The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1907-06-19
HIS TRADE WAS MURDER.
Orchards Confession Reveals Many
Attempts At Assassination.

BOISE, June l2.-darry orchard,
calm and self.possessed, begins this
morning the seventh day of his exami.
nation on the chapters of his later
life which, beginning with petty social
~offenses, lead on through a maze of
fearful crimes. to the penitentiary and
the shadow of the gallows. For six
days judge, jury, lawyers, newspaper.
men and spectators had listened to
this recital that run the gamut of evil
doing until mere murder has become
commonplace and wholesale assassi-
nation barely enough to cause sensa.
ton in the crowded court room.
So far, no subtle trap laid by
sci accustomed to lure q witness to
contr ADDICTION, has caught Orchard in
material contradiction of his original
narrative. He Is willing to tell every.
thing he has done; to give the closest
detail-detsil so minute that some Diff
ference seems inevitable when it is re-
told, but not once has this difference
been sufficient to give his cross.ex.
aminer hope that he a impeach the
witness by showing contradiction.
The cross-examina alton OF Harry Or.
chard is being carried over the at.
tempt on the life of Governor Peabody
at Canon City, and the events imme.
distely succeeding, including the Cod
dard and Gabbert dynamite plots and
follows the usual methods designed to
confuse and discredit the witness.
Attorney Richardson again sug.
gested that Orchard was being coached
by Detective Mop artland and counsel
for the prosecution and provoked the
sharpest wrangle that attorney and
witness have had in their long contest.
Orchard spiritedly denied that he was
being coached and asserted that he
was telling the truth.
Orchard said that he and Pettibone
discussed the project of killing Judge
Gabbert, but that he alone had started
out to murder Judge Goddard with a
bomb, without any suggestion from
Haywood, Meyer or Pettibone, except
the general one made some months be-
fore. Still another crime came home
to Orchard today. Under examina.
ton he admitted that he swindled far
mers in Canon City with a fake hail
insurance game while there trying to
kill Peabody.
Just before noon recess the monot-
ony of the examination was broken by
Orchards description of his attempts
to kill Sherman Bell in Denver. For
some twelve nights he was at Bells
residence, waiting an opportunity to
shoot him. More than once Bells life
was saved by the barking of small
dogs.
After the recess Richardson's cross.
examination of Orchard led down at
last to the time Orchard first started
out on the mission which eventually
resulted in the death of former Cover.
nor Steunenberg, for whose murder
Haywood is on trial. 1t was at the
SOuACICuSe Va N1OSCIi Icy WOOu duu
Pettibone, after Meyers return from
California, in August 1905, that the
matter was first mentioned. Orchard
said Meyer had just finished telling
him to get rid of Johnny Neville when
Haywood brought up the killing of
Steunenberg.
Haywood said it would be a good
thing to go back to Paterson, N. j..
and write letters to Peabody, Bell,
Goddard, Gabbert and some of the
mine wners and tell them they were
not forgotten and that the only way
they could avoid getting what Steun.
enberg got was to die. Haywood said
it would be like a living death to all
these men to know someone was after
them all the time. Haywood also said
Ed Boyce had always wanted some.
thing done to ~Steunenberg.
Eado~a+;on Lac a M;I;4o