Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-05
CHASTITY STORY OF
THE COEUR D'ALENE
Events Leading Up to the Steunen-
berg Murder.

Orchard, and it is a well-known fact that
the P1nkerton detective service has PLAYED
ah active part In the miner troubles in the
ROCKY mountains. The miners are con-
Vlnced that James Mcfarland chief of the
western division of the Pinkerton service,
with offices in Denver, has deliberately gone
ABOUT getting" the federation officials rs
surely as Mcfarland believes that the fed
Grafton officials have deliberately planned
and had executed under their directions all
the dlaboiical death traps which snuff ed out
the iiVeS OF many non-union miners and a
number Of officials of the state of Colorado.
Unfortunately, the proceedings against
Moyer. HAYWOOD and Pettibone were hur-
Tled and have had color that has readily
oeen construed by the miners into bias The
fact that they were taken from Colorado
TO Idaho on extradition proceedings the le-
gality of which at the time was believed
to be doubtful; that they were rushed by
special train and that 1t has taken a whole
year TO bring their cases to trial since in
dlctnent, does not impress the simple
minds of the miners as fair.
History of the Trouble.
The origin of the trouble that led to the
murder OF Ex-Gov. Steunenberg lay in the
miner troubles in the Occur d'Alenes during
MS term OF office. There had been trouble
IN the Occur d'Alenes since 1892, when, in
1899, on April 10. the miners in the Bunker
Hlil and Sullivan mines. at Wardner, Idaho
were called upon to join the miners union
One hundred out of $50 joined. They
promptly demanded an increase of nav
ending in their discharge At the same
tline the pay of the nom union men was
raised The union men tried to interfere
wlth the working Of the mine, but were
driven off. and the mines continued to be
worked with the nom union miners, under
guard
On April 80 one thousand men from Cam
Son creek. idaho: masked and armed. stole
a Northern Pacific mail train ut Burke,
taking with them 5000 pounds Of dynamite.
Arrived at Wardner they warned the work.
ing non union miners to leave and blew up
the plant that supplied power with which
to work the mines. The explosion was
heard for twenty miles. Only one man was
Killed. a non union miner. 1t looked as if
the miners would 90 further SO Gov. Frank
Steunenberg, in the absence of the Idaho
militia in the Philippines. asked federal aid.
Gen. Merriam was ordered into the Occur
d'Alenes with $50 men. He established
stringent military rule. He captured and
placed under arrest without bail every man
in Burke, 243 men in all. The town is in
n deep canyon and the capture was easy
Burke was the center of trouble. Before
the soldiers came a non union miner could
rot remain in Burke. He was run down
the canyon at the point of 4 revolver
zen; Merriam reversed conditions. He
would not allow any union men to work in
the mines. This was very like direct at
tack on unionism The federal government
was rather too large body to take ven
seance on for this act although the act
nelped fOment discomfort, but Gov. Steun-
enberg, who had asked for federal aid,
gained the enmity Of the Western Fedora
ton Of Miners.
Murder Of Steunenberg.
Before he left office. however, the troubles
In the Occur d'Alenes were over. Four
years later. at o'clock on the evening of
December 30, 1905. he was returning from
his office in Caldwell. Idaho, to his home
up town when a bomb, which had been
set for him at his gate. exploded and lit
orally tore his body to pieces. Three DAYS
later Harry Orchard was arrested and
charged with the crime. Evidence In the
way OF materials with which to make high
ly explosive bombs found in his trunk was
sufficient for his detention. James MOZART
land Of the Pinkerton detective service Sc
five days to finish. He swore that he was
the hired assassin of the Western Fedora
ton Of Miners, and that he had not only
committed the Steunenberg murder, but
had committed and attempted to commit
many others in the miner troubles of re-
cent years in Colorado.
Orchard, at the time Of his confession
believed himself to be near ath. He has
since become so weakened mentally that it
is believed that he will not be able to come
into court. In that case the prosecution
will be forced to attempt to use as evidence
his sworn statement secured by MOZART
land, upon which the indictments Of the
federation officials were based. Stephen
Adams, who was also arrested at the time
of the murder and likewise confessed, has
since retracted his confession. stating that
it was obtained from him by undue in
fuence. He has been recently tried at Wal