GREAT MURDER CONSPIRACY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 27 March 1907, Page 4

GREAT MURDER CONSPIRACY

New York, January 22. < 'ik* nf I lie inont 1 t rials of Tinnl«-:ii limes will begin shortly at Caldwell. Itl.iho. when four members of (lie Western Federation uf Miners will lie charged with Ilu> murder of ex-t.'over-nor Steuneiiberg. 'I'll!* men belonged to xvliat was known as the Inner Circle of the federation. which the police believe was responsible for no fewer than twenty-six null-dels. This mysterious body is alleged to have had a perfectly organised system by which any prominent men who incurred its enmity were marked down for assassination. About seven years ago the mining district of the ltocky Mountains were startled by an extraordinary series of murders by dynamite bombs. These culminated in December, inn."), in the killing of ilr Kteunenberg, former Governor of Idaho, lie was entering his residence at Caldwell, when, as lie opened the gate lending into the garden, a bomb exploded and blew hint to pieces. One of the most famous detectives in the I'inkerton Agency, .lames l'arland. was allotted the dangerous task of tracking down the murderers, and as the tacts seemed to point to the murderers having some connection with the Western l-ederation ol Miners,Parhinl posed as a miner and ultimately managed, to gain admittance to the councils of the federation. Though discovery of his ideniity would have meant instant death, l'arland succeeded in his obbjeet. He secured Die arrest of a man named Orchard, who confessed to a share in the murder of .Mr Steunenbcrg and also implicated a number of the oilieials of the federation.

These officials, who are to be tried with Orchard, are Charles 11. Mover and William D. llavward, president and secretary of the Western Federation of Miners, and George I'ettibone, formerly an officer of the federation, and an expert in explosives. The Inner Circle, or murder syndicate, had its origin in a strike when trade unionists were replaced by non-unionists. On one oceassion a whole trainload of non-unionist miners was blown up, thirteen men being killed on the spot. Orchard has confessed that lie exploded the bomb which caused this catastrophe. Many non-unionists were aso shot or otherwise murdered on various other occasions. A friend of Orchard who accidentally discovered the existence of the murder syndicate was compelled to leave the district, and was subsequently found poisoned. Any action taken by the Slate authorities to suppress tile miners' strike led to immediate attempts on their lives by the dreaded svndieate. tion was due to the fact that'lie had asked for the assistance of troops to stop strike disorders. Governor Peabody narrowly escaped death at the gates of his private residence by a cart passing over some wires connected with the bomb which had been laid for him prematurely exploring it. The cart and horse were blown to pieces.

One of the most extraordinary escapes was that of Chief Justice" Gabbert, who had aroused the enmity of the syndicate. Knowing that the' Chief Justice was in the habit of crossing a vacant piece of ground every day on his way to the court, the conspirators laid a satchel containing a bomb just oil' his usual route.

Fortunately for the judge smother man, Darned Walley, happened to parts before him, and in picking up the satchel caused the bomb to explode, and waa instantly killed. Orchard's confession containing all these details was read in the preliminary police court proceedings, and Detective Parlaud lias since proved its accuracy. Many bombs and other deadly engines were discovered in the possession of members of the murder syndicate.

A number of troops will lie drafted into Caldwell in order to ensure a failtrial, and the protection of the jurv from intimidation.