The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-27
LAKE TRIBUNE THURSDAY MORNING. JUNE 27 1907


blowing up Of the BunK9T Tinl & Sullivan
mill?" asked Darrow
Did you lead a body of 1000 men down
to blow n up?"
No Sir Sir ""'" marry oF'naf'
Were you a member of the union at
that timer
No sir
:, Orchard declared on the stand that
Davis was one Of the leaders Of the party
which went TO blow UP the mill:
Paulson. When he left the Occur
o oS his qaXa nse ee e
w. r, Jones In order to get work. Later
he went 10 Bisbee, Arz where be Sc
cured work FOR a while, but was dis
ered his name was Davis and that he
was a member OF the Western Federation
From Arizona Davis went TO Cripple
Creek. He took out card in Altman
union No. l9 and became president of
about 500 members. Davisswas president
a little more than two years. Sherman
Parker. now dead, was az one time
Steve Adams were also members.
Orchard Not in Good Standing.
Davis said he lrst met Harry Orchard
i'm May. 1902. in Altman. at the Miners
union office. Orchard asked Tor admit
taDce TO the union. SAYING he had be
lonGed In Burke. Lon The man had no
withdrawal card, and when transfer
was sent for none came,
When the strike came In 1909 in Grip
pie Creek, Davis said that he and Par
ter were on the strike committee. Bill
Easterly was never member. The
militia came into the district when aoso-
lutte quiet prevailed. Davis declared that
UP to this time there had been no dis
order
Davis said he knew absolutely nothing
about the attempt 10 wreck a train on
the Florence & Cripple Creek railroad.
He denied positively that he ever offered
Orchard 5000 or any other sum 20 set OF,
a carload OF powder In the Nindicator
mine. Orchard had testified that Davis
made such proposition,
Davis said he read Orchards testimony
in the present trial in Godheld paper,
and he Immediately sent a telegram To
the attorneys for the defense saving he
was ready end willing 10 come 10 Boise
to testify whenever desired
Davis said lie was arrested for alleged
completely in the railroad wreck and the
Vindicator mine, but was discharged by
the Judge after the evidence was all In.
The witness natly denied that he ever
offered Orchard money 10 wreck train
or to place bomb in the Vlndicator
mine. As president Of Altman union,
Davis declared ne publicly and privately
advocated peace and never at any time
counseled any sort Of violence
Davis told Of the condition OF the union
in Cripple Creek before the strike. He
said there were commodlous halls. H.
brarics Tor the men and many benefits
available.
Orchard Not Important.
The witness said Orchard was not
close acquaintance and was not man OF
any Importance In the union. Davis was
in Denver at the time OF the lndepend-
ence depot explosion. He first read OF 1T
in the newspapers and knew OF no plan
to wreck the place. He was married
Christmas day. 1907. but his wife and
baby died during the strike days in Grip
pie Greek. AZ this point the witness
showed evidence of emotion. but quickly
rallied
Davis attended che miners conven tion
in Denver i'm 1903 He had known Hay
wood and Pettibone for about year be
fore this. At The time Of the deportation
of the union miners from Cripple Greek
Davis started out 20 seek work else
where He went FIRST to Cheyenne. where
he stopped three days, He met Orchard
in Pat Moran's saloon with Johnny Ne
Vile and the la,ter's boy. Leaving Grip
pie Creek. Davis again took up the name
OF Jones.
He eventually landed in Goldheld in
January, 1905. and has resided there ever
since
While at Altman Davis said. he had a
conversation with Orchard as 10 the rea-
sop for his leaving the Occur d,Alcnes,
Sherman Parker and Bill Easterly were
also present. Orchard said II he had not
been driven out OF the Occur d'Alenes he
would have been rich man. He In
Senator Borah cross-eNamned the wit
| ness,
! Davis said he was working the Gem
| mine at Gem. Ida the day the Bunker
Hill and Sullivan mine at wardner was
blown up. Few men worked al the mines
! that day, Davis saw the train OF min
ers pass through Gem enroute to Ward
ncr He saw no one he knew on board.
as most OF the men were masked. After
the train pulled out Davis said. he saw
| the postmaster at Gem and discussed ghe
| M Al
several times during the day.
Davis said he did not know that there
came through. He did not know that the
men were armed-he could not say wheth-
er he did or did not see any rifles. Davis
said he made no inquiries as TO what
the men Intended 10 do.
You knew precisely what they were
going TO do. didn't you?' demanded Sem
stor Borah.
NO. sir ] did not. ! didn't think il
was any Of my business.
Caused No Excitement
Three hundred masked men passing
through on train which afterward
backed mp TO powder magazine and
took on supplies ted no excitement in
Gem and aroused no suspicion or curiosity
in your mind?"
mo sir"
Davis could not say whether or not
the engine was guarded by armed men.
The witness later heard the mill at Ward
ner had been blown mp. tle did not know
that the men on the train had done IT,.
Davis believed there was a strike on at
Wardner and he thought someone told
him there had been trouble al The Bunker
Hill and Sullivan mine mill. Davis saw
the train when it came back from Ward :
ncr, but he did not know whether anyone
got off or not. The next MAY he left
Gem and Went TO Wallace He went into
the Hercules mine. He was not hiding,
but was keeping out OF the wey Of the
troops. Davis was at the Hercules mine
were looking for everybody" but did
not know that plaeards had been posted
calling for his arrest. From Wallace
Davis went 10 Butte. He again took the
name Of Jones. He did this so as to get
a Job, but .he had not seen his name
blacklisted anywhere
Butte was a Federation camp. and II
was not necessary for a union man TO
change his name 10 get employment
there. Davis said one reason for the
change was that he did not care about
laying up In the bull pen
You didn't want anybody TO- know
where w f. Davis was. did you,"
They knew where l was"
WHO did