Mexico Missouri message., 1907-05-16
LABOR LEADERS.
Boise, Idaho, Scene of
One of the Most Stir
ring Trials in Our
History.

SANSAo ohN 0aOOA AOuNSAs Va AhO
Western Federation Of Miners, is
going on at Boise, Idaho. In
this trial the State of Idaho is
pitted against the Labor organiza-
tions. 1t is q trial that will claim
the attention OF the people aud.
press of the whole country. Be-
low is given summary of the ori.
gin of the trouble:
HISTORY OF ASSASSINATION.
Former Coy. Steunenberg was
blown to pieces by a bomb as he
was entering the gate of his home
at Caldwell on the evening of De.
cember 30, 1905. A string had
been attached to the gate and as
Mr.. Steuenberg opened the gate
it set off the bomb. AS soon as
the news of the murder reached
Boise, Gov. Gooding went to
Caldwell by special train aud took
charge of the efforts to capture the
assassins. The town was patrolled
and no one was permitted to enter
or to leave without giving a full
and satisfactory account of him
self.
In the roundup several suspi-
cious characters were gathered.
Among them was Harry Orchard,
whose story of his movements in
Caldwell and his reason for being
there at all were so suspicious that
he was held under charge of being
implicated in the murder. Or
chard was u member Of the West
ern federation of miners. Steve
Adams, another member of the
organization, was also arrested.
Slmpkins. a third member, was
accused. but got away and has moi
been apprehended.
ORCHARD MAKES CONFESSION.
In behalf OF the state, Gov,
Gooding offered a reward OF
$40, 900 for the arrest and convic'
ton of the assassins. The Steunen.
berg family added $4,000, and Can
yon county increased the amount
Private detectives took up the
case and James Mcfarland, fam
GUS as the man who ran down the
Molly Maguires in Pennsylvania
thirty years ago, took charge oI
the work. Mcfarland finally got
from Harry Orchard q confession
in which Meyer. Haywood anC
Pettibone were implicated in th'
[ assassination.
The details OF this confession
have never been made public, bu
il is known that Orchard charged
the federation leaders with plan
l ming and bringing about a terrible
( list of crimes. Orchard admitted
4 that he had placed the bomb tha
killed Steunenberg. and allege'
that it had been manufactured By
Pettibone. According to him
= Meyer aud Haywood selecte,
the victims. PettibOne furnishes
the explosives and he and other
did the actual work. What cor
" rOborati0n of the story the prose
9 cutjon has. it has kept secret. bu
Is it is stOutly asserted that there !
!. a great deal of it. Steve Adam
q also confessed. but subsequent
recanted. Meyer, Haywood an
Pettibone were all in Denver whe
q this Orchard story was told.
,. The Idaho authorities submits
10 the evidence then in their possei
N sion to Gov. Mcdonald, OF Coli
70 rad0, who granted a warrant I
extraditiOn on Gov. Go0dinR's T,
u quest. The men were arrestC
A. aud before any legal steps cOuI
le be taken in their behalf to thwal
n their extradition they were brouRl
. TO Idaho on a special train. Fro
" that day their friends have nev,
= ceased to charge that they wei
Oh kidnapped, altho the supreme eou
le Of the United States sustained h
procedure.
The western federation OF mi
~ ers at once took up the cause
its leaders. and organised lab
er generally thrnout the country b
=. taken similar action. M0zey
{, large sumc has been subscribed
I, meet the expenses Of their defens
y aud in every way labor has forl
N ally made itn own the cauaa
Mawna Unursnr.I nn.| Raftt1.nn