths to stop bad publicity and to ensure that Irish immigrants > were not frightened away from railroad construction projects. The two > professors believe they have uncovered the identity of Phillip Duffy, > the men's foreman, who appeared to care little for the fate of his men. > > "We believe that Phillip Duffy is from Tipperary," said Prof Watson. > "We > have a document saying that a Philip Duffy came in [to the US] after > the > war of 1812 and we believe this is our man," he said. ==== IRISH-AMERICAN Mailing List ==== The IRISH-AMERICAN Mailing List Website and Lookup Service http://www.connorsgenealogy.com/IrishAmerican/ Use this to unsub, change your subscription, links, etc.