The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-03
AN DOWN mime MURDERERS.
1fsPARLAND OF MOLLY MAGUIRE
FAME WORKED IN. IDAHO.
RlnkertOn Man by the same Tactics He
Used In 'gS Gets Confession OF Work.
inEs Of the Inner Circle Of the Western
FefeFatIOn-Mahy Grimes Planned.

here told how Harry Orchard had con-
fessed in Idaho to the assassination OF
ex-0ov. Steunenberg, who was a victim
pf the campaign of thuggery and assas5ina-
ton instituted by the Inner Circle" OF the
Western Federation Of Miners in order
that IL might get control OF all the mining
Industries of the Rocky Mountains. Ac-
Cording to the official statement of Gov.
gooding of Idaho, Orchard implicated all
1.-THE officials of the federation now under
arrest and told the story OF t~wenty-siX
murders which he laid at the door Of these
eonspirators.
~ Is likely that the trial OF these men will
end the reign Of terror in the mining reRions
OF the Far West which began with the murder
III OF j. W. Barney, a shift house boss. on June
%, 1901, and continued down to the assassina-
tion Of ex-Gov. Steunenberg at his W
door on December 30, 1905.
TT credit for exposing the plot and run
ming down the alleged conspirators Is given
TO james Mcfarland, the superintendent
Of the Western branch of the Pinkerton
agency, who became famous in the '70s
for the work he did in the anthracite regions
of Pennsylvania in breaking up the band OF
murderers known as the Molly Maguires
and bringing the leaders to the gallows.
OF him Gov. Gooding said:
Il attribute Orchards confession to the
great brain of James MCFARLAND, who has
been employed by the State to run down
the murderers of ex-Gov. Steunenberg."
Mcfarland, 1t seems, used the same tactics
In Idaho al he did in Pennsylvania. He
vent among the men al a miner, worked
with them and finally got their confidence.
He found out enough to convince him that
Orchard had had a hand in the murder, but
positive proof he could not obtain. Then
mcfarland began to work on Orchards
early religious training. He called to his
mind the fact that his mother used to read
the Bible to him night and morning When he
was a boy. Orchard finally broke down
and confessed.
THE impression of the early days came
up and snote his conscience" said Gov.
Gooding. He told me that he believed in a
Supreme Being and a hereafter and that
now his one thought was to make peace
with his Maker" :
WORKINGS OF THE INNER CIRCLE"
The history of the crimes committed
during the struggle of the Federation for
absolute domination would fill a volume.
The Inner Circle, composed mainly OF Off
GERS, undertook to create a reign of terror
In Colorado first that would, as they be-
lieved, leave them in absolute control. The
citizens were to be cowed into submission
by the assassination of prominent men
who had incurred the enmity of the Inner
Circle.
The old, uncertain and expensive method
Of declaring strikes was to be lone AVA
with. Whenever trouble occurred in a dis
Sfrict the persons most responsible We're to
f3e put out of the way by the knife, the bomb
Ebr the rife. N%on-lnion miners were slugged
/ md murdered. In one instance thirteen Of
Them were killed when the platform of the
railroad station at Independence, Col, was
! dynamited. The men whom Orchard impli-
Gated in his confession are William d. Hay
x wood, secretary and treasurer of the Fed
grafton; Charles II. Meyer, president; George
Pettibone, expert in explosives; Stephen
Adams Of the Inner Circle; Vincent st. John,
b Telluride union boss, and Edward Green,
"a Cripple Creek union operator.
THE o 70 KILL GABBHRT.
Among the citizens of Colorado on whose
4 lives attempts we're made is Chief Justice
! Gabbert Of the Supreme Court, whose deci-
4 sions on labor matters were not to the lik-
ing of the Inner Circle. He was watched for
| weeks and it was noticed that oil going to
the State capitol in the morning from his
home it was his habit to cross a vacant lot
ut Emerson street and Colfax avenue.
One night a bomb was planted in this lot
with two wires attached. To the wires,
which lay on the ground, a satchel was tied
/ to attract the attention of the intended vic
tim when he passed that way in the morn
ing. The explosives in the bomb were 30
arranged that a bottle OF sulphurio acid
would be spilled on them when the wires
were moved by the picking up Of the satchel,
which was plaoeda step or two off the beaten
path.
1t happened, however, that on the morn
ing when everything was prepared Judge
EGabbert failed for the first time in weeks
to, take the path across the lot. Another
man. named Valley, Glanced to pass by,
cav the satchel and picked it up. There
was a terrific explosion n Valley was
blown to pieces.
Another member of the Supreme Court
who was on the murderers' list was Justice
Goddard. He ives his life to the fact
that the bomb laid for him failed to explode.
II was a contrivance similar to the one
placed in the vacant lot for Justice Cab
bert. It was planted under the gate post
~ oil the renee tndI SURROUNDS lHe TeSlueIlCe OF
Justice Goddard.
A little screw was driven into the gate,
to which was attached a piece OF string.
The other end of the string was tied to
the cork of a bottle containing sulphuric
acid. This bottle was put on top of the
hornb. The assassins figured that when
the Justice opened the gate the string
would jerk the cork out OF the bottle. In
the bomb we're 100 giant cap that had
been saturated with ~bicarbonate Of potash
and sugar. The mixture Of the acids was
expected to start a spark and explode the
bomb.
Justice Goddard opened he gate. but
there was no explosion. The reason,
Mcfarland found out, was that the bomb
had been prepared five days before it was
get and the acid had eaten into the pin
which was stuck into the cork and to which
the string was tied. When the gate opened
the pin came out, but not the cork. The
Aarnh wap dIu nm and IL was found 70 non-