The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-11

Boise. Ida, July 10.-ChaTles II.
Meyer went to the stand today. wit
ness for his fellow-defendant, William
D. Haywood, and besides making pos
tive denial of all the crimes attrib-
uted to him and the other Federation
leaders by Harry Orchard. offered an
explanation of the unsolicited appear
anCe of the Western Federation of
Miners. as the defender of Harry Or
chard Immediately after his arrest at
Caldwell for the murder of Steunen-
berg.
Meyer swore that it was Jack Simp-
kins who engaged Attorney Fred Mil
Ter at Spokane to go to Caldwell to
represent Orchard, then known as
Thomas Hogan, and that it was at the
request of Simpkins that the witness
!. and Haywood subsequently advanced
k$1 800 from the funds of the Fedora
ton to meet the expense of defending
Orchard. At various stages of the re-
cital the defense offered in evidence
number of documents including a here
tOfore undsCOsed cipher telegram
which SimpEins sent to Federation
headquarters and the union at Silver
City, Ida covering the moves TO pro-
tect the Federation which was charged
with the crime within a few days af-
ter it occurred.
Suspicious of Telegram.
Meyer began by saying that he got
his first knowledge Of the crime from
the Denver newspapers and that on
The evening of January 4, five days af-
ter the crime. a telegram in the Fed
eratiOn's cipheT-a code in which Ger
tain numerals represented the alpha
bet and published in the ritual of the
organization, was used tor transmit the
password To local unions-came to
Haywood from Spokane. 1t was long
and the translation was difficult and
uncertain, but he and Haywood figured
the next day that it was signed by
Simpkins and read: Cannot get a
lawyer to defend Hogan. Answer"
Meyer testified that he was suspi-
cious about the message. the newspa~
pers having already charged the crime
up to the federation, and that he de-
cided to consult John Murphy, general
counsel for the federation, before he
took any steps.
Meyer said he left for Chicago that
afternoon, but that Haywood took the
matter up and opened communication
with the union at Silver City and made
arrangements to engage Attorney John
Nugent TO look after the interests OF
the federation and TO defend Orchard
if necessary. The defense produced
copies of the correspondence and all of
il was read into the record.
Continuing. Meyer said that Attor-
ney Miller came to Denver about the
first Of the following month, bringing
with him the record of Orchards pre-
liminary hearing. Miller went to Den
Yer at the suggestion of Simpkins, so
the witness testified. and brought a
request from Simpkins that the fed
Grafton furnish the large sum of mon
ey that would be needed to defend Or
chard. Meyer said that he and Hay
wood conferred with Attorneys Muir
ply and Miller and subsequently gave
Miller $1,000.
r Meyer denied that he had ever dis
! cussed any kind of criminal act with
Orchard or any one else or that he had
ever given him a cent except for ex-
penses made to Ouray as a bodyguard
for him. He said that he had no per-
sonal feeling of hostility for Steunen-
berg, and there We're no circumstances
That would make him desire the life
of John Neville, whom Orchard testi-
fled Meyer wanted killed. Meyer said
that Neville came to him after his ar
rest for alleged completely in the In
dependence station affair and asked
that the federation give him $500 to