The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-04-01
Walking Delegate Who Killed
John Silva Protected by
Thugs of I. w. W.
LEADING CRIMINALS ARE
INDICTED BY GRAND JURY
Industrial Workers Paying,
Preston and Smith for Time (
Spent in Jail.
Special TO The Tribune.

GOLDFIELD, New, March 81
Cumulative evidence tends to the con-
cluslon that John Silva, the restaurant
man who wns guilty of accentinQ the
patronage OF union men not affiliated
with the l. W, W.. was murdered as the
result or foul and deliberate conspir-
ae;y among labor leaders OF the /. w. w. !
The |, ". w. walking delegate, who
fired the fatal shot, ran straight from
the scene of his deed up Main street to
Miners Union hall, which is the citadel
of the |. w. W. He was surrounded !
during his flight by more than hun
drod /, W, W. followers. He was hid
away in their hall until the officers got
wlnd OF his location and then gave him
self up at the advice of an attorney OF
|; W., W. leanings. The grand jury at
Hawthorne indicted not only NJ, r.
Preston, the slayer Of Silva. but Joseph
Smith, his superior officer in the 7 W
W. Besides the grand jury returned
four secret indictments against l. ".
w. officials higher up.
Substantial Evidence.
There must have been substantial
evidence of conspiracy to Justify such
indictments. The names of the officers
against whom true bills were found are
withheld for the reason that the au~
thorities fear they would escape befors
guarded to prevent the delivery of Pres
ton and Smith by the [. W, w The
last bit of evidence TO confirm the con-
splracy theory is the shameful fact that
the ]. W. w, arc paying Preston and
Smith each five dollars day for the
time they are confined at the Haw-
thorne Jail. Preston virtually confessed
that he KILLED Silva, though he pleaded
not guilty, and every man in Goldfield
believes he rs the criminal. In the face
of this. the j. W. ". are allowing him
five dollars day for his time in Jail,
paying premium on crime, attempting
to make a martyr out of the crImina
and a mockery Of the law. The trial
of Preston and Smith will probably take
place in Goldfield which will be the
county. seal aftcr the first of May.
Will Adopt American Methods.
Unless the Western Federation of
Miners soon find way TO divorce them
selves from the l. w. w, au army of
substitutes will he brought into camp
from Arizona and other points and the
mines will resume activity with clean
sheet and American methods. One
thing is certain, no sympathizer Of the
J. w. w. will ever again pound steel IN
Goldfield district. A second certainty is
that the mlne owners viii not daily
much longer Three hundred miners as
sembed last evening IN open air In
front Of the Merchants hotel IN Colum,
bia. Col. Robert L. Toplitz, a promi-
nent leader, presented sound arguments
in the effort to persuade them TO cut
loose from the |. W. w. closing an
hour S speech by submitting the fol
lowing resolution:
"We the undersigned miners hereby
express ourselves in sympathy with the
present predicament of the miners of
this district who, being without union
OF their own, find themselves without
the means TO settle the difficulties of
their co-workers which have come about
neither at their instance nor IN their
interest And we hereby signify our
allegiance to the constitution and by.
laws Of the Western Federation of
Miners insomuch as it refers TO men who
work in and around the mines, and wa
agree to become members of miners
union of Goldfield district, which Is
about to be formed under the constl-
tuition and bylaws of the Western Fed
Grafton Of Miners
Not a miner signed, though one agi.
tator from Cripple Creek was hissed and
Sam Tregoning, successor TO the lndlct-
ed Joseph Smith, was foiled In his AT
tempt to stampede the meeting into ad-
iournmcnt. Tho sentiment of the as
semblv was that the miners can not dis
associate themselves from the L. w. ".
until after the national meeting IN
Nav.
The churches Of the city have been
rendered for the use of miners who may
dcsiro 10 meet and discuss the situa-
tion apart from the T. W. w.