Omaha daily bee., 1907-03-01
ADAMS ON THE STAND
Fl lays Confession was signed Under
Promise of Immunity and That
IL Was GarbIed.

|fEomtHe OF Immunity ana Thnt
IL Was GsrbIed.
| WALLACE. Idaho. Feb. 2s-That a de-
/ operate conspiracy was formed among the
| Hhcers of the penltentiary and the de-
| lbctives to implicate the leaders OF the
! Western Federation Of Miners in the as
ebasslnation of Ex-Governor Steunenberg
pnd that the conspiracy was to be backed
( by false evidence. obtained by threats and
|bribes. is in effect the charge made by
Steve Adams before the court today.
Adams statement was in substance as
follows
ION the sixth day after I was taken TO
Boise and put in the cell with Harry Or
chard 1 was taken to the Office of the
penitentiary and introduced to Detective
Mcfarland. He told me about Kelly the
Bum and other men who had turned states
evidence and had been set free. He told
me some Bible stories, too, but l cannot
remember what they were, as I am not
familiar with the Bible He kept me until
4 or 5 o'clock in the morning trying to
make me confess.
! Mcfarland told me that he wanted to
convict Meyer, Haywood, Pettlbone, st.
John and Simpkins, whom he called cut
I tiAiOdtH u Nudiu hSlB " NbhNiNe
them, he said. l would be taken back to
Colorado and either hanged or mobbed. II
1 did help 1 would be taken to Colorado as
witness. When we parted Mcfarland
told me he was my friend. They put me
/ back in the cell with Harry Orchard, who
| talked to me about the need of backing
up his story. 1 was somewhat frightened
The next day Mcfarland called again. I
! said I would do what he wanted me to do
| He told me to think we'll what l was
doing. to think of my family and save
myself. He said he would see that my
! family was cared for.
when the confession was made Nc
Partland led me on step by step and showed
me all that he wanted me to say. He told
me that what 1 said about the Tyler and
Boule murders was only taken with the idea
of making a strong chain of evidence
to convict the officers of the Western Fed
Grafton of Miners. He wanted the names
of the officers of the federation used as
much as possible all through the confess
sion. Two or three days later Warden
| Whitney brought the confession to me to
sign"
Adams confirmed all the early part Of
the confession as to his family and past
| history, but denied that part relating to the
plot to kill steunenberg and as to his life
in the Marble creek country
Adams testified that when the copy of the
confession was brought to him by the
warden he told Notary Public Hueber It
| was not the same as what he had stated,
but he supposed that he would have to
sign It. and he did sign it. He denied the
testimony of Detective Thiele regarding
the relics alleged to be buried on the Ore
gon ranch and also the testimony of Bulke-
ley Wells as to his oral confession while
en- route to Colorado.
! The witness stated that he had at diff
ferent times been visited by w. F. Borah,
Governor Gooding and Attorney Hawley,
but he was not allowed to detail the con-
Yersations. Adams stated that when he
was arrested under tlh habeas corpus pro-
ceedings and returned to the Wallace jail
he was not allowed to see his attorneys,
but was compelled against his will to talk
to Detective Mcfarland.
The sensation of the day was sprung by
the prosecution toward the close of the
Adams murder trial this afternoon. Mr..
Darrow of the defense had just announced
that their case had been completed when
Mr.. Hawley of the prosecution requested
the consent of the defense to recall Mrs
Archie Phillips and to reopen the case for
the prosecution, saying that by inadvertence
the witness had not been asked when di-
rectly examined the day Of the week on
which Tyler ate his supper the night
Immediately preceding his disappearance.
According to the information filed against
Adams, Tyler had been murdered on
Wednesday, August 10, and had therefore
eaten supper at the Phillips house on the
night of Tuesday. August .. After having
given her testimony, Mrs. Phillips recalled
to memory that Tyler had eaten supper at
the Phillips cabin the night of Satur-
day. August 6. and from this 1t follows
that Tyler must have been murdered on
the morning of Sunday, August Z. the day
on which Adams arrived at Masons cabin
and participated in the birthday dinner. II
Judge Woods, who has taken the matter
under advisement until morning, decides
to allow the prosecution to recall Mrs
Phillips to the stand the whole tenor OF
. the case will be altered and 1t may be
shown that II Tyler was murdered on Sun
day morning. Adams. Mason and Glover
the three men implicated IN the confes-
sion in the murder, Immediately after the
crime started for Mason's cabin and arrived
in time to participate in the birthday dinner
so testified. The distance between the scene
OF the murder ande Mason's cabin is about
fifteen miles ane arch Phillips testified or
direct examina 1on to hearing shots about
o'clock in the morning of the crime, sc
that good time would be given the de-
fendant to reach Mason's cabin in time for
dinner If the murder had been committed
I'm the morning, and the whole alibi al
proved by the defense would fall to pieces
The matter was hotly debated by botf
: sides and the oratorical effort of the tria
: was made by Mr.. Darrow
NOTED P0RCH-CLlMBER SHOT