Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1907-06-08
a bomb to place beneath Peabody's
bedroom window at Canyon City, Colo


The state here created something OF
sensation by producing in evidence
the lead casing of the bomb. It was
the size of a two-gallon can. Orchard
identified it. He said he had shown
the casing to Pettibone in Denver and
loaded it in the basement of Petit
bones store, the latter assisting him.
Thirty pounds of giant powder were
used.
Orchard then told of planting a
bomb in a vacant lot which Judge
Gabbert crossed on his way home.
"We left a wire out of the bomb"
Orchard said, "and to this we intend
ed fastening pocketbook, the idea
being that Judge Gabbert would pick
up the purse and thus upset the bot
tie of sulphuric acid inside the bomb.
AS Judge Gabbert started out the next
morning l rode ahead of him on a
bicycle and fastened the pocketbook
to the wire I rode off down town and
did not hear an explosion until an
hour afterward A man named Wally
! had picked up the pocketbook and
was killed. Judge Gabbert had passed
without noticing 1t.
Orchard told the details Of his move
ments almost day by day, stretching
his narrative out to great length. He
, said the next man selected for attack
| was Sherman Bell, former adjutant
general of Colorado, who had been
instrumental in breaking up strike
Movar n
Colorado and when he found out what
was going On ordered it stopped
Meyer, Orchard declared, said he did
not want anything pulled off in Den
yer while he was there, as he would
surely be arrested. He also said he
had some outside work which was
more important Orchard had now
brought his story down to August,
1905. ..... ,..... .+.sa ..r.
Tells of Steunenberg Case.
The witness went back to June Of
that year, however, to tell Of another
| attempt On Judge Goddard This was
| made a few days after the failure to
get Judge Gabbert. The bomb for
Judge Goddard was planted in a grass
plot near the gate leading into the
front yard of his residence. The con-
nection with the bomb broke in some
manner without exploding it. Then
| for the first time the witness came
| down to the Steunenberg case.
Haywood suggested" he said, that
we ought to get Ex-Governor Steunen-
berg. He thought that If we got him
after letting him go seven or eight
years and then went back to Pater-
son, n j., and wrote letters to Judge
Gabbert, Judge Goddard, Peabody,
| Bell and the others, telling them they
would get the same thing as Steunen-
berg, 1t would show them they were
not forgotten either and would have
a good effect Meyer said it would be
better than killing them; that it would
be living death, for they would be
confronted by the thought always OF
somebody waiting for them.
Haywood said he had sent several
men to Caldwell to do the Steunen-
berg job Among them were Minister,
/ Art Bascom, Mccarthy and Steve Ad-
ans Minister was a miner-a mem
| Der of the union. I didn't know Nc
Carthy Pettibone and Haywood told
me that Steve Adams and Jack Simp-
| kins were in Idaho to get rid Of some
| claim jumpers. They were then going
| after Steunenberg. l went to Califor-
mia after this conversation. When
got back I talked with Adams, Hay
wood and Pettibone Adams said that
the money Haywood and Pettibone
| had sent him to Idaho had miscarried
and he never got it. For this reason
he had not gone to Caldwell. Adams
! said he had got rid of the claim jump
ers all right"
Makes Prompt Start for Idaho.
Orchard said he started for Idaho
two days after talking with Meyer and
the others on the subject. Pettibone
| helped him get his trunk ready He
| put the Peabody bomb prepared for
| use at Canyon City in the trunk and
| took it along. Pettibone knew about
| this.
Before starting for Idaho" said
Orchard, Haywood gave me $240 in
SoSD 41S uoO SIFCA IAS PoO UClOI =
this I was to send to Pettibone for
any additional funds. Meyer, Hay
wood and Pettibone were all present
when this arrangement was made
! went from Denver to Salt Lake, spent
four or five days there and then came
on to Nampa, Ida, stopping at the
| Commercial hotel"
Orchard traced his movements for
some weeks in preparation for the
| murder of Steunenberg. He told of
consulting Fred Miller, an attorney, in
| Spokane, in connection with the loss
| of a trunk. Miller is now one of the
| attorneys for the defense Orchard
arrived in Caldwell with Jack Simp-
| kins in November, 1905.
| Orchard said he and Simpkins plant
ed bomb at Steunenberg's residence
some time before the assassination
This bomb failed to explode.
APPEAL TO WASHINGTON,