The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-05-12

might De, haS the eX-GoNernor auae' 7 the request:
 7 Just fix that up without mentioning me; nobody cares especially about m! being interested in it."
 No. don't mention that I am ir town" he would protest at other times : as the inevitable pencil and note-bool would come forth; T really would rath. CT you wouldn't"
 And yet, back of his modesty there was another reason why he did mol wish to have his name in the public prints He felt. 1t developed after his tragic end, that he feared aA those ! years that he was being followed He was man of courage, but who is there. living in constant dread of he knows not what, fearing as the days and weeks and months go by that al l most any day he may be stricken down | by a hand in the dark-who will no, Tear for the future of his loved ones During those years of his retirement, | Steunenberg received number of per- sonal warnings and threats-all anony- mous-that his time would come and that the Occur d'Alene miners who had been put into the bull pen" in Sho- shone county. in accordance with the 1 policy mapped out by the Governor would be avenged.
 So far as known, the last but one 1 of those warnings. or threats, reached Steunenberg about two years before his death. while on a visit to the national capital at Washington. Like all that had preceded it, 1t was thrust aside, and forgotten in the multitu- | dinous affairs of every day life. For gotten? Well, forgotten for all except l the haunting memory, the fear that perhaps there might be something back of it.
 After a brief visit to his sheep camps, the former Governor reached home on the afternoon of Friday. De- cember 20, 1905. And there awaiting him was another of those mystic mes sages. It had been so long since the last one. that he had been happy in the | freedom of his life with his family. with his business affairs and his flocks | But here was another, and it's wording was peremptory.
 | our time has nearly come You l VIII not live to see the new year" That was the substance of the mes | sage that was borne to him bv the written symbols on the DE per. which. | like all the others, gave no hint of it's origin It was wild message, as of an unattached voice floating in the air 1 Two days to live! Two days to enjoy the companionship of the faith | ful and loving helpmeet of the years of the past! Two days to talk to his | seventeen-year- son. Julian. home for the holidays from Whitman Col lege at Walla Walla, and his two younger daughtersl Two days to I arrange his worldly affairs In shane to leave forever! Two days to prepare for eternity!
 The note meant that-or nothing Ihst Itrht niFht s5,t,,t t Is related there was sitting room of the steunenbere home home Frank Steunenberg and his wife .at | there after the three children were safely in bed. reading the old family btoie, and praying-praying for Gods elesslng t.sg on their home and for his pro- tection from thev knew not what.
 The next day Steunenbere was at his ottice as usual, attending to routine attairs of life. The little bank of which he was the head closed it's doors at o'clock that Saturday afternoon but as was his wont he worked away on various matters, and it was after 6 before he started from town for his home.
 It was about $40 o'clock that even Ing that Steunenberg, with his mind full, perhaps. of the coming joy of the evening at home, swung open the side gate that opened on the sidewalk that led to the back door
 It was never closed For just as he started in his methodical manner to swing the gate to. there was A shsr, explosion. as of a simultaneous voIIev or shots, and fence. sidewalks and snow that covered the ground were hurled in every direction.
 | The man who was in the vortav of the eruption was thrown fifteen feet to one side, his body terribly mangled and torn, his life blood yelling out upon the whiteness of the snow Ills wife was the first to reach his side, but her screams soon brought neighbors to the scene, and loving hands bore him into his home and low ing feet ran for the physicians who. when they came, could do nothing but shake their heads. They could not even prolong for a few moments the fast-ebbing b'e
 He lay there looking at his wife with a sm''s upon his lips, for perhaps twenty minutes before the end came. But he comprehended nothing of her agonized inquiries, for the explosion, 1t was found later. had ruptured the drums of his ears, and he could hear nothing.
 The work of the assassin had been done thoroughly. There was not at Any time a particle of hope for the recovery of the man whose body had been alomst dismembered by the terri fife force of the explosive The bomb had done it's deadly work, and the former Governor. who had done his duty. had not been permitted to Tive to sec the new year" of 1906.
 I shall never forget the night of the asSassination I was in the office of The Idaho Statesman, with which I was 1 connected and after disposing of some of the early affairs of the nights work. had put on my overcoat shortly after ! ' o'clock to go to supper l stopped for a word with one of the reporters. and as I did so the telephone bell rang.
 The editor of the paper, stalwart and vigorous man. both mentally and physically. despite the gray that strpaks his hair, who was one of Stouucnherg's closest personal friends. chaucod to be in the room, and an swercd the telephone himself
 What's that? What's that?' l heard him ask exCitedly.
 You must be mistaken. IT can't be true" he went on, after a pause.
 'Ttd it kill him? Is he dead?" were the next questions over the phone,
 And then he turned to us younger men in the room with face bIarched and fists clenched and said
 My God, Frank Steunenherg has been blown up with bomb"
 There was absolute silence in the of fee for a space that seemed minutes, but was probably but seconds. as we let the truth slowly filter through our minds.
 For there was hardly a single man in all that office to whom the news did aau,e tHa suddpn fprribIe a