The Washington times., 1907-06-27
ORCHARD LIES,
SAYS WITNESS
BIG BILL" DAVIS
Miner Denies He Was in
Conspiracy to Slay
Steunenberg.

BOISE, Idaho, June 27.-"Big BIZ
Davis will be Oh the stand again today
in the Haywood case. Davis. perhaps
the most interesting OF the defense's
witnesses. was called to irapeach harry
Orchards testimony He is the man
Orchard said led 1000 miners from the
Coeur d'Alenes to Wardner, ldaho, III
1899 TO dynamite the Bunker HIN mlne'
and later offered Orchard $500 TO BOW
up the Vindicator workings, besides tell
ing OF plans to wreck trainloads OF non
union men and blow up the lndepend-
ence railroad station.
All these conversations with Orchard
Davis emphatlcaily denied on the wit
ness stand.
Senator Borah. crosses amining the
witness. had several hot tits with him
The Senator led Davis into several
traps. Davis lodged these embarrass-
ment. however. by pleading failure of
memory. OF one thing. however, he
was positive-the threats that he said
Orchard made against former Governor
Steuenberg.
Davis Contradicts Orchard.
Davis. in his testimony said that he
had first met Orchard in May. 1892, in
Altman, at the miners union office
Orchard asked for admittance TO the
union. saying he had belonged in
Burke, Idaho. The man had no with
drawal card, and when a transfer was
sent for none came. When the strike
came in 1893 in Cripple Creek, Davis
said that he and Parker We're on the
strike committee. Bill Easterly never
had been a member. The militia had
come into the district when absolute
quiet prevailed Davis said that up to
this time there had been on disorder.
Davis had known absolutely nothing
about the attempt to wreck a train on
The Florence and Cripple Creek railroad.
He denied that ne ever had offered Or
chard 500, or any other sum 10 set of
a carload OF powder In the Nindicator
mine Orchard had testified that Davis
made such a proposition.
Davis said he read Orchards testi-
mony and the present trial in Cold
field paper and he Immediately sent a
telegram to the attorney for the de-
fense, saying he was ready and willing
70 come to Boise to testify whenever
desired.
Davis said he was arrested for al
legged completely In the railroad wreck
and the NiudicatOr mine, but was dis
charged by the judge after the evil
dence was all in. He fatty denied that
he ever offered Orchard money to wreck
a train or place a bomb In the Nindi-
Gator mine. AS president OF the Alt
man Union, he publicly and privately
had advocated peace. and never at any
time Counseled any sort of violence.
He said Orchard was not close ac-
quaintanCe and was not man Of any
Importance in the union.\ Davis had
been in Denver at the time OF the In
dependence explosion. He first read Of
it in the newspapers and knew Of no
plan TO wreck the place
Says Orchard Made Threats.
At the time Of the deportation OF the
union miners from Cripple Creek, Da-
Wis had started out to seek work else
where. He had gone first TO Cheyenne,
where ne had stayed three days. He
had met Orchard in Pat Moran's sa-
loon with John Neville and the latters
boy. Leaving Cripple Greek Davis had
again taken the name of Jones.
He eventually had landed In GoldfeId
in January, 1905, and had lived there
ever since.
While in Altman, Davis said he had
had a conversation with Orchard as TO
the reason for his leaving the COeur
d'Alenes. Parker and Easterly were
also present Orchard said IL he had
not been driven out Of the Occur
d'Alenes he would have been a rich
man. He intended to get even with
Steunenberg.
DAVIS SAID ne QlI not Know lnlL lneTc
was any excitement in Gem, Idaho, as
the train came through. He did not
know that the men were armed He
could not say whether he saw any rifles.
Davis said he made no inquiries as 70
what the men intended to do.
you knew precisely what they were
going to do?" demanded Senator Borah.
NO sir: I did not. I did not think it
was any of my business"
Saw Masked Men o.. Train.
Three hundred masked men passing
through on a train which afterward
backed up to powder magazine and
took on supplies created no excitement
in Gem, and aroused no suspicion or
curiosity in your mind?''
mo, sir"
Davis could not say whether the loco
motive was guarded by armed men.
lie heard the mill al Wardner had been
blown up. He did not know that the
men on the train had done #. lie be-
lieved there was a strike on at Ward
ner. aid he thought some one told him
there had been trouble at the Bunker
Hill and Sullivan mill. Davis saw the
train when IL came back from Wardner,
but he did no- know whether any one
got OF. The next day he LETT Gem and
went TO wallace. lie had gone into the
Hercules mine. He was not I'm hiding.
but was keeping out Of the way OF the
troops. Davis was in the Hercules mine
for two weeks. He knew the soldiers
we're looking FOR everybody" but did
not know that placards had been posted
calling for his arrest.
From wallace. Davis went to Butte.
He again took the name OF Jones. so
as to get job. but he had not seen
his name blacklisted anywhere. Butte
was q Federation camp. and il was not
necessary for a union man to change mis-
name to get employment there.
Davis said one reason for the change
N. not a hon los -