The Confessions and Autobiography of Harry OrchardHarry Orchard, a member of the Western Federation of Miners, confessed to the assassination of Idaho's former governor Frank R. Steunenberg, although he claimed that Big Bill Haywood, Charles H. Moyer, and George A. Pettibone instigated it. The case of the State of Idaho vs. William D. Haywood, et al. was tried in the Court of Canyon County, 7th Judicial District of Idaho, May 9th-July 29th 1907 with Clarence Darrow as attorney for the defense and William E. Borah as the special prosecutor. Haywood was acquitted. |
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acid Adams arrested asked began believe bomb bottle Bradley brought Caldwell called carried chance City close Colorado coming convention Cripple Creek Davis Denver depot district Federation fellows felt fixed gave give gone governor hard Haywood heard hundred intended Jack Judge keep killed kind knew later leaders leave letter lived look meeting miles militia milk mill mind miners mines months morning Moyer never Neville night noticed o'clock organized Parker Peabody Pettibone pounds powder pretty pull ready residence saloon seemed sent sheriff side soon Springs started stayed Steunenberg Steve stopped street strike sure taken talked tell Telluride thing thought told took town train tried trouble union Victor waited walked wanted watch week wife wire
Popular passages
Page 208 - I slipped that on and hurried down to dinner. Everybody was talking about Mr. Steunenberg being blown to pieces, but I never heard a word about the explosion of the giant-cap in my room. I think everybody was excited about the explosion and did not hear it, or did not pay any attention to it.
Page 231 - God several times a day. I had it in my head I was such a sinner that I had to go through some long lamentation, and the greater the sin, the more God would require of us before He would forgive us. Mr. McParland had asked me if I would like to have a minister come up and see me, and I told him I would. He asked me if I would like to have Rev. Dean Hinks of the Episcopal Church. He said he had met him, and thought he was a good man, and he came up to see me, and has come occasionally ever since,...
Page 153 - I got money any time I wanted it; Haywood gave it to Pettibone, and he gave it to me, and they wanted us to work on Judge Gabbert and see if we could not bump him off, as they were very bitter against him — especially Moyer. Judge Gabbert was chief justice of the Supreme Court, and had decided against Moyer when they brought him to Denver from Telluride on a writ of habeas corpus, when he was in the hands of the militia.
Page 205 - I had this fitted in a little grip and was going to set it, grip and all, under his seat in the coach, if I got a chance. I went through the train when it arrived at Nampa, but did not see Mr. Steunenberg, and the train was crowded, so I would not have had any chance, anyway. I saw Mr. Steunenberg get off the train at Caldwell, but missed him on the train. I saw him again around Caldwell Saturday afternoon. I was playing cards in the saloon at the Saratoga, and came out in the hotel lobby at just...
Page 147 - Bradley's milk, which was a little before daylight. I knew he left this milk that in bottles, as I had watched him before. I had a little powder of strychnine made for each bottle, and raised the paper cover and emptied one of these in each bottle of the milk and cream, and stirred it up a little, and pressed the paper cover back again, and left and went back to my room. I figured the girls would serve Mr. and Mrs. Bradley's breakfast first, and they would get the poison first. I could see their...
Page 117 - ... Independence depot. We had talked of this before. The idea was to get the night shifts of non-union miners that got on the 2.30 train there every morning. They said that would be all right. Haywood said he did not want me to get mixed up in a job like that, and wanted me to get some one else to do it, as he said he had some heavier work for me to do. He said as I had never had my name mixed up with the Federation, and they had never suspected me, I could do this work better than some one that...
Page 145 - ... built out flush with the sidewalk. They all went in at this archway, but each family had a private entrance to their apartment. I had figured a good many ways how to get away with Mr. Bradley the easiest and not get caught. I had stood across the street in front of the entrance to his residence, with a shot-gun loaded with buck-shot, and tried to catch him coming home at night ; but it was not light enough to tell him from the rest, as they all went into this archway. I was getting sick of staying...
Page 146 - The desperate and horrible means I conceived at this time to carry out my plan to kill Mr. Bradley I would gladly withhold and let die in my breast. But I feel that perhaps I owe some one a duty that may have been blamed for this, and wrongfully accused ; and I feel it my duty to make this known, as I have promised God I will write the whole truth of my wicked and sinful life, and not try to favor myself. I have made this attempt several times, and it has required no small effort on my part to write...
Page 140 - Cceur d'Alenes, Idaho, in 1899, when they blew up their mill, and Haywood said he was at the head of the mine operators' association of California, and he said they were raising an immense fund to drive the Federation out of the State, or words to that effect. He said they wanted to show those fellows that they never forgot them. He also said he had sent Steve Adams and Ed Minster to California to get Bradley, but they did not accomplish it. I told them I would go down and try it.
Page 141 - I wanted any money just to wire him and he would send it tome. 1 went by the name of John Dempsey. I arrived in San Francisco in a few days, and stopped at the Golden West Hotel. I looked around in the city directory and the telephone guide, and located Mr. Bradley's office and also his residence, and called up his office by phone, and they told me Mr. Bradley had gone on a trip to Alaska and would not be back for three months. I wrote a letter to Pettibone and told him this. We had a sort of a cipher...
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Confessions and Autobiography of Harry Orchard Western Americana |
| Authors | Albert E. Horsley, Harry Orchard |
| Publisher | McClure Company, 1907 |
| Original from | Harvard University |
| Digitized | Apr 9, 2008 |
| ISBN | 0598283595, 9780598283597 |
| Length | 255 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |