The San Francisco call., 1899-10-29
MINERS TRIALS
ALMOST OVER
Witnesses for Govern
ment Examined.
TESTIMONY OF THOMAS AMES
HE SAW A GANG OF MINERS
BOARD THE TRAIN.
Was Invited to Join the Party, but
TESTIMONY OF THOMAS AMEs
Was Invited to Join the Party, but
Afterward Advised to Stay
Behind Because of Mutt
lated Hand.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

MOSCOW, Idaho, Oct 2S.-If the present
rate Of examining witnesses is kept up,
1t is probable that next week will see the
end of the trial of the Occur d Alene min
ers on charge of holding UP United
States mail train and for conspiracy, In
the Federal court here. This morning
the examination Of witnesses for the
Government was commenced. The prose-
cution attempted to bring out facts and
evidence to prove a conspiracy to blow
up the Bunker Hill and Sullivan mill at
Wardner and that to do this the miners
conspired to hold the trains and to do any
other act to accomplish their purpose.
The Government contends that the stop
ping of the mail train was a concerted
and prearranged incident to the days
proceedings and was part of the con-
Splracy to blow UP the mill.
An important witness was Thomas
Ames, member of the Wardner Union.
He stated that he was awakened early on
the morning of April 29, and was told
there would be a meeting Of the union in
the miners hall. He went to Pages Ho-
tel, and there was told that there would
be no meeting, but to be on hand at the
depot with his bundle of working clothes,
as the train was coming with other min
ers, and union men would board It.. He
did not know for what purpose. He was
was off, and this would be mark to iden-
tify him, If the crowd got into any
trouble. He stated that previous TO TINS
date delegations had been sent to the
Bunker Hill Company with propositions
which. were accepted; that he was dis
charged from the Bunker Hill Company,
but had gone back since: that he saw fifty
men with bundles near the train; that the
Bunker Hill manager was seen by the
union men later and that he refused to
talk or recognize them, but witness dis
claimed being a member of the delegation.
He says Boyle was president of the W ard
ner Union and O'Rourke secretary.
Albert Burch, the secretary of the Bun
ker Hill mine, was called, and related
the occurrences of the week preceding the
blowing UP of the mine. He said that he
had found posted a notice of the miners
requesting him to get his men to join the
union, and that he then discharged the
seventeen union men. He next saw the
strikers under the leadership of Ed Boyle,
who made an address to different shifts
to induce them to join the union. In con-
clusion witness disclaimed the charge of
attempting to intimidate Simkins, a wit
ness to be used by the defense.
Joseph Mcdonald of Gem manager of
the Helena Frisco mine, told of seeing the
men going to Wardner. He said on eX-
amining the powder-house, he found
been broken. Lem Smith. a liveryman,
the next witness, told of hauling five men
to Wallace on the 2Sth: that they were
Wardner men and that they were
miners.
All these witnesses gave details of oc-
currences during the days preceding the
explosion, and It was given to prove q
general conspiracy to stop the trains as
an incident to the other crimes.