The Pensacola journal., 1907-06-19
The Man Whose Trade
Was Murder.

The most remarkable and mon
strous case in the annals of human
crime seems to be that of Harry Or
chard. the self-confessed many-times
murderer, who is now trying TO swear
away the lives of three other men
whom he charges were i'm the plot
with him to kin former Governor
Steunenberg, Of Idaho.
Orchards. testimony given with a
freedom of utterance and a rare
abandon as to consequences such as
has seldom if ever been heard on a
witness stand before, constitutes the
most gruesome tale of crime that
imagination can conceive. If this tes-
timony is true, Orchard is fiend in
carnate, and the inner circle" of the
Western Federation of Miners is little
better.
But is his testimony true? Some
of it is; other portions Of it assuredly
are not. Will the defense be able to
impeach the testimony of this man,
whose trade was murder, and sepa-
rate the truth from the false? 1t
ought to be able to do so to a large
extent.
While Orchard charges that Hay
wood and Meyer were with him in
the plot to kill Steunenberg, he also
admits that Haywood and Meyer in
their addresses to the miners urged
the latter to refrain from all violence.
The officers knew that if crime or
violence OF any kind was committed,
public sentiment would hold the
miners responsible and they therefore
tried ito prevent violence.
In the face of this fact, it hardly
looks credible that Haywood and
Meyer would themselves have plotted
violence, knowing what the effect on
public sentiment would be
And in the face of Orchards own
as we'll as known rec
record of a man who has
not hesttated to take human life
who deserted his own family to run
away with another mans wife. who
bigamy, larceny. and per
jury without any qualms of conscience. !
and who has, on his own evidence
ever been ready TO betray a friend as
we'll as an enemy if there was money
enough in it for HMM the face of /
such record. is it possible TO attach |
any Importance whatever to any testi- /
nOny that Orchard may swear to /
against the men who are now on trial /.
'or their lives?
Unless his testimony can be cOnclu- /
s.vely cOrroborated, and that hardly .
seems possible in this case. it is not .
sufficient to convict any man of any .
;rime III any court in the land. /
man who will do what Orchard
'wears lie has done is capable CT /
being at this time in the pav of 2
to convict the officers of
he Western Federation of Miners.
md having been caught in his own
,rimes it is entirely reasonable to
suppose that he adopted this plan as
''N ''N--~ AAAN pOiii<1PS OilN means OF A.
securing immunity for himself.
At any rate this man, whoss trade +,
Vas murder, is hardly the witness !,
hat a jury would depend on in de
ermining the gui3- or innocence of
hree men charged with a crime
whose penalty is death.
The following paragraph from the
oalatka News will doubtless brinc /;
Orth an explanation from the editor
# the Tallahassee sun:
The opening of the Hudson Burr /,
boOmIet at Tallahassee
Turing the closing hours of the Iesis-
ature Is no joke. The opening took 7,
'lace at the handsome residence of L
he state printer. Hon. Claude L'Engle
md was attended by a majority of the {
members of the "Befo' Day Club" an
organization that is expected to do i
he plugging. Burr's candidacy is in
pursuance of the apostolic success
lon' idea inaugurated by William ;
sherman Jennings and which that
Gentleman Will do mis- best 10 continue /
nul the "dreenage" mas dissinated
he /. l. Fund that now constitutes his ,
raft.