Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-09-14
is A coEUR d'ALENE CRIMINAL
Arrested in Topeka, Kansas, He Tells
the Story Of the outrases and
Names His Aeeomplices.

railroad depot at independence, Colo.
and also the plot of the carrying out
OF the plan to blow up the vindicator
mine. The depot vas destroyed by
nitroglycerine on June z, 1904, and
thirteen people were blown to pieces.
The Vindicator mine was blown up on
November 81. 1903. Romaine has sery.
ed sentences in the Kansas and Colo.
RADIO penitentiaries. He was arrested
In Topeka. July s. by Serlff Lucas for
robbery.
In part Romano SAID: Il left Can.
on City and went to Cripple Creek
on the 9Th OF October, 1903, and hung
around there until along the first part
OF November, and went to work on
the Golden Cycle mine, under Super.
intendent Holman. The next night af.
ter went TO work I got in with a
gang of fellows, who asked me to Join
the union and act as a spy around
the Golden Cycle and indicator
mines. They were after Superintend.
ent Holman. | could not find any
way to get in there as they wanted
me to, and I told them so. But a few
evenings after the Vindicator mine
was blown up by a dynamite machine
furnished by me.
About the middle OF May | return
ed to Canon City and got a can OF
glycerine and 600 feet of wire that
had hid there. On the night of June
9th ii was planned to blow up the
Cripple Creek depot, so the next ev
ening | got the glycerine and wire
and with an iron prong about ten
inches long and about four inches
wide at the top, with two holes in IL
far enough apart to catch a pistol
back of the hammer, so that you
could tie q string to the hammer and
not interfere with 1t.
Il and another man crept under the
platform and fixed things, running the
wire to the Delmonico shaft, 500 feet
away. We fooled around until the 10
O'Clock train came In. | saw some OF
my friends there and realized that they
would be killed. | did my best to run
down and get this thing, so it would
not go of, and when they saw what
| was trying to do, one man grabbed
me and struck mt with his pistol on
the eye and again behind the ear,
where | have scars now from those
blows. and I was knocked unconscious
for a short time. When I came to again
everybody in Cripple Creek was
around there, and there was great
excitement. Then | got out of the
town as quickly as possible. That was
the Sth and on the night of the 9th
we all walked down to Colorado
Springs and got there about 5 or G
o'clock the next morning. Three OF
the men bought tickets for Pueblo,
and | think they went west. On the
night of the 9th, at $3.50, | took the
Santa Fe train for the east"
Incriminates Others.
Romaine's confession was made be
fore County Attorney Hungate and
Sheriff Lucas and sworn to before M
F. Laycock, notary public. Following
are the names of miners who Ro
maine declared were confederated
with him in the dynamiting of the
indicator mine and Cripple Creel
depot. This includes the entire list
save two, the names of whom the To
peka sheriff refuses to give out: jess
Waters, - Foster, - Mckinney
Louis Dossel, Jim Hicks, Carl Nelson
- Davis. - Kennison. Beck
and - Camp.
Il received q letter from Sheriff
Lucas. of Topeka, Kansas. severa
days ago." said Sheriff Bell. "whlct
stated that Romano had made a con
fession regarding the independents,
plot and indicator mine explosion.
wrote to Sheriff Lucas, asking fol-
full particulars. and for him to ge'
a written confession from Romaine
have not had an answer to my let
ter"
Known In Cripple Creek.
Cripple Creek, Sept. 9.-Sheriff Ed
ward Bell today said tnat Robert Ro
maine, the prisoner at Topeka, Kan.
who Is said to have confessed to com
plicity In the Independence depot ant
Victor mine explosions in this district
by which fifteen non-union miner
were killed outright and others inuI
ed, had long been under suspicion II
connection with these and othe
crimes.
I'VE positively know" said sheriff
Bell, that Romano worked in tn,
district while the strike was in pre-
gress and was a spy employed by tn
Western Federation of Miners"
The men whom Romano implicate
with himself In the explosions are fol
mer officers and members Of Miner:
unions in the district. Foster, whor
Romano mentions, Is believed to b
Thomas Foster, a miner who lived !
independence and who was arreste
by the militia early in the industria
troubles in this district. He was fiji
ally released on habeas corpus pr
ceedings, only to be re-arrested an
~incarcerated in the county jail, char
ed with conspiracy to wreck the Flo
ence and Cripple Creek suburba
train on November 18th. He was a,
, quilted of this charge and Is believe
to have left here about the time of tn
Independence explosion. His preser
whereabouts is unknown.
Mckinney. another man mentione
by Romaine. is believed to be Charlie
II. Mckinney, who turned states ey
! dence regarding the conspiracy
J wreck the Florence and Cripple Cree
train. District Attorney Henry TROY
bridge. two months ago nolled ii
case against Mckinney. He was
the district at the time Of the Ind
L pendence explosion anu Victor rio
but Is now believed to be In a sma
town in Nebraska. where his Peep
live.
Davis. another man named by r