CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1907-05-09

moral and financial support and fealty
| of some $4,000 followers, the members
of an alleged inner circle" of the
Western Federation of Miners planned
and executed long series of murders
and acts of violence, medieval in con-
ception and nihilistic in execution. 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
actual executors of many of these
malevolent plots.
These crimes, it Is alleged, can be
traced down through the last fifteen
years, through the days of the ''bull
pen," a stockade in which several
hundred union mniers were imprisoned
in 1899 under guard of United States
troops. again to the Cripple Creek
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.
Orchard has made a confession, it is
stated, and is in the Idaho penitentiary
ready to take the stand against Hay
wood 1t is alleged that Orchard will
the stand
repeat his confession upon
and as the chief witness for the state |,
will relate story filled with plot and |
counter-plot startling in development !
and execution.
Steve Adams also made confession
and it is expected will be one of the
witnesses for the prosecution, though
Steve Adams, under pressure of rel
ives, it is said, repudiated po-.
mis- statement, -
-enberg, sho came from
..e but mastsrful stock, began life
as printed, Joined the Typographical
union and throughout the great part
of his life was in strong sympathy with
the cause and struggle of union labor.
This circumstance gives ground for an
contention of the case. Upon
the one hand it was argued that be- ,
cause Steunenberg refused to counten-
ance, or as governor, permit violence
in behalf of union labor, he was strick- /
en- down as a traitor to his fellows by |
mind that never forgets and an arm |
that can reach through years to strike !
when least expected. Upon the other |
hand it is contended that his we'll
known advocacy of union principles
made it at once improbable that his
death was procured by union men.
In further explanation 1t may be
well to state that the Typographical
union, to which Governor Steunenberg
had belonger, and through which he
had formed his union principles was
not affiliated with the Western FEEDER
alton OF Miners, but their International
body is affiliated with the American
Federation of Labor.
The murder of Steunenberg is a piv-
otal point in the history of this, the
most remarkable case in American jur-
sprudence, for the events develop
backward and forward from his as
Steunenberg was blown to death on
he evening of December 30. 1905. In
he gathering gloom of stormy even
ng he entered the side gate of his
residence at Caldwell, where he lived
The simple life of sheep farmer A Ii
1cmb of peculiar manufacture, with a
string attached, was sunk in the snow
beside the gate, the string being fast
ened to the gate. AS Steunenberg ent-
cred, the opening of the gate sprang
he trigger OF the bomb He was ter
-ibly mangled, being blown nearly hf-
cen feet from the gate. He lived near
" an hour, was conscious and spoke,
but his ruptured ear drums were dead
20 sound and he died without knowing
what had killed him. He asked his
wife who had shot him and the mysti-
fcation Of his eyes showed that he
could not hear her reply.
The explosion of the bomb aroused
not only the little town of Caldwell,
but the whole state of Idaho. Orchard
had murdered Steunenberg and before