The Colorado statesman., 1906-02-24
RUSHED TO IDAHO
WESTERN FEDERATION OFFICERS
ARRESTED AT DENVER.
FOR COMPLETELY IN CRIME
President Meyer, Secretary Haywood
and G. A. Pettibone Charged With
Being Concerned in Assassination
of Governor Steunenberg-Allesed
Plot to Murder Colorado Officials.


Plot to Murder Colorado Officials.
Denver-The News Monday morn
ing says: Three Idaho peace officers.
Adjutant General BulkSey Wells of
the National Guard of Colorado and
two of his militiamen, having in GUS
tody Charles H. Meyer, president OF
the Western Federation of Miners;
William d. Haywood, secretary-treas-
urer Of the federation, and G. A. Petit
bone, one time member of the execu-
tive committee of the federation, left
Denver yesterday morning at 8 o'clock
on special train provided
by the Union Pacific company,
en- route to Boise, Idaho. The
three prisoners are charged with com
plicity In the assassination of former
Governor Steunenberg of Idaho about
two months ago.
Meyer, Haywood and Pettibone were
arrested after requisition papers from
Governor Gooding of Idaho had been
presented to Governor Mcdonald and
honored by the latter, who issued pa
pers authorizing the extradition of the
three men, every effort was made to
keep the proceedings secret, and each
of the defendants was kept in ignor-
ance Of impending arrest, having no
opportunity to fight eXtradition. At
ter the arrests were made the men
were refused the privilege of notify
| ing families, friends or attorneys.
Attorney e. f. Richardson left for
Idaho last night, and will make fight
| in behalf of the men, asking their re-
| lease on the ground that the proceed
ings were irregular in every respect.
Without an inkf1ng of the impending
arrest, President Meyer was taken into
custody by Sheriff Alexander Nisbet
and deputy, who served the war
rants, and was Immediately taken to
the county Jail. Secretary Haywood
was not found until several hours later,
| when he, too, was taken to the jail and
| confined in the west wing, bankers
| row. where Imboden anC Hill were
placed.
Charles H. Meyer was taken from
berth in Pullman car on the o'clock
burlington train for Deadwood, South
Dakota. He was on his way to South
| Dakota on a business trip. Secretary
Haywood was arrested as he was leay
ing the offices of the Western Fedora
tion of Miners, in the Pioneer build
ing, Fifteenth and Larimer streets,
about IL o'clock
After their arrival at the jail the two
prisoners were not allowed to COM
municate with either their attorneys
or their families. Mrs. Haywood and
Mrs. Meyer Gid not know of the arrests
until yesterday morning. The two
prisoneres were held incommunicado
until o'clock yesterday morning,
when they were hurried out of the city.
G.. A. Pettibone was arrested at his
home, 1925 Evans street, by Glen Duff
al Al. s.h L.
like the others, was not allowed to
send any word to friends, obtain coun-
sci or notify his wife.
The three men, charged with being
accessories to the assassination of ex-
Governor Frank Steunenberg of Idaho,
were kept in the county Jail for little
over SIX hours.
The Republican says: The arrests
were due to the confession of Harry
Orchard, held to answer to the higher
I court for the murder of Steunenberg,
he being accused directly of setting the
explosive.
But the single confession of this man
Orchard is not relied on. Corrobora-
tive proof of what he confessed regard
ing the operations of the Dynamitard
| club, was found in Denver. He con-
| fessed to plots that were on foot in this
| state to do murder and he told where
| the explosives that were to be used
could yet be found This confession
was transcribed and a copy submitted
to the authorities in Denver. They
went to the spots designated by Or
| chard and found the bombs. These in
| struments of death were to have been
used against public officers in this
state who had taken part in the over
| throw of the Western Federation of
! Miners and the officers marked for as
sassination included the chief justice
of the Supreme Court, one or two men,
| bers of the court, the former governor
| of this state, his adjutant general and
| perhaps one of two others. including
lawyers who had taken an active part
in the work of the vigilantes commit
tee at Cripple Creek.
A bulky confession containing over
| 10000 words from Orchard sets fol tn
that the Western Federation of Mil
ers were privy to the deeds and the
aims of the men who had been paid
large sums from the treasury of the
Western Federation of Miners.
In his confession Orchard tells the
history of the blowing up of the Inde.
pendence mine on June 6, 1904, when
forty people were marked for death
and thirteen fell victims; he gives
facts of the murder of Martin Glea.
son, a mine superintendent, who was
brutally slugged and his lifeless body
| later thrown into shaft to give the
crime the appearance of accidental
death; he recites the facts of the
blowing up of the Vindicator shaft
when Shift Boss Beck and Foreman