Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1907-06-15
A COMPOSING MANIA
Boise Star Witness Charged
With Munchausenism.
CRIMINAL ONLY IN HIS OWN FANCY
Counsel For Prisoner Declare That
Accused Il Victim OF Great Con-
spirncy of Enemies of West
ern Federation.

spirncy of Enemies of West
ern Federation.
/ BOISE Ida. June 12.-Harry Orchard.
who has confessed on the witness
stand TO having committed eighteen
murders. including the blowing up OF
. Ex-Governor Steunenberg. as the paid
! tool of the elmer circle of the West
ern Federation OF Miners. was recalled
for cross examination in the trial of
I William ID. Haywood. charged with in
stigating the Steunenberg assassina-
ton. Orchard had directly accused
Haywood of sending him. Steve Ad-
ans and others 20 get Steunenberg.
The others dropped out of the plot. he
said. and he alone planted the bomb
/ which went of when the former gov
ernor opened the gate OF his home in
Caldwell and blew him to bits
Mr. Richardson. for the defense.
brought out in cross examination the
/ facts that Orchard had set fire to a
cheese factory IN Canada. run OF with
another mans wife and had done
other reprehensible deeds before COM
ing to Idaho.
Orchard admitted that while he was
In the Idaho mining country he be-
, came quite a gambler playing poker
most of the time. He was asked how
he voted the day the unions decided to
80 down To Wardner and blow the
Bunker Hill and Sullivan mine mills
and said he did not remember Mr..
Richardson wanted the witness to
name all who attended the meeting.
He gave the names Of five or six.
Orchard after admitting that he
went TO Denver IN the pay Of the rail-
road detectives stated that he threw
them down, ceased 20 report TO the de-
tectives end took up the work Of the
Western Federation Of Miners who
paid him all he needed.
ON leaving Denver. Haywood told
him, he said. 10 go back 10 Cripple
Greek ana "kii some OF them sol
diers"
He calmly admitted planning the
blowing up OF fifty nonunion men in
the Vlndicator mine
Attorney Richardson sought to show
that Orchard had suggested blowing
up the indicator. but he swore that q
man named Davis first suggested the
act
BY his own admission Orchard Is a
bigamist. a thief. a liar and an lncen-
diary. He has played the traitor to his
employers He has deserted two wives
and his children. All OF these offenses
he has been forced TO confess, but un-
der n grueling examination by Rich
ardsOn he has stuck 20 his story in gen.
eral aud in detail.
Counsel Tor William u. Haywood re-
peatedly threw the suggestion OF
great counter conspiracy formulated
and carried out 10y the enemies OF the
Western Federation OF Miners and in
dicated n determination 20 construct
their main line OF defense on that
field. They carried Orchard by slow
steps through the minutest details
from the dynamiting Of the Independ-
ence (Colol station down 10 the at
tempt on the life Of Fred Bradley and
his family IN san Francisco.
In addition 20 series OF particular
attacks on the credibility OF the wit
ness and the general probability OF his
stories and preparing their way for
their own testimony I'm rebuttal. the
| defense sought 10 show that Orchard
has mania FOR boasting Of the COM
mission OF crimes nonexistent except
IN his own mind.
The Globeville inquiry developed an
other shocking crime. At this Denver
suburb there was a diabolical plot
Orchard swore IL was inspired 10y Max
NIalich; the defense claimed that Or
| chard was its author-to dynamite
| boarding house where $50 nonunion
men lived. and I'm preparation for this
murder Orchard, Adams and a man
| named Joe Mahallch broke into two
magazines and stole COO pounds Of dy-
Mantle. which they lugged home at
niSht and buried in their cellars The
crime was abandoned, Orchard said, in
one of those flashes that make his tes-
tlmony remarkable, because Haywood
| interviewed and forbade him to have
anything TO do with IL.
| Orchard also brought Mrs. Steve
| Adams into the play. He said that
! while he and Adams were watching
| Judge Goddard's house Mrs. Adams
! went with them couple of times as
n blind to divert suspicion from them.
Mrs. Adams, who had a seat among
the witnesses, laughed when Orchard
told the incident
|