Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-06-06
CONFESSED MURDERER TELLS
APPALLING STORY OF CRIME

jectionS from the defense all OF which
was overruled by the court. on the
strength of repeated promise by the
State to show the connection of the
defendant later. The witness then
told of the plot to blow up the Vim
dicator mine. He confessed that after
the strike began he went into the
mine high grading and there dis
covered quantity of powder. He
reported this to Davis and there he
said, began the plot to destroy the
mine. The first attempt was failure
because the foreman discovered him
and his pal and drew their fire. but
later the continuance was successfully
fired by which discharged pistol set
off bomb and killed Superintendent
Mccormick and Beck.
$500 the Price OF Murder.
Five hundred dollars. he said, was
the reward for the murder. He then
came to Borney, where he met Petit
bone and Haywood entered their en-
ployment as assistants. He swore
Haywood paid him one hundred dol
lars for Blowing up the Vinlicator
mine. Then came the making of the
two bombs that were tossed into the
coal heap Mt Vindicator mine, hut they
We're never heard of again, and then
depression to confess that before
the unsuccessful attempt at the Vim
dicator mine he had notified the rail.
way management of plot to blow up
its train carrying non-union men.
Next Orchard related how he Jour
neyed to Southern California as a
guard to Meyer and here. the nara
tive. which had been attacked from
every side by the defense ut every
! material point halted for the noon
recess.
Court Room Packed.
Word that Orchard was on the
stand spread through the city and n
few moments after the doors of the
court were opened in the afternoon
every available seat for the public
was taken and the deputies had to
force the doors shut and clear away
clamoring crowd that iammed the
stairway and landing.
! Orchard spent the noon recess an
der guard at Hawley's office and Mt
1880 o'clock was driven back TO the
court house.
He told of his journey with Meyer
and his return to Denver where 1t
was suggested. he said. that he kill
Governor Peabody, of Colorado He
said he picked Steve Adams to aid
him, and together they stnlked the
governor between the capitol and his
nome trying for shot at him with
short shot guns.
Haywood and Pettibone in Plot.
haywood and Pettibone were in the
plot and furnished the witness with
money from time to time.
The Mint fnilad booorco n,oI,,,1 ,,o,t
Adams followed carriage containing
two women to the Peabody home and
excited suspicion.
Next came plot to dynamite Pea
body. Orchard said they made a
bomb. but gave the plan up at the
suggestion of Haywood, who was in
fear that they would all be arrested.
He said that he and Adams were told
to LAY off" for a time; but meantime.
Pettibone suggested that they kill
Lyle Gregory, who had been a deputy
sheriff, and had given testimony
against some OF the members of the
federation.
Relentless Trailing.
The witness then detailed the re-
lentless trailing of Gregory and his
final murder.
Gregory turned and hacked up
against fence" said the witness, "as
II TO draw a gun, and I shot him
three times. l certainly killed him."
Then came the frightful tragedy at
lndependence, followed by the flight
to Wyoming. and afterwards the trip
to San Francisco to kill Bradley. Or
chard told his story of the Independ-
ence explosition in low hum-drum
tone, displaying not the slightest
feeling.
Threatened to Split Up.
Haywood and the others said
they We're having trouble in the con-
yention and they threatened to split
up" said Orchard: they thought
that If something was pulled off in
Cripple Creek the excitement would
make everything all right in the CON
vention and the delegates would go
home. We planned then to blow up
the independence depot in Colorado.
Il asked Steve Adams III he wanted
to help and he said he did. gave
him the money to get the powder
with and we took the powder to
cabin near the depot at Independ-
ence preparatory to using 1t the next
might. The next day Sherman Park
err told me some OF the men from the
convention We're coming up to indie
pendence to make an investigation
OF conditions there and he. told US
not to pull the thing off until they
went away.
Blew Up the Depo..
They went away Sunday morning
and the same night we placed the
powder under the station platform.
attached wire to it and then waited
~ Ay-1t T. 80
brought non-union men to independ-
ence We used lnn norndn of rnwdnr.