Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-29
WITNESS TELLS
WHERE He PUT
GIANT POWDER
Says Superintendent
Took It.
Saw Revolver, of Which Part Wat
Found After Explosion, In
Pocket Of Man Who
Was Killed
By Associated Press

! BY Associated Press.
| BOISE, Idaho, June 2S.-The attorneys
for William D. Haywood continue to CEN
| ter their efforts the discrediting of
Harry Orchard and the establishment of
their claim that Orchard killed Frank
Steunenberg in revenge for the loss of his
| interest in the Hercules mine.
| Today they directly attacked the Vindi-
Gator explosion with the testimony of a
witness that made 1t appear accidental
rather than criminal. Thomas Wood, a
n-unionist who entered the Vindicator
mine as timberman, after the strike be-
gan swore that on the night before the
explosion he placed a box containing
tw enty=fvc pounds of giant powder al
the shaft of the eighth level. He saw the
powder the next morning, shortly after
10 o'clock and a few minutes later Su-
perintendent Mccormick and Foreman
Beck came to the eighth level. They re-
nlained but a short time and left to go 10
the sixth level where they were killed.
Wood swore that when he reached the
shaft twenty minutes later the powder
was gone and it is reasonable inference
that Mccormick and Beck took it with
them.
Wood testified that he had seen a revol-
yer in Becks pocket, that the fragments
of only one revolver were found on the
sixth level and that the bodies of McCor-
mick and Beck were blown apart indi-
eating that the explosion had occurred
between them. Orchard said that he
fixed a revolver with a wire attachment
SO that when the safety bar was raised
1t would send bullet into the giant
powder he had placed One witness for
the state had sworn that he later found a
Wle Wlre attached to the safety bar, but
the sixth level after the explosion, said
that he carefully examined the safety bar
and found nothing attached to it, Wood
save his testimony in clear and force-
fu manner and told a thrilling story of
the climb to safety of the men cut off by
the explosion below the sixth level.
Witnesses Heard Threats
William Easterly. who concluded his
testimony test tnis 6d5,a morning, and D. Copley,
the loss of the Hercules mine and threat
ened to kill Steunenberg for it,
On cross examination the state uues-
toned them both and particularly East
erly, who received two letters and one
eve of the killing of Steunenberg for re-
naming quiet when they know a crime
might be committed. Easterly contende
at Caldwell, and explained that although
he knew Thomas Hogan" was Harry
Orchard, he took no steps Immediately
after the crime except to consult counsel
for the fedora ton because he was not
an informer, and Copey asserted that he |
did not take Orchard seriously when they
met in San Francisco and they told him |
OF the Bradley crime.
There was further showing as to the |
works of the blood hounds at Independ- |
epce station which the detectives sent |
first to the house of a deputy sheriff and |
then down the road that Orchard teok on |
his flight to Denver and on to Wyoming |
and denials and redenials from Easteriy |
and Copley of any form of misconduct on |
the part of members of the Western |
Federation of Miners