Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1907-06-27
IRONTON. MO. THURSDAY. JUNE 81. 1907.

tidI Wuou Iuo uopOI Was UlOWu up
the explosion was to be charged to
the Western Federation Miners.
Some of the parties asked who
would be the proper person to
have charge of this explosion, and
Messrs. Copeland and Franklin
stated that they would answer for
Harry Waters and H. F Guyton
doing the job. 1t was agreed that
the explosion should be pulled of
just after the train left TIE depot,
and that care was to be taken so
that no one would be killed. On
June 8, 1904, l heard Franklin and
Copeland say that it was too bad
that the men were killed at the
Independence station, and they
said chat the men who pulled it off
must have been drunk.
"Before going down to Dumville,
Naylor, Walters, Guyton and
others were sent ahead and were
to station themselves in the hills,
and when the armed forces came
came down they were to begin fir
ing as rapidly as possible, to give
the impression that the miners
were firing upon our armed forces.
A telegram was sent, under agree
ment, from near Dunnville stating
that the miners were there with a
large armed force. That was done
to have an excuse for going down
there. When the armed force ar
rived-and | was present with that
armed force-the firing in the hills
occurred as prearranged, and as
soon as we began firing these men,
who had been sent down on horse
back, Immediately returned to
Victor, so as to be there before we
got back. The John Corley who
was killed at that time was de-
liberately murdered, and | know
the name of the man who fired the
shot, and will at some future time
make his identity known. These
things were done through orders
issuing from military headquarters.
"On the 10Th day of June, 1904,
a proposition was made to me, at
the military club in Victor, by
Nelson Franklin and Thomas E.
McClelland to go to Cripple Creek
and murder Attorney Frank J
Hangs, of Western Federation ot
Miners. l was told oil'-I did the
LOB | would lose nothing by it
1--WE will look out for you,' was the
remark Of Mr.. Franklin. The next
day | was told, by the same par
ties, to go to the Office of the said
Frank j. Hangs, and if I found
him seated at his desk, to hit him
over the head with my gun, and il
he raised his hands to ward off the
blow, to shoot him, and they
would stand by me. | refused tc
carry out their instructions, bu
did 60 to his office and arrest him
Thos. E. McClellandy Nelson
Franklin and o. P. Hanford were
on the sidewalk, Bennett avenue
Cripple Creek, when McClellant
told me to go up to Hangs Office
and beat his -- head off.
"Some time between the 1871
and 10Th of June, 1904, it wa
agreed by members of the Min
4 Owners and Operators Association
that the military guards should bt
Withdrawn from the hall in Victor
where there were large numbe
of Western Federation of Miner
members confined, and the hal
was to be set on fire and GUNNER
: were to be placed around tn
building in such manner tina
they could shoot the men as the,
came down stairs to escape bein
burned up. This plan was mad
: at military headquarters, and Har
, ry G. Moor and A. 7. Holma
; were the principal advisers.
. CAT about the time that Moye
was brought from Telluride to ap
l pear before the supreme cour
Sherman Bell told me that he ha
positive assurance that the su
preme court would back up an
3 and all acts Of the Peabody ad
9 ministration. During the morn
\ ing of June 9th, Sherman Bell wa
called to the phone at the Stat
House, in Denver, by some perso
. in Cripple Creek, and in my pres
s ence made these remarks over til
phone: $50 it has come OFF, ha
: it? How many we're killed? Wi
!, be up there Tonight
!. During the commission Of q
these crimes, and planning (
s crimes which were not committed