Molly Maguires

So, I was curious about the Molly Maguires after discussing them in class, and it turns out that Mr. Tantillo was right! According one website, the real Molly Maguire was a real person! The real Molly Maguire was an Irish widow who protested against thieving landlords in the 1840's. She led the "Anti-landlord Agitators" and she and her followers would fist fight with the corrupt landlords to "maintain their land and their dignity". Eventually, the Agitators grew famous in Ireland and adopted the name "Molly Maguires" after their infamous leader. The Irish immigration to America brought over Molly Maguires who became active again to fight for Irish coal miner's rights.
Here's the source if anybody's interested:
http://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/Mollies.html

Molly Maguires and Sherlock Holmes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Valley_of_Fear
This is the link to the description of the last Sherlock Holmes novel, The Valley of Fear. The clip from Molly Maguires that we watched in class today reminded me of this story, and the article mentions that the story is loosely based of the Molly Maguires happenings.
Of particular interest in the start of the story is the way the coal mining districts are portrayed. Though I do not remember the exact words or description, the author paints a picture of utmost gloom, misery and tyranny. It is clear that he wants to convey what a horrifying place the mining district was...