Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1906-02-22
HARRY ORCHARD
HAS CONFESSED
Admits the Brutal Murder Of Ex.
Governor Steunenbers,
4 GREAT MANY OTHERS IMPLICATED
Tells Story of an Organization
Whose Business is Murder.

VvbOS0 DAStb1OoS 10 Wh VI 0Ots
The startling confession OF
Harry Orchard who admits the
brutal murder OF Governor
Steunenberg last December reveals
a condition that could hardly be
believed to exist in q civilized
country. While the details of his
confession are not given out, his
statements have been so far veri.
fed as to leave no doubt Of their
truthfulness. The confession made
by Harry Orchard, in connection
with the murder of former Gov.
Steunenberg, is sweeping. 1t in
cludes the details of the conspiracy
for the murder of Steunenberg and
a great many crimes committed in
Colorado. Orchard has told the
entire story of the inception of the
plot to murder Steunenberg and
the details of working it ont. He
has placed the officers in posses
sion of explicit information of the
part taken in it by other accused
men. He has told where he met
them at various times and under
what circumstances. This is all in
detail though very little of these
details have been disclosed by the
authorities. Since the confes.
sion was secured over two weeks
ago, great many Of the details
have been verified by the detec-
tives
One Of the statements made in
this confession is that he (Orchard)
was selected to assassinate one of
the justices Of the supreme court
of Colorado year ago. He buried
a bomb at the judges gate, but
when he pulled the string the in
fernal machine failed to explode.
He took the string away and did
not again attempt to commit the
deed.
James McPharland, manager of
the Denver Office of the Pinkerton
agency, has since dug the bomb
up from the place where Orchard
had placed it.
Orchard claims he was alone in
the actual execution of the Cald-
we'll plot. He told in his confess
sion that he had first planned to
shoot Governor Steunenberg with
buckshot and went to the house on
Christmas eve for the purpose.
He intended to shoot through the
window, but for some reason aban-
doned the plan and proceeded to
hide a lot of cartridges he had,
under the sidewalk. Those cart
ridges have since been found by
the officers.
Orchard has told in detail of the
inner circle of the Western Fedora
tion of Miners maintained in Den
yer. Its methods were those oi
terrorists. Futher, he has given
the officers a detailed story cover
ing a plot that led to the killing ol
a number of mining men in the
Telluride district Of Colorado. He
also gave mass of information
about various outrages at Cripple
Creek.
This confession, it is asserted,
disclosed a plot to kill former Gov
ernor Peabody of Colorado, VIM.
Il. Gabbert, chief justice Of the
Colorado supreme court, and John
Campbell, former chief. Orchard
is said to have confessed that whole.
sale assassinations were planned
at the headquarters of the Western
Federation of miners in Denver,
chiefly by refugees from the camps
at Cripple Creek and Telluride
It is also said that Orchards con
fession gives history of the ex.
plosion at the Independence depot
near Cripple Creek ON June 6,
1904, which killed IA men and in.
jured many others.
1t develops that Orchards con
fession, according to the best o
authority, stated that bombs had
been placed in the gateways of th'
residences of two members of the
Colorado SUPP eme court, and tina
more than q dozen attempts ba(
been made to assassinate ex Gov
ernor Peabody. An investigation
since the alleged confession wa
made disclosed the presence o
bombs in exactly the spot indicat
ed. The man who unearthed th'
the bombs, q prominent membe
of the Colorado national guard, i
= now in Idaho, having accompanies
the party that returned with Nc
yer, Haywood and Pettibone VIII
are now being held in Bois
charged with being implicated il
the murder.
James Mcfarland, head of tn
detective agency which was em
ployed by the Idaho authorities i
the Steunenberg case, declared ths
the evidence against the men VIII
have 40 far been arrested is YER