New-York tribune., 1907-06-29
TO DISCREDIT ORCHARD.
DEFENCE WORKS HARD
Boise WHness Makes One Explosion
1ppcar accidental.

kiI4ed SteuneubGTg IN the loss OF his
interest in the Hercules mine. They directly at
tackled the Vindicator explosion with the testimony
Of witness that made it appear accidental rather
than crimnal.
Thomas Wood. non-unionist. who entered the
Nindicator mine rs a tfm5erman after the strike
began. swore that the night before the eXplo-
sion he placed n box containing twenty-five pounds
OF giant powder at the shaft Of the eighth level
lie saw the powder the next morning. shortly after
10 O'Clock. and few minutes later superintendent
McCormick and Foreman Beck came TO the eighth
level They remained only a short time, and left
the level to so to the sixth level. where they
Killed. Wood that when he reached the
shaft. twenty minutes later the powder was gone.
and II was a reasonable inference that Mccormick
and Beck took 1t with them.
wood testified that he had seen a revolver III
Beck's pocket; that the fragments of only
volver were found IN the sixth level, and that the
bodies Of Mccormick and Beck blown apart.
indicating that the explosion had occurred between
them. Orchard said that he fixed revolver with a
wire attachment so that when the safety bar was
raised would send bullet into the giant powder.
One witness for the state has sworn that he later
found e wire attached TO the safety bar. but Wood
said that he examined the safety bar carefully and
found nothing attached.
TIE OPENING OF COURT.
When coGrt opened to-day the prosecution re-
called TO the stand DR. / NJ. MCGEE, Of Wallace.
Idaho. witness for the defence. whose cross-eX-
animation had been deferred. DR.. McGee had tes-
tined that he Harry Orchard in the Ceur
o'Aienes in 1901 on one occasion he observed
Orchard IN company with named Cunning
ham. Orchard claims to have given the Peabody
bomo TO a man o. this name The prosecution To-
day wanted Or. McGee to describe Cunningham.
The witness said he had seen the only twice,
and then they almost came TO blows ever Il poti-
cal discussion.
Was Cunningham a stout MANI" asked Mr..
Hawley. the state.
I'VE did not get that far" replied the witness.
Did he have mustaChe?"
i don't krGw; but he had n gun"
Following DR.. NIcGee. W. 3. Easterly was called
TO continue his testimony begun yesterday.
EasteTly denied positively that he had talked
with Harry Orchard as to the Independence sta
ton explosion Orchard was at cripple Creek the
latter part of 1893 and the first of 1891 He mined
little" said the witness. but he was quite a
fend a card games. He seldom worked more than
a month at a time"
Easterly said he arrested at Cripple Creek
thrown into the ''bupen' for violence. Eastery
said he at home In bed when the independence
station was destroyed. He did not know what had
happened until next morning. lie then heard that
the soldiers were coming and went TO Cripple
Creek, where, with many others, he went TO Victor.
Were you armed?" asked Ar. DarrOw.
NO, sir; not with rife"
Easterly said he had a six-shooter.
At Victor he went TO the union han. where sew
eral hundred members of the Western Federation
Of Miners gathered. The streets were filed
with all sorts of people, some soldiers de-
tectives ard some mine owners officials. Eastery
declared that the soldiers IN passing Federation
men would say:
There's one that ought to be hanged or have his
head shot of"
In the afternoon c. c. Hamlin. secretary of tho
Mine Owners Association made a speech in the
station explosion and said that fifty or more of the
leaders ought TO be hanged and the driven out
o.. or the district Then shot was fred and.
Easterly put II, ''the fireworks began"
You were armedT' repeated Darrow
What did you do?"
EAsTERLY DID LIKE THE OTHERS"
Il did like many Of the others: I was very badly
excited
Where did you go?"
when the firing was I went up Third ave-
nue. and stayed there until saw the militia ma
hhuVrins around and apparently surrounding the
union halL Then they began shooting at the hail
and went on I'D the hill toward home. On NV
way stopped at Steve Adaus's house and told
nm what had heard and seen"
What did you tell him as to leaving the coun-
49,. = told him of the threats I had heard against
nm ana others, and told him he had better rro-
fect himself. When l got home 7 armed r,,seIf
win Winchester repeating shotpln and then
went TO Goldheld. where there was 10 he a ,neet
4Is oi union men, met several Of the boys on the
way, ana they were also armed. We vera ,oipP
to meet 10 protect ourselves. e's
'Whils were at Goldaeld yya sa,,, ~. ,,,,,.t,
alo I Cluzens Alliance people and their synpa-
uzeTS al armed, going about and taking into Gus
tody all the union miners they could find
Easterly said there We're only about tvcn+,, or
twenty-five union men in the hall where the meet
ing was being held at Godneld. When the militia
started in their direction the miners laff ~ II
and started up the hills As they went shots we're
hred at them The miners took refuge in sorn..
prospect holes, but were driven out and go ~
nils Easterly said that one bullet struck within
a foot Of him and a splinter Of rock struck hin
over the eye. -'''
Darrow vi
7 did not. ! had a shotgun. and it would not
That the only reason was it?'.
Yes, str"
Easterly detailed his movements after cross,re,
the hills, saying that he reached Denver In a few
bone. Easterly changed his name to "Bil Brown
The witness said he went from place 10 place
uyCaFyf In rEsrE a..
more came back TO Denver. On his wav nj
Pueblo he met Orchard and Vaughan Orchard
told him he had been selling life and hail in
Surance, and had been making lots Of money
Leaving Colorado III 1905 Easterly came to Silver
CITY, Idaho. He had seen Orchard again in Den
yer, but the man had never spoken at any time of
any act Of violences The witness then confined:
In November, after I arrived at Silver city
l. J. Simpkns came there at the invitation ~ oIyr
local to organize the miners In South Idaho
Simpkins told me that Harry Orchard or Tom
Hogan was In Caldwell selling insurance and min
ing stocks. and that he seemed to be doing well
After that I got letter from Orchard"-
did you keep that letter.
Orchard referred to our talk in Pueblo. and ga d
that he selling life insurance in Caldwell
sell hail and storm insurance. He asked me to
come over and help him. replied to this and said
I doing too well and declined TO 60"
Easterly said he got a second letter, to which he
made the same reply. and then telephone message
from Orchard.
''He had received my letter but wanted to know
If 1 could not get lay-ofr and come over to see
him for a little while. l said l too well salts
fed where l was
Did orchard say anything about his intention to
Kill Governor Steunenberg"
No. sir"
Easterly said that in Colorado he once heard Or
chard declare that he had lost his interest in a
valuable mine through steunenberg. and would
get him"
Senator Borah here took up the cross-examina-
ton OF the witness
BORAH CROSS EXAMINES EASTERLY
EasterIy said ne was in Colorado during +be
in fba