The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-05
HAYWO0D-MOYER
CASE REVIEWED
In Main Features 1t Goes Back
Many Years Into COuer
d'Alene Conflict.
MURDER OF STEUNENBERG
SIMPLY PIVOTAL POINT
Harry Orchard, Whose Alleged
Confession duplicates Others,
Expects No Mercy.

Haywood, secretary and treasurer of
the Western Federation of Miners, will
on Thursday next be placed on trial
charged with the murder of ex-Gov.
Frank Steunenberg of this State. In
all four men are in custody charged
with the same offense; they are Will
liam D. Haywood, Charles FL. Meyer,
the president of the Western Fedora.
ton OF Miners; George A. Pettibone.
a former member of the executive board
of the same organization, and Harry
Orchard, member of the miners fed
eration. Of these men, Orchard il is
alleged has made a confession in which
he admits that he killed the former
Governor and in the same confession 1t
is alleged duplicates the other meu un-
der arrest, together with others, as be-
ing accessories before the fact. Under
! the law of the State of Idaho, while it
is admitted that Haywood. Meyer and
| Pettibone were not in the State OF
| Idaho at the time Of the murder, they
are charged with the actual murder,
the contention under the statute being
that they were on the spot in spirit,
that they planned and therefore com
passed the death of Governor Steunen-
berg.
/ LII us HolH anu IdltEdl tuc
complete history of the case extends
back to the early period of conflict be-
tween the union and non-union miners
In the Occur d 'Alepe district, or what
is known rs the Panhandle country of
Idaho-that narrow strip of mountain
ous country. rich in lead and silver ore,
under the shadow Of the great divide
between Idaho and Montana
Early Phase of Struggle
The background to the Steunenbers
case is the momentous struggle in the
Coeur d 'Alene, extending, as it did,
over a period of seven years and in
volving the calling out of the State
militia and finally the dispatch of
United States troops by President Nc
Einley 10 the scene of conflict, center
ing around the mining towns OF Wal"
lace, Gem and Werdner To the part
that the dead Governor played in these
stirring days, furnishing as he did. an
example followed later by the Gov
ernor of Colorado. tho prosecution goes
for motive and theory charged against
the accused. 1t is alleged that for pur-
poses of revenge, as evidence of uure-
lenting determination to carry on r
campaign Of terrorism, 10 impress with
their power, daring and loyalty on and
retain the moral and financial support
and fealty OF some $4,000 followers, the
members of an alleged 'Einner CIRCLE
of the Western Federation Of Miners
planned and executed a long series of
murders and acts of violence. medieval
IN conception and nihilistic in execu-
ton. 1t is charged that Harry Orchard
and Steve Adams, now under arrest and
charged with the commission of other
murders, were the hired agents and ac-
tual executors of many of these malevo-
| lent plots.
These crimes. it is alleged can be
traced down through the last fifteen
years. through the days Of the "bull
| pen,' stockade in which several hun,
dred union miners were imprisoned in
1899 under guard of United States
troops, again to the great Cripple Greek
strike and the more recent prolonged
struggle in Colorado. Geographically
the action is confined chiefly to Colo
RADIO and Idaho, but Montana, Utah,
| Nevada and California were also stages
on which were enacted portions of the
tragedy.
Will Repeat Confession.
Orchard has made confession. it is
stated. and lies In the Idaho peniteu-
tiary ready to take the stand against
| Haywood. 1t is alleged that Orchard
will repeat his confession upon the
stand and as the chief witness for tho
State will relate a story filed with
plot and counterplot startling in devel-
opment and execution.
Steve Adams also made confession,
and it is expected will be one Of the
witnesses for the prosecution, though
Adams later under pressure of relatives,
it is said, rcpudiatcd portions of his
statement,
Frank Stcunenberg, who came from
humble but masterfur stock, began life
as printer, joined the Typographical
union, and throughout the greater part
of his life was in strong sympathy with
the cause and struggle Of union labor.
This circumstance gives ground for an
important contention of the case. Upon
the one hand II is argued that because
Steunenberg refused To countcnance, or
as Governor. permit violence IN behalf
of union labor, he was stricken down
as a traitor 10 his fellows by mind
that never forgets and an arm that can
reach through years to strike when
least expected. Upon the other hand. 1T
is contendcd that his well-known advo-
cacy of union principles made 1t at
once improbable that his death was pro-
cured by union men.
Long Chain of Events.
The murder of Steunenberg is PIVOT
al point in the history of this, the most
remarkable case in American Jurlsprn-
doncc, for the events develop backward
and forward from his assassination,
Steuuenhcrg was blown 10 death on
the evening Of December 80, 1903, In
the gathering gloom of a stormy even
inr he entered the side gate of his resi-
dence at Caldwell, whore, retired from
politics. he lived the simple life or 4
sheep farmer A bomb of pecul lar man
ufacture. with n string attached, was
sunk in the snow beside the gate, the