The Washington herald., 1907-01-13
FIVE UP FOR MURDER
Alleged Slayers of a Gov
ernOr Soon to Be Tried.
IDAHo'S COMING LEGAL BATTLE
Remarkable Conspiracy which Was
Unearthcd by Detective McPHr-
land VIII Be Laid Characterization
of the Man Who Killed Gov. steun-
enberg to Play Important Part.

As the result OF a decision of the United
States Supreme Court recently the public
should soon know who are the murderers
of ex-Gov. Steunenberg, Of Idaho. Three
OF the five men accused Of the crime had
sought to block the trial with the plea
that their arrest was Illegal and that ac-
cordingly their freedom should be granted
TO them The appeal was denied by the
highest tribunal IN the land and the
alleged murderers must now stand trial
in the State where the crime was COM
mitted, says the Chicago Chronicle.
The governor OF the State says that the
trial will be a fair one. In spite Of the
powerful labor and capital interests In
VOWED in the case Idaho saws Gov
Cooling. viii do her duty. Whatever
socialists may say about the alleged
murderers being ''railroaded to the gal
lows" the governor asserts that the
men accused of this murder shall have a
fair and impartial trial before the best
and souarest jury that Idaho can pro
duce: that they shall be completely
cleared if innocent and hanged by the
neck until dead II guilty. 1t IS a murder
trial. solely and simply"
According 70 the detective who obtained
most Of the evidence with which the
prosecution says it ought to b. able to
convict the accused men the trial will re-
veal conspiracy to commit murder
which Is unparalleled in the criminal his
tory of this country And the man who
makes this statement should indeed know,
Tor he is no other than James McPar-
land. the Plnkerton sleuth who ran down
the Molly Magt.ircs in the coal regions OF
Pennsylvania some thirty years ago. Nc
Parlaad Joined the Molly MGguires, OBJ
taIned admittanee TO their councils at
which they plotted the death OF their
foes, and as a result OK the Information
which he made public eleven Of this muir
derous gang were hanged in one day.
Five Must Answer.
Specifically. the trial which is to be held
in the little town OF Caldwell. Idaho, is
for the purpose OF determining whe killed
ex-Gov. Steunenberg. Yet. as a matter
of fact, IL is expected to show much more
than that. Testimony has been promised
BY the prosecution which, il says. Will
prove that a great labor organization has
been in the control Of a few desperadocs
who have not even stopped AZ murder in
seeking to overthrow those who dared op-
pose them. The confessions OF two OF the
prisoners will Re made public-cor-
roborated. so Mr.. Mcfarland says. by .
mass OF other evidence.
As n result OF what viii come to light,
says tie detective. the head men OF the
Western Federation Of Miners, n power
full labor union with between 900 and
1000 members. are responsible Tor n
least tWeuty-siX murders and series Oh
other crimes-train wreckiDg. arson. as
saults and the destruction Of property ey
dvuamite-which have been committed "A
different times for the last seven years
and which have spread terror through
out the mining camps OF the Rocky
Mountains. These confessions viii also
prove. the detective says. that a clique
of these labcr leaders. known as The
Inner Circle" had marked for death high
State officials. governors, and justices o.
/ the Supreme Court who upheld the law
when that law was against the interests
Of their union.
The five men who viii be tried for th'
murder OF the former chief executive OF
/ the State Of Idaho are Charles II. Meyer
president OF the Western Federation Oi
+ Miners; William d. Haywood. secretary
/ Of the organization. e. 4 Petubo1e, q
+ former active member OF that body. and
al the time of his arrest prominent
/ business man Of Denver. and Harry Or
chard and Steven Adams, both Of whom
have made confessions. Orchard and
4 Adams both say that they were member.
"a IN
and were paid oat % its funds to commit
murder.
SteuneBberg Marked Man.
Frank Steunenberg. before he wa'
struck down by an assassin on the even
ing OF December 8. 1905. had long beer
known in the little town>o Of Caldwell a.
a marked man. He himself b8ssted o
it. When ne received q letter thre3tenin;
his life he would read It to his friends
and then turn it over to the newspaper
for publication. These fellows are onl,
dogs" he would say. They are too COW
ardly 10 kill me- Every one knew the rea
son of these threats. Certain desperat,
men who had become powerful as mem
bers of labor unions never forgave him FOL
the bold part he PLAYED while governor o
Idaho in supDressing the bloody Coeu
d Alene riots. As the result of his Wig
oroUs efforts to restore peace the striker
ism in the State Of Idaho received n blow
from which it has not yet recovered.
/ It was about seven years ago that Gov
Steunenberg FLASHED with the miners
unions in his State. He had been re
elected for the second term for the years
I 1899 and 1902 The strike broke out II
[ 1859 rs q result Of labor agitatOTS trying t,
uni0nize the Occur d'Alene mines in $40
shOne County. IN the northern and wildes
/ part OF Idaho. They made easy con
/ quests until they came to deal with Jh'
/ managers Of the Helena Frisco,at Gem
and the Last Chance ana the Bunker Hi
| mines in the Wardner territory. Til
Gem company closed down rather thar
yield. Then it imported nonunion men
1t WIS brought out afterwdrd at Il Con
/ gressiOnll inquiry that the advent Of thes'
I ''scabs started the trouble The new
( Corners were attacked openly and in am
/ bush, but they refused TO leave thei
[ work. Then desperate measures wer'
taken to drive them out Two hundred
pounds Of dynamite was stolen from tn,
company's storehouse and. after the WI
ter had been drawn from the hUmc. III,
dynamite was slid down the penstUck t,
/ tho water-whecl
shot from Ambush.
The mill was blown to kindiing wood.
said John A. Finch, the operator of tin
mine, before the Congressional commit
tee. and it scattered the nonunion mel
Ike so many jackrabbits. As they raj
they wers shot down by the 200 union
( men lying ia ambush. Five or six wer
killed l cannot say how many wer
wounded" This desperate demonstration
Of what union men would resort to /
they regarded it necessary frightened