Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-06-27
UNABLE TO
CONFUSE DAVIS
Union Miner Proves
Strong Witness
For Haywood
HISTORY OF FEDERATION
Its Organization and Growth
Told By Its First
President

Boise June 27.-When w. r. Davis
was recalled to the stand on the op-
ening of court in the Haywood trial
this morning Senator Borah In cross
examining the witness for the state
took him over the period he spent in
hiding in the Hercules mine after the
Bunker Hill explosion.
Davis said that PauIson and anoth.
er man were there. He could not
identify the other man. He said he
remembered two men calling at the
mine while he was there. They were
union men getting out Of the coun-
try. Orchard said he was at the Her
cules at this time. Davis was un.
able to recall Orchard as one of these
men. ,ss
Bringing the witness down to the
stormy Cripple Creek days, Borah
wanted to know when the witness
first met Steve Adams. He could not
recall. Davis said he was at home
the night of the explosion in the Vim
dlcator mine Earlier in the evening
he had attended with Sherman Park
er, q union meeting at Victor. Davis
denied that he called at Orchards
house and took him to this meeting.
He could not remember whether Or.
chard attended the meeting. He
said there were 800 to 1000 men
there.
Troops Brought Trouble.
He could not recall when he first
saw Orchard after the meeting Davis
testified yesterday that the Cripple
Creek district was entirely quiet and
peaceful up to the time troops were
sent in, Today Borah cited several
cases of shooting but the witness de.
clared most of them occurred after
the troops were called. He main.
tanned the district was quiet, al.
though he admitted that he knew OF
non-union men being beaten before
the troops arrived.
Borah wanted to know if the strike
committee did not have to spend most
of its time preventing the men going
back to work. Davis said it required
some work to keep, the men in line
for the mine owners had secret
agents at work all the time and were
trying to misrepresent things to the
miners. Davis said he believed the
men killed in the Vindlcator mine and
Independence depot explosions were
non-union men.
Denies Orchards Story in Full.
Davis denied that he told R. j.
Campbell of the Vindicator mine that
IL it was opened up something would
happen to the property. He declared
that no unusual conditions existed in
the miners convention at Denver at
of the time the Vindicator explosion
Orchard had testified that Haywood
said he was having some difficulty in
keeping the men together and
thought something ought to be pull
ed off,"
Tells of Attempt to Ditch Train.
w. W. Rush, formerly an engineer
on the Folerence and Cripple Greek
Railroad was on the train when the
Western Federation officials claim an
attempt was made to wreck it in or.
der to put the blame on the union. He
said that d. c. Scott, chief of detec'
tives, told him to be very careful
about running his train on the night
of November 18th, 1904, as there
would be an attempt made to wreck
the train between Economic Mill and
Victor. Rush told Scott he did not
think the train could be wrecked
there and Scott asked him where
would be good place to wreck the
train. Rush told him on the second
left hand curve east of an overhead
crossing. Scott took the train with
Rush that night and told him to stop
near the locality mentioned. He did
so and they saw a tall and short man
drop off the train. In answer to a
question from Attorney Darrow he
said X. G. Sterling was the short and
Scott the long man.
The next morning he said Scott and
Sterling told him "they have removed
the rail at the identical spot you
thought they would"
History OF Western Federation.
Ed Boyce, who was the first presi-
dent of the Western Federation OF
Miners was the next witness. He told
the history Of the organization of
the Federation after the trouble at
Couer d'Alene and said James
H. Hawley, now leading counsel for
the state, was at that time attorney
for the miners union and was one of
the first to suggest an amalgamation
of the various independent unions.
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