The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1907-07-03
STUDY OF ORCHARD.
Idaho Witness Analyzed at Close
Range by Magazine Writer.

The first emotion on seeing Harry
Orchard is invariably astonishment.
This is the confessed assassin Of Is
men. In appearance he is like moth
ing so much as your n1ilkman-the
round head, ,ruddy-f candy mus
tached milkman, with his good ma
tured difidence, breaking easily into
an ingenious smile.
A year and half ago when he was
first arrested, this man was clearly
one of the most dangerous characters
cur civilizations can produce HIS
face showed this more accurately
than words. It possessed the charac-
teristics Of a clearly developed type
the nervous eyes, the compressed
lips, and the hardened face muscles
Of the hunted beast we call the crinl-
nal. Immediately after his arrest
Harry Orchard reached the great de-
termination Of his life.
It is no permanent amusement to
be hunted beast, whatever may be
the individual theory concerning the
criminal. His face showed that
There was more than defiance and
cunning about the muscles of that
mouth; there was pain. On his arrest
for the murder Of Governor Steunen-
berg Orchard believed that if ne
would keep silence he could never be
convicted. But his career aad come
to elimination.
Under the suggestion of the master
detective, MCFARLAND, he eased his
tortured mind by confession, fell over
from sheer weakness and staggered
hack to his cell for his first sleep
in more than week. Under the
sympathy of Dean Kinks, of Boise
mans man and one of the noblest
and r.ast devouted Christian charac-
ters alive-he returned to the simple
faith Of his childhood. In IS months
The deep marks cut in his face by the
last decade Of his life have gone like
an evil mask.
It is difficult to believe in trans
formation of this kin6. The men
who saw Orchard most-professiona
handlers Of criminals-declined at
first to do so. Gradually they have
been convicted. No promises OF
clemency have been made to the man
Ec has turned to the task of assist
ing the State with the same unhesi-
tating directness which made him
the surest murderer Of generation
And everyone who has seen him
closely is now absolutely convinced
Of his sincerity.
He has Impressed me, as he has
practically every one who has OBJ
served him, with three things-hls
absolute and level sanity, his extra
ordinary and detailed candor and his
utter vacancy Of fear.
The man is about feet wide
forehead, short nose, bright blue eyes
that kindle quickly into smile and
a mouth with possibilities Of both
humor and enderness-though when
closed in the pictures Of the time be-
fore he put On his mustache, it lies
across his face like the straight cash
Of a knife.
1t is wanton waste Of good
American time to discuss the ques-
ton of Orchards sanity-whoever or
whatever was responsible for raising
it. He is sane to the point Of bleak
ness. 1T is mind direct, practical
concrete, absolutely devoid of imagl-
nation. It is this last quality which
accounts for the mans utter lack OF
fear.
This man was from the first
from his varied and resoucceful ven
lures in business and his burning OF
MS factory, down to his readiness IN
exploding mines and transforming hu-
man beings into a pile of bleeding
,eIly-shrewd, self reliant, direct. he
is without the timid Imagination OF
the ordinary man: these matters sim
ply do not present themselves to him
n terms of horror. He discusses MS
own death and preparations for 1t as
inapersonally as he would problem
of arithmetic.
Harry Orchard is an uneducateo
man. He has small power Of gener-
al;zation. Put for the concrete ne
has mind that is marvel q ac-
curacy. His memory has the sensl--
tiveneSs and retentiveness of child.
Il is q camera which catches and
holds every detail of the actual scene
With all the fidelity of the instanta-
neous photograph.
There is no question with those
who are the intimate associates OF
Harry Orchard of the sincerity OF his
change Of purpose and of character.
They believe unreservedly that this
man. under the Influence of simp!e
and unqesrioning faith. has turned
fr.m career OF hideous crime to an
UNQUALIFIED devotion to truth; ana
upon this faith IL his sincerity mas
| been nlacefl first Of all. the carrying
fcundaeion for the weight Of one OF
the greatest criminal cases ever tEled
=, -n.a r-njrad States