Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1913-09-11
ORCHARDS ACCOUNT OF
STEUNENBERG MURDER

Harry Orchard, in his confession
during the Haywood trial, made the
following statement concerning the
assassination of Governor Steunen
berg at the gate of his home at
Caldwell on the night of December
80, 1905: 4rn .h4a
Il was in the saloon part of the no
tel, playing cards, and came out in
10 ther lobby and saw Mr.. Steunen-
berg talking to another man. l went
over to the postoffice and asked il
there was any mail for me, and when
l came back he was still there.
went up to my room and got the
bomb. l took it and started up to
his residence as fast as i could walk
AS fast as could go, and placed
the bomb at his gate in such a way
that when the gate was opened, as
it was fastened to it with string, it
would explode. When l was going
back-about two blocks and half
farther toward the hotel met
Steunenberg. Then l ran as fast as
l could to get back to the hotel. 1
was about block and a half from
the Saratoga hotel on the footbrdige
when l heard it go off, and hurried
on to the hotel as fast as could" p
Among the other crimes to which
Orchard confessed were the, follow,
ing:
Blew up the Bunker Hill & Sulli-
van mill at Wardner in 1899, two
killed oii' i'
Helped blow up and kill Charles
Mccormick, mine superintendent, and
Mel Beck, shift boss at the Vindicat-
or mine, Cripple Creek, for which he.
was paid $500, as he testified, by
Haywood. as11+. sH -
Murdered Detective Lyle Gregory
ct Denver.
Killed one Valley by mistake for
Chief Justice Goddard of the Colorado
supreme court.
Two attempts to murder Governor
Peabody of Colorado.
Attempted life of former Justice
Goddard of the Colorado supreme
court. e
With Steve Adams set off explosion
at the Independence mine, in Colo
RADIO; u killed. H
Attempted the lives of General
Sherman Bell and David Moffat of
Colorado. .rse.pa5 l
Plotted to kill John Neville of Gold
field, who knew too much" u.rl
Attempted to kill Steunenberg in
the Idanha hotel in Boise a short
while before he succeeded, but his.
nerve failed. -
The foregoing appears in Orchards
testimony. His written confession,
unpublished, is said to contain ref
erences to other crimes, including:
The murder of Wesley ]. Smith,
miner, Telluride, Colo.
The murder of Martic Gleason,
mine manager, Cripple Creek. II
The murder of Arthur Collins, mine
manager, Telluride, Colo. p II
Orchard testified that his reall I
name was Albert E. Horseley, that
he was born in Canada in 1866, and i
that he was bisanist 4ai'@
Every man, woman and child ]
should enter vigorous protest {
against the pardoning of this. man G
who murdered in cold blood one of l.
Canyon County's best citizens. We 7
do not believe for one moment that e
the state board has or will consider {
seriously pardoning this man who
confessed to record as black as ,
the above. That he may have had a +
change of heart we do not doubt but e
that will not justify his release mere !
ly that the organization buying the "
confession Of his black crimes for Il
may profit more there a
by. Canyon County people are yet v
aboring under a burden Of taxation
assumed in order to convict 2 this Ii
man. VIII the people who are pay d.
ng those taxes consent willingly to
ais release? There has been nothing d.
'ut surprise expressed in this com e.
nunity and none believe that the d;
itate board will give the matter seri-
'us attention - "i5Dtto q .,