The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-06-29
HAYWOOD
DEFENSE
DRAGGING
INTRODUCE EVIDENCE TO SHOW
EXPLOSION IN VINDICATOR
ACCIDENTAL.
EFFORT DISCRED!T ORCHARD
Further Testimony to Effect Orchard
Threatened Life of Stem-
enbcrg.

BOISE, Idaho, June 2S.-The at
torneys for William d. HAYWOOD
continue to center their efforts on
the discrediting of Harry Orchard
ana the establishment of their claim
that Orchard killed Frank Stennpn-
Ders IN revenge for the loss of his
interest in the Hercules mine. To-
day they directly attacked the Vim
ulcator explosion with the testimony
or witness that made it appear ac-
cidental rather than criminal. Thom-
as Wood, a non-unionist, who en-
tered the Vindicator mine as a tim
herman after the strike began, swore
that the night before the explosion
he placed box containing -
pounds of giant powder at the shaft
OF the eighth level. He saw the DOW
der the next morning shortly after
10 O'Clock and a few minutes later,
superintendent Mccormick and Fore
man Beck came to the eighth level.
They remained but short time and
left to go to the sixth level, where
they We're killed. Wood swore that
when he reached the shaft 90 min
utes later, the powder was gone, and
1t Is reasonable inference that Me
Cormick and Beck took 1t with them.
Wood testified that he had seen
revolver in Beck S pocket, that the
fragments of only one revolver were
found on the sixth level. and that the
bodies of Mccormick and Beck were
blown apart, indicating that the eX-
plosion had occurred between them.
Orchard had said that he fixed a
revolver with wire attachment so
that when the safety bar was raised.
1T would send bullet into the giant
powder he had placed. One witness
for the state has sworn that he later
found a wire attached to the safety
bar, but Wood, who was among the
first to reach the sixth level after
the explosion, said that he carefully
examined the safety bar and found
nothing attached to it.
Wood gave his testimony in a clear
and forceful manner and told thrill
ling story of the climb to safety of
the men cut off by the explosion be-
low the sixth level.
VIM. Easterly. who concluded his
testimony this morning. and d. c.
Copley, who was called this after
noon, both swore that they heard
Orchard tell of his loss of the Her
eules mine and threaten to kill
Steunenberg for it. On cross-exami-.
nation the state questioned them
both, and particularly Easterly. who
received two letters and one tele-
phone message from Orchard on the
evening of the killing of Steunenberg,
for remaining quiet when they knew
a crime might be committed. East
erly contended that he did not know
Steunenberg lived at Caldwell. and
explained that although he knew
Thomas Hogan" was Harry Or
chard, he took no steps Immediately
after the crime except to consult
counsel for the federation, because
he was not an informer and Copley
asserted that he did not take Or
chard seriously when they met in
San Francisco and he told him of
the Bradley crime.
There was further showing as to
the work of the blood-hounds at In
dependence station, which the detee-
tives sent first to the house of a
deputy sheriff and then down the
road that Orchard took in his flight
to Denver and on to Wyoming, and
denials and re-denials from Easterly
and Copley of any form of miscon-
duct on the part of the members OF
the Western Federation of Miners.