The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-02-28
LIFE STORY OF
HARRY ORCHARD
Idaho Detective Claims to Have I'm
earthed Complete History of
Alleged Murderer.
ONCE LIVED IN THIS CITY
CAREER OF MAN is PAINTED
VERY BLACK BY OFFICERS.
Especial to The Herald.)

LOiSGs 4 en-. At.-Au interesting Story
was told tonight by Captain W. S.
Swain of the Thiel detective service
concerning the case of Harry Orchard,
whose alleged confession to the assas-
slnatiOn of Ex-Governor Steunenberg
has brought within the tolls Of the law
men high in official positions with the
Western Federation of Miners. Orch
ards complete history is not given, but
the information gathered by SWANS
agents, during his early investigation
OF the murder case, is deemed by him
correct.
According to the story, Harry Orch
ard was born in little town in Michi-
gan, a suburb of Detroit, and was edu-
Gated in the public schools. His par
ents are both dead. his mother having
died within the last few years.
Lived in Salt Lake.
Orchard, in coming west, first went
to Butte, where he went under the
name of Thomas Williams. He worked
there as a miner for time, later be
coming a professional gambler. From
Butte it is thought that he went di-
rect to the Occur d'Alene district in
Idaho. He was in the Occur d'Alenes
during the trouble there in March, 1899,
but left there in April, 1899. and went
TO Salt Lake City, thence to Provo,
Utah, where for a time he worked as
miner, and then returned to Salt
Lake.
In 1902 Orchard went from Salt Lake
to Cripple Greek in company with Ar
thur Doolin. Doolin is the man with
whom Orchard is said to have gone on
a fishing trip from t Lake last sum-
mer just previous to coming to Idaho
to murder Ex-Governor Steunenberg.
Orchard began work as miner at
Independence, Colo, in 1902, and in 1908
he married a widow by the name Of
Mrs. Tony, who had two small chill
dren and several thousand dollars, the
money being left her by a former hus-
band. Orchard is said to have squan-
dered the money, but did not desert
his wife until forced to leave the camp
on the night of the explosion at the
Independence railroad station
Mrs. Orchard is said to be a very
intelligent little woman, but possessed
Of fiery temper. She has been loyal
TO her husband all through his trou-
BILE and has stOutly maintained his in
nOCenCe even since the news of his al
legged confession has been made pub
lie. She is now supporting herself and
children (the eldest about y years Of
age) by doing washing for the min
eTs.
RifIed Friends Trunk.
The detectives, it is claimed, learned
during their Investigations of Orchard s
career at Independence and elsewhere
that during this period he became ac-
quainted with a man by the name of
John Thompson at Mrs. F. NJ. NeVill' s
boarding house, and that he stole from
Thompson's trunk a gold watch, q
pearl-handled revolver and forty
pounds of high grade ore. These were
pawned. it is said. by Orchard at Vic
tor. and he later wrote Thompson a
letter enclosing the pawn tickets and
the inform alton that he could get his
property by redeeming it
In connection with Orchards history
Detective Swain also gave out the in
formation that Orchard is member
of ASHER Masonic lodge, No. 81, of
Detroit, Mich. It will be remembered
that when Orchard was first suspected
of the crime of numbering Ex-Governor
Steunenberg, in Caldwell, he told the
authorities he was a member Of the
Masonic order. While in Caldwell, be
fore the murder, he talked with a num-
Der of citizens there concerning his
being a member of that order, and a
number of the members of the order
in Caldwell invited the man TO attend
the local lodge A date was set for
him to go to the next meeting, but he
was Dlaced under arrest the day before
the meeting night.
Mrs. Orchard" said Captain Swain,
lin being interviewed by our agents.
said that Orchard seldom spoke Of his
pareDts to her He never mentioned
his father and seldom spoke of his
mother. She said that Orchard never
wrote or received letters from his
Michigan home. It is thought his faith
er has been dead some time but that
his mother died within the last three
or four years
s'The man, while in jail at Caldwell.
claimed TO me that Orchard was his
true name, but I have always had
suspicion that he has never gone by
his true name since he left his boy
hood state"
Delay in Investigation.
No date has as yet been set for the
grand jury at Caldwell to take up the
investigation into the Steunenberg as
sassination, the attorneys interested in
the case taking every precautiOn to
keep this fact secret. along with 9th
ers 1t was rumored today that the
grand jury had all its other work
cleaned up and would be ready to take
up the assassination cases. There was
another rumor that the grand jury had
already considered these cases without
that fact having become generally
known, but this is not believed, as
Harry Orchard and other important
witnesses against Meyer, Haywood and
the other accused men have not been
taken to Caldwell to testify.