The Molly Maguires defended their actions as attempts to protect exploited Irish - American workers .
The Molly Maguires is an Irish secret society that had allegedly been responsible for some incidences of vigilante justice in the coalfields of eastern Pennsylvania .
The Molly Maguires , an Irish secret society that had allegedly been responsible for some incidences of vigilante justice in the coalfields of eastern Pennsylvania , defended their actions as attempts to protect exploited Irish - American workers .