East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1907-06-10

This Orchard story in the papers
does not hold water" said j. C. STAN
hope, Cripple Creek mining man; at
the oregon hotel on his way to Alaska
to the Portland Journal. II was in
Cripple Creek the time the Independ-
ence depot was blown up. 1t is toss
up which side did it. There are two
stories, one about as good as the
other. But one thing, or rather two,
are sure: the depot was blown up, and
no one even to this day knows who
did 1t.
1.-The miners say they were holding
a convention in Denver at the time, of
great political importance. Violence of
any kind would ruin their cause Just
then. And at the worst time for the
Federation of Miners the depot was
blown up. Also that If II had been the
intention to kill people that by delay
in the matter three minutes over 400
could have been killed just as well as
the IA who were.
"They alIege that the other side,
knowing that the mine would turn out
its force in a few minutes to take
the train and that the train was near
ly due, believing that the depot was
clear of people just then but would
be crowded in a few minutes, blew
1t up for political effect, not thinking
to harm any one. n
But of course they must come very
near it and lay the blame on the Fed
Grafton, as 1t would be of no import
ance to blow up some isolated shaft
house OF no consequence. To threaten
the lives of several hundreds by what
appeared to be a safe margin would
arouse public opinion, defeat the po-
litical plans of the Federation and get
the troops into Cripple Creek, thing
the mineowners wanted and the Fed
eration I'D not.
But the train was three minutes
late and the mine turned out its
graveyard shift five minutes earlier
than usual. The result was there
were about 40 men on the depot plat
form that no one knew about, nor
calculated on. And these men were
blown up, IA being killed.
"On the other hand. the mineowners
say the Federation had blown up
other places and that many of the men
killed and injured on that platform
were Masons and that the mineowners
In control of the situation were also
Masons and friends of the murdered
men. That mineowners should blow
up fellow Masons and friends is not
to be thought of, of course.
BUT this does not necessarily throw
sure blame on the Federation. That
could occur, as the Federation
claimed, by the mistake of the train
being late and the mine letting out its
men five minutes earlier than. usual.
The station was blown up just as the
headlight appeared ,around the curve
a mile or more away, as If II was to
be the signal. Then. too, the Fedora
ton offered $4,000 cash reward with
no restrictions, for evidence about the
outrage. The other side offered no
reward, and as they had absolute
control of the police machinery. made
no adequate efforts to unearth the
matter.
"It was commonly agreed that
those in power did not want the men
who blew up that depot Also it was
generally understood that at the time
either the Pinkertons or the United
states secret service men could have
got the murderers within a week.
80 here you have a half dozen on
one side and six on the other. The
most reasonable explanation seems to
be an accident somewhere, as neither
side was helped and both injured by
the outrage. But Orchards story and |
that he did 1t does not CO.
incide with the actual facts of the sit
uation.
THE last man to want that depot |
blown up at that time was Haywood. |
1t robbed him of practically all his
political power in Colorado for months |
afterward and turned public opinion
against him and the Federation so |
bitterly that the convention was a fail |
ure where before the explosion he |
threatened to sweep the state.
Il have no use for the Federation |
Of Miners and think them a bad lot,
but this man Orchard is not telling |
the truth, as I and practically all |
Cripple Greek on both sides know it.
AT the time of the explosion the
Denver papers stated that blood
hounds took the scent from the place
where the trap was sprung and traced
/ to the Pinkerton headquarters.