The sun., 1900-03-23
.STEUNENBERG' G'S STORY
Idaho's Governor Testifies Before
Wardner Inquiry Committee,
REASONS FOR MARTIAL LAW
Says That Bartlett Sinclair Informed
Him Tint the Local Administrn-
tion of Law at Wardner
Was Farce.

Washington, March 22-Unusual in
terest attached to the Cnur d'Alene in
yestigation, as the prosecutions, after
i presenting testimony almost uninterrupt-
edly for five weeks, closed its case and
gave way to the defense Governor
| Steunenberg of idaho was the first wit
ness called to rebut the charges which
have been made.
Governor Steunenberg said he was
elected governor of Idaho in 1896 on the
| Pcople's-Democratic ticket, having ac-
ceptcd the nomination of the Democratic
convention. lie read a number of tele-
grams dated several days prior to the
blowing up of the Bunker Hill mill on
April 20 and leading up to that event.
| On April 26 Frederick Burbridge of the
! Bunker Hill mine telegraphed that an
armed mob had stopped the Bunker Hill
men from working and calling for protec
tion to the property interests. He also
read kilograms to and from the sheriff
and others showing the steps taken TO
maintain order.
| The governor suggested arbitration of
! differences, but i'll answer Mr.. Burbridge
/ stated that there was nothing to arbi-
| tratc and again called for protection. On
the mill, Governor Steunenberg said he
received at 10:37 a. IN. a dispatch from
Mr.. Burbridgc stating that all the min-
ers of Canyon Greek had laid off ana
were coming to Wardner to menace the
| Bunker Hill men, This was accompa-
| MED by another request for protection.
| AT the same time dispatches We're re-
ceived from A. |. Mohler of the o. r.
and N. railroad first stating that an
armed force had taken possession of the
| railway tracks at Wardner and then. mt
4 p. M. stating that the rioters had set
| fire to the Bunker Hill mill, that they
had placed dynamite under the mill and
| that it would be blown up. Sheriff
Young also tclegraphcd him from Ward
ner that the mill was blown up and Civ
| ing the gravity of the situation. At 6
| p. m. the governor said he sent n dispatch
to the president calling for federal aid.
as the Idaho troops were absent in the
| Philippines.
| why Sinclair Was Sent.
The governor said he had been ill prior
| to the Cnur d Alene excitement and, be-
ing unable to go in person, he sent a rep
resentative, Bartlett Sinclair, to the scat
of disorder. On April 80 Sinclair tcc-
| graphed urging that the president he ad
vised to rush troops from the nearest
available post. He also telegraphcd that
he had thoroughly investigated the need
of martial law, that nine-tcnths of the
citizens favored martial law. that the
local administration of the law was a
farce and amounted to maladministra-
| tion, that people We're afraid to testify
and that masked men were prowling
about the town terrifying people.
tnIn IL. n.
citing developments from day to day, the
arming of citizens. the making of ar
| rests. etc. We're read by the governor.
On this information. the governor said.
and from his own knowledge of affairs
for six years. including repeated out
RACES, with apparently no effort to ap-
prehend the guilty parties, he proclaimed
| that a state of insurrection and rebellion
/ existed Mt the scene of disturbance
Governor Steunenberg said he caution
ed Sinclair not to align himself with eli
ther side, employers or employed Sin
clair had made speeches in New York
for Henry George, so that the governor
said he regarded him rs qualified to give
fair consideration to the labor situation.
Representative Lentz objected at this
point to the line of inquiry of Mr.. Cheney
ana also. questioned the propricty Of hay
ing private counsel direct the invcstiga-
ton. AS there We're frequent objections
to questions. the committee agreed to n
motion by Mr.. SulZer that the governor
be allowed to tell his story in his own
way without interruption.
The Arrests of Suspects.
Governor Steuncnberg then related in
detail the steps taken to carry out the
proclamation. The arrests were made,
he said. of those reasonably suspected of
completely in the disturbance.
The governor said he took such pre-.
cautions as We're possible to look after
tine prisoners, but the conditions of in
surrection were most unusual, and at ey-
cry point the authorities were embar-
rassed by the insurrectionary element
He visited the barn and the stockade oc.
cupied by the prisoners and sought to
have the stockade, or permanent quar-.
tiers, completed
Governor Steunenberg was asked
where the insurreetion had its inception
and what mining camps engaged in it.
He said that i'll his opinion the mining
district of Shoshone county had been in
state of insuTection since 1892. The
insurrection of April 20, he said, started
at Burke, where n meeting was held in
the hall of the Western Federation of
Miners. The participants proceeded to
arm themselves and went by train to
Wardner. At Gem, he said. a similar
! meeting at similar hall was held. and
arms and masks were distributed
He described the gradual conccntra-
tion of the men Mt Wardncr in disor-
ganized state until single engine ar
rived from Wallace. Then systematic
orders were given, the first being "Ward-
ner to the front" A party secured dyna-
mite, which was placed under the mill
and fired. Firing began indiscriminately,
and one of the invading party was killed.
Some of the Bunker Hill employees were
taken prisoners by the masked men. The
governors description was extended and
circumstantial and brought out frequent
objections from Mr.. Lentz on the ground
that it was hearsay.
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