Albert Horsley
Encyclopedia
Albert Edward Horsley best known by the pseudonym
Harry Orchard, was a miner convicted of the 1905 political assassination of former Idaho
Governor Frank Steunenberg
. The case was one of the most sensational and widely-reported of the first decade of the 20th Century, involving three prominent leaders of the radical Western Federation of Miners
as co-defendants in an alleged conspiracy
to commit murder.
, the son of English and Irish parentage. One of eight children in a poor farm family, Albert was only able to attend formal school through the third grade, helping to support the family by working as soon as he was able. Albert worked as a farmhand for neighbors, either on a daily or monthly basis, with his parents receiving the income from his work until Albert was 20.
At the age of 22, Horsley left home to work as a logger
in Saginaw, Michigan
. He returned to Canada and was married about 1889. The Horsleys spent some time as cheesemakers, both independently and in the employ of others. His wife gave birth to a daughter, removing her from their cheese factory, while Albert later recalled that he "lived away beyond my means, and was some in debt, and my credit was not so good."
Seeking to run away with another woman, Horsley burned his cheese factory and collected the insurance money, thereby settling his debts. Horsley abandoned his family and, together with his girlfriend, headed west to Pilot Bay, about 20 miles out of Nelson, British Columbia
. The pair spent three months together there before they split up and went their separate ways, with Horsley landing in Spokane, Washington
.
In April 1897 Horsley was employed driving a milk wagon to the mining communities around Wallace, Idaho
. He worked steadily through 1897, saving his money so that he was able to invest $500 for a 1/16 share of the Hercules silver mine near the town of Burke
towards the end of the year. Horsley then quit his milk route and moved to Burke, borrowing money to buy a wood and coal business there. In the spring of 1898 Horsley had to sell his share of the Hercules mine in order to pay the debts he had incurred, also taking a partner into his business to raise funds.
Unfortunately for Horsley, accumulated gambling debts forced him to sell out his share of his business in March 1899, and he had to take a job as a "mucker" (shoveler) in the Tiger-Poorman mine near Burke. It was in this way that Horsley joined the Western Federation of Miners
.
Over the next few years Horsley worked as a miner in various locales throughout the American West. He later recalled in his memoirs:
On December 30, 1905, Frank Steunenberg
, former Governor of Idaho
, was killed by a bomb rigged to the gate of his house in Caldwell, Idaho
. After midnight on the evening of Steunenberg's murder, Harry Orchard (as Tom Hogan) walked with Clinton Wood, the desk clerk at the hotel in Caldwell
, to the site of the assassination, now hours past. Although he didn't seem to know the way to the murder scene, Orchard expressed the belief that the governor had been given a "big wad" of money by Idaho mine owners after he had left office. Such a view was common among miners, as reflected in a 1908 union pamphlet on the 1899 Coeur d'Alene mine strike
.
Orchard made no effort to escape, and was later arrested for the assassination. He raised suspicion when a detective for the Mine Owners' Association
recognized him as Orchard; he responded that his name was Hogan; and, it was discovered that he was registered at his hotel under the name of Goglan. When his room was searched, evidence related to the murder was discovered. Other than using a variety of names, most probably out of long practice, Orchard made little attempt to conceal his activities. Historian Melvyn Dubofsky
has theorized that Orchard may have suffered from a "psychotic personality disorder" that caused him not only to engage in a life of violence, but also, perhaps subconsciously, to set up the circumstances of his own arrest.
detective James McParland
in the Frank Steunenberg
assassination, confessing as well to the murders of at least sixteen others. Orchard agreed to testify that the murder of Steunenberg was ordered by William Dudley Haywood, Charles Moyer
and George Pettibone
, all leaders of the Western Federation of Miners
.
Prosecutors selected Haywood as the first of the three defendants to stand trial, thinking him the most vulnerable. His gnarled physical appearance, being blind in one eye, combined with his propensity to use hyperbolic language, made Haywood more likely to be associated with conspiracy and murder in the minds of the jurors, the prosecution believed. This was especially important to the prosecution because McParland had been absolutely unable to find corroboration for Orchard's confession.
The prosecution acted with significant support and direction from Agent McParland, and with assistance from Governor Gooding
. Chief prosecuting attorneys were William Borah
and James H. Hawley
, who were paid in part by money secretly supplied by western mine operators and industrialists. Orchard's testimony was persuasive, at least to reporters attending the trial. Meanwhile, McParland arranged for Orchard's confession, which he had worked on for fifteen months, to be serialized in a magazine to "reach the largest possible public."
The defense argued that Orchard had his own, personal motive for murdering Steunenberg. As the result of a violent incident during a labor struggle in Coeur d'Alene
, Steunenberg had ordered severe measures against the unionized miners, including a declaration of martial law. Defense attorneys Clarence Darrow
and Edmund F. Richardson argued that if Orchard hadn't been forced to sell his one-sixteenth share of the mine because of the martial law decree, he would have become wealthy. Orchard had denied the accusation. The Haywood defense team produced five witnesses from three states who testified that Orchard had told them about his anger at Steunenberg. Several of them stated that Orchard had vowed to seek revenge against the former Idaho governor. However, the prosecution presented evidence that Orchard had sold his share of the mine before the labor troubles began. Clarence Darrow later observed that the date of the sale didn't seem to matter to Orchard; he "tried to sell this interest (again) a year after he had disposed of it."
The defense presented evidence of extensive infiltration, spying, and sabotage of the WFM
by the Pinkertons. One witness was Morris Friedman
, James McParland's former stenographer. Haywood testified in his own defense, and he stood up well under five hours of cross-examination. Then the defense presented what they claimed was "startling new evidence" about insanity in Orchard's family, including a grandfather who needed to be "chained up" and an uncle who went insane. Orchard admitted that one of his uncles was "demented" over family problems and had hanged himself, but testified to knowing nothing about his maternal grandfather, who had died before Harry Orchard was born.
. During the Haywood trial Orchard confessed to serving as a paid informant for the Mine Owners Association. He reportedly told a companion, G.L. Brokaw, that he had been a Pinkerton employee for some time. He was also a bigamist, and admitted to abandoning wives in Canada and Cripple Creek. He had burned businesses for the insurance money in Cripple Creek and Canada. Orchard had burglarized a railroad depot, rifled a cash register, stole sheep, and had made plans to kidnap children over a debt. He also sold fraudulent insurance policies. Orchard's confession to McParland took responsibility for seventeen or more murders.
Orchard also tried to help McParland build a case by implicating one of his fellow miners from the WFM, Steve Adams
, as an accomplice. The effort failed, but it revealed interesting details about the methods McParland used to induce defendants to turn state's evidence.
The state of Idaho had provided Orchard with "a library of religious tracts," which may have influenced his announced conversion to religious belief. This, too, may have been a miscalculation, with some later analysts of the trial opining that "the prosecution let Orchard get away from the facts and his testimony turned into a syrupy story of repentance, religion, and God's mercy to sinners, which had the effect of turning everyone's stomach."
The Idaho jury found Haywood not guilty. One juror told a reporter, "There was nothing against the accused but inference and suspicion." Pettibone was found not guilty in a separate trial, after the defense declined to argue the case. Charges against Moyer were dropped.
Steve Adams was tried in three separate trials, resulting in two hung juries in Idaho, and an acquittal in Colorado. After all the others were acquitted or released, Orchard was tried alone. He received a death sentence in Idaho for the murder of Steunenberg. An appeal was made by the prosecution to Idaho Governor Gooding, urging the commutation of Orchard's death sentence for his cooperation. This request was granted and Harry Orchard's sentence was commuted to life in prison.
Soon after receiving his sentence, Orchard converted to Seventh-Day Adventism. Orchard died in prison in 1954.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Harry Orchard, was a miner convicted of the 1905 political assassination of former Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
Governor Frank Steunenberg
Frank Steunenberg
Frank Steunenberg was the fourth Governor of the State of Idaho, serving from 1897 until 1901. He is perhaps best known for his 1905 assassination by one-time union member Harry Orchard, who was also a paid informant for the Cripple Creek Mine Owners' Association...
. The case was one of the most sensational and widely-reported of the first decade of the 20th Century, involving three prominent leaders of the radical Western Federation of Miners
Western Federation of Miners
The Western Federation of Miners was a radical labor union that gained a reputation for militancy in the mines of the western United States and British Columbia. Its efforts to organize both hard rock miners and smelter workers brought it into sharp conflicts – and often pitched battles...
as co-defendants in an alleged conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
to commit murder.
Early years
Albert Edward Horsley was born March 18, 1866 in Wooler, Ontario, CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the son of English and Irish parentage. One of eight children in a poor farm family, Albert was only able to attend formal school through the third grade, helping to support the family by working as soon as he was able. Albert worked as a farmhand for neighbors, either on a daily or monthly basis, with his parents receiving the income from his work until Albert was 20.
At the age of 22, Horsley left home to work as a logger
Logger
Logger may refer to:* Lumberjack, a woodcutter, a person who harvests lumber* Data logging, recording sequential data to a log file* Keystroke logging, recording the keys struck on a keyboard...
in Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...
. He returned to Canada and was married about 1889. The Horsleys spent some time as cheesemakers, both independently and in the employ of others. His wife gave birth to a daughter, removing her from their cheese factory, while Albert later recalled that he "lived away beyond my means, and was some in debt, and my credit was not so good."
Seeking to run away with another woman, Horsley burned his cheese factory and collected the insurance money, thereby settling his debts. Horsley abandoned his family and, together with his girlfriend, headed west to Pilot Bay, about 20 miles out of Nelson, British Columbia
Nelson, British Columbia
Nelson is a city located in the Selkirk Mountains on the extreme West Arm of Kootenay Lake in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Known as "The Queen City", and acknowledged for its impressive collection of restored heritage buildings from its glory days in a regional silver rush,...
. The pair spent three months together there before they split up and went their separate ways, with Horsley landing in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
.
In April 1897 Horsley was employed driving a milk wagon to the mining communities around Wallace, Idaho
Wallace, Idaho
Wallace is a historic city in the Panhandle region of the U.S. state of Idaho and the county seat of Shoshone County in the Silver Valley mining district...
. He worked steadily through 1897, saving his money so that he was able to invest $500 for a 1/16 share of the Hercules silver mine near the town of Burke
Burke, Idaho
Burke is a ghost town in Burke-Canyon in Shoshone County, Idaho, United States. Once a thriving silver and lead town, it is now far smaller than at its height. In 2002, about 300 people lived in or nearby Burke Canyon...
towards the end of the year. Horsley then quit his milk route and moved to Burke, borrowing money to buy a wood and coal business there. In the spring of 1898 Horsley had to sell his share of the Hercules mine in order to pay the debts he had incurred, also taking a partner into his business to raise funds.
Unfortunately for Horsley, accumulated gambling debts forced him to sell out his share of his business in March 1899, and he had to take a job as a "mucker" (shoveler) in the Tiger-Poorman mine near Burke. It was in this way that Horsley joined the Western Federation of Miners
Western Federation of Miners
The Western Federation of Miners was a radical labor union that gained a reputation for militancy in the mines of the western United States and British Columbia. Its efforts to organize both hard rock miners and smelter workers brought it into sharp conflicts – and often pitched battles...
.
Over the next few years Horsley worked as a miner in various locales throughout the American West. He later recalled in his memoirs:
"During all this time I did not save any money, though I worked nearly all the time and always got the highest wages... I made many good resolutions and often saved up a few hundred dollars and thought I would get into some little business for myself. When I would get away from town, as I often did, in some out-of-the-way place, I would save my money and make good resolutions; but how soon I would forget them when I would strike town and see a faroFaro (card game)Faro, Pharaoh, or Farobank, is a late 17th century French gambling card game descendant of basset, and belongs to the lansquenet and Monte Bank family of games, in that it is played between a banker and several players winning or losing according to the cards turned up matching those already...
game running, or a game of pokerPokerPoker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
. My money would burn my pocket. There were many other attractions, and money always soon got away. I always bought plenty of good clothes and lived well."
Steunenberg assassination
Frank Steunenberg
Frank Steunenberg was the fourth Governor of the State of Idaho, serving from 1897 until 1901. He is perhaps best known for his 1905 assassination by one-time union member Harry Orchard, who was also a paid informant for the Cripple Creek Mine Owners' Association...
, former Governor of Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, was killed by a bomb rigged to the gate of his house in Caldwell, Idaho
Caldwell, Idaho
Caldwell is a city in and the county seat of Canyon County, Idaho, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population to be 43,281, as of July 2009.Caldwell is the home of the College of Idaho. It is considered part of the Boise metropolitan area....
. After midnight on the evening of Steunenberg's murder, Harry Orchard (as Tom Hogan) walked with Clinton Wood, the desk clerk at the hotel in Caldwell
Caldwell, Idaho
Caldwell is a city in and the county seat of Canyon County, Idaho, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population to be 43,281, as of July 2009.Caldwell is the home of the College of Idaho. It is considered part of the Boise metropolitan area....
, to the site of the assassination, now hours past. Although he didn't seem to know the way to the murder scene, Orchard expressed the belief that the governor had been given a "big wad" of money by Idaho mine owners after he had left office. Such a view was common among miners, as reflected in a 1908 union pamphlet on the 1899 Coeur d'Alene mine strike
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho labor confrontation of 1899
There were two related incidents between miners and mine owners in Coeur d'Alene: the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho labor strike of 1892, and the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho labor confrontation of 1899....
.
Frank Steunenberg was then serving his second term as governor. His first term being satisfactory as far as the writer knows. In 1899 he proved a willing tool of the mine owners and allowed outrages perpetrated which were a disgrace to any civilized community. It is significant that within one week after the decisive step, which showed him to be subservient to the mine owners, it is said, he deposited in the bank $35,000, yet up to this time he was considered a poor man.
Orchard made no effort to escape, and was later arrested for the assassination. He raised suspicion when a detective for the Mine Owners' Association
Mine Owners' Association
In the United States a Mine Owners' Association, also sometimes referred to as a Mine Operators' Association or a Mine Owners' Protective Association, is the combination of individual mining companies, or groups of mining companies, into an association, established for the purpose of promoting the...
recognized him as Orchard; he responded that his name was Hogan; and, it was discovered that he was registered at his hotel under the name of Goglan. When his room was searched, evidence related to the murder was discovered. Other than using a variety of names, most probably out of long practice, Orchard made little attempt to conceal his activities. Historian Melvyn Dubofsky
Melvyn Dubofsky
Melvyn Dubofsky is a professor of history and sociology, and a well-known labor historian. He is Bartle Distinguished Professor of History and Sociology at the State University of New York at Binghamton.-Early life and education:...
has theorized that Orchard may have suffered from a "psychotic personality disorder" that caused him not only to engage in a life of violence, but also, perhaps subconsciously, to set up the circumstances of his own arrest.
The Haywood trial
Under threat of hanging, Orchard made a confession to PinkertonPinkerton National Detective Agency
The Pinkerton National Detective Agency, usually shortened to the Pinkertons, is a private U.S. security guard and detective agency established by Allan Pinkerton in 1850. Pinkerton became famous when he claimed to have foiled a plot to assassinate president-elect Abraham Lincoln, who later hired...
detective James McParland
James McParland
James McParland,There are various spellings of James McParland's name. His stenographer, Morris Friedman, wrote a book about him — as "McParland." The Pinkerton Labor Spy, New York, Wilshire Book Co., 1907). also known as James McParlan,The Corpse On Boomerang Road, Telluride's War On Labor...
in the Frank Steunenberg
Frank Steunenberg
Frank Steunenberg was the fourth Governor of the State of Idaho, serving from 1897 until 1901. He is perhaps best known for his 1905 assassination by one-time union member Harry Orchard, who was also a paid informant for the Cripple Creek Mine Owners' Association...
assassination, confessing as well to the murders of at least sixteen others. Orchard agreed to testify that the murder of Steunenberg was ordered by William Dudley Haywood, Charles Moyer
Charles Moyer
Charles Moyer was an American labor leader and president of the Western Federation of Miners from 1902 to 1926. He led the union through the Colorado Labor Wars, was kidnapped and accused of murdering an ex-governor of the state of Idaho, and shot in the back during a bitter copper mine strike...
and George Pettibone
George Pettibone
George Pettibone was an Idaho miner. He was convicted of contempt of court and criminal conspiracy in the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho labor confrontation of 1899....
, all leaders of the Western Federation of Miners
Western Federation of Miners
The Western Federation of Miners was a radical labor union that gained a reputation for militancy in the mines of the western United States and British Columbia. Its efforts to organize both hard rock miners and smelter workers brought it into sharp conflicts – and often pitched battles...
.
Prosecutors selected Haywood as the first of the three defendants to stand trial, thinking him the most vulnerable. His gnarled physical appearance, being blind in one eye, combined with his propensity to use hyperbolic language, made Haywood more likely to be associated with conspiracy and murder in the minds of the jurors, the prosecution believed. This was especially important to the prosecution because McParland had been absolutely unable to find corroboration for Orchard's confession.
The prosecution acted with significant support and direction from Agent McParland, and with assistance from Governor Gooding
Frank R. Gooding
Frank Robert Gooding was a Republican United States Senator and the seventh Governor of Idaho. The city of Gooding and Gooding County, both in southern Idaho, are named for him....
. Chief prosecuting attorneys were William Borah
William Edgar Borah
William Edgar Borah was a prominent Republican attorney and longtime United States Senator from Idaho noted for his oratorical skills and isolationist views. One of his nicknames later in life was "The Lion of Idaho."...
and James H. Hawley
James H. Hawley
James Henry Hawley was the ninth Governor of Idaho from 1911 until 1913. Hawley also served as mayor of Boise from 1903 to 1905.-Biography:...
, who were paid in part by money secretly supplied by western mine operators and industrialists. Orchard's testimony was persuasive, at least to reporters attending the trial. Meanwhile, McParland arranged for Orchard's confession, which he had worked on for fifteen months, to be serialized in a magazine to "reach the largest possible public."
The defense argued that Orchard had his own, personal motive for murdering Steunenberg. As the result of a violent incident during a labor struggle in Coeur d'Alene
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho labor confrontation of 1899
There were two related incidents between miners and mine owners in Coeur d'Alene: the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho labor strike of 1892, and the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho labor confrontation of 1899....
, Steunenberg had ordered severe measures against the unionized miners, including a declaration of martial law. Defense attorneys Clarence Darrow
Clarence Darrow
Clarence Seward Darrow was an American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, best known for defending teenage thrill killers Leopold and Loeb in their trial for murdering 14-year-old Robert "Bobby" Franks and defending John T...
and Edmund F. Richardson argued that if Orchard hadn't been forced to sell his one-sixteenth share of the mine because of the martial law decree, he would have become wealthy. Orchard had denied the accusation. The Haywood defense team produced five witnesses from three states who testified that Orchard had told them about his anger at Steunenberg. Several of them stated that Orchard had vowed to seek revenge against the former Idaho governor. However, the prosecution presented evidence that Orchard had sold his share of the mine before the labor troubles began. Clarence Darrow later observed that the date of the sale didn't seem to matter to Orchard; he "tried to sell this interest (again) a year after he had disposed of it."
The defense presented evidence of extensive infiltration, spying, and sabotage of the WFM
Labor spies
Labor spies are persons recruited or employed for the purpose of gathering intelligence, committing sabotage, sowing dissent, or engaging in other similar activities, typically within the context of an employer/labor organization relationship....
by the Pinkertons. One witness was Morris Friedman
Morris Friedman
Morris Friedman was, until 1905, the private stenographer for Pinkerton detective James McParland. Friedman came to the attention of the public when he published an exposé of anti-union actions by the private detective industry which was called The Pinkerton Labor Spy.The book focused in particular...
, James McParland's former stenographer. Haywood testified in his own defense, and he stood up well under five hours of cross-examination. Then the defense presented what they claimed was "startling new evidence" about insanity in Orchard's family, including a grandfather who needed to be "chained up" and an uncle who went insane. Orchard admitted that one of his uncles was "demented" over family problems and had hanged himself, but testified to knowing nothing about his maternal grandfather, who had died before Harry Orchard was born.
Harry Orchard's history
Harry Orchard was a complex individual who apparently had sought opportunity working for both sides in labor disputes. Orchard confessed to playing a violent, and ultimately, decisive, role in the Colorado Labor WarsColorado Labor Wars
Colorado's most significant battles between labor and capital occurred primarily between miners and mine operators. In these battles the state government, with one clear exception, always took the side of the mine operators....
. During the Haywood trial Orchard confessed to serving as a paid informant for the Mine Owners Association. He reportedly told a companion, G.L. Brokaw, that he had been a Pinkerton employee for some time. He was also a bigamist, and admitted to abandoning wives in Canada and Cripple Creek. He had burned businesses for the insurance money in Cripple Creek and Canada. Orchard had burglarized a railroad depot, rifled a cash register, stole sheep, and had made plans to kidnap children over a debt. He also sold fraudulent insurance policies. Orchard's confession to McParland took responsibility for seventeen or more murders.
Orchard also tried to help McParland build a case by implicating one of his fellow miners from the WFM, Steve Adams
Steve Adams (Western Federation of Miners)
Steve Adams, sometimes known as Stephen Adams, played a minor, but particularly revealing, role in events surrounding the murder trial of Harry Orchard, and the trials of Western Federation of Miners leaders Bill Haywood, Charles Moyer, and George Pettibone, all charged with conspiring to murder...
, as an accomplice. The effort failed, but it revealed interesting details about the methods McParland used to induce defendants to turn state's evidence.
Results of all the trials
Even before Darrow's closing argument in the Haywood case, it was clear that the prosecution was in trouble. Having relied totally on Orchard's testimony to make its case against the WFM leader, the state found the testimony of their witness overly ambitious, with Orchard confessing to crimes that he could never have committed.The state of Idaho had provided Orchard with "a library of religious tracts," which may have influenced his announced conversion to religious belief. This, too, may have been a miscalculation, with some later analysts of the trial opining that "the prosecution let Orchard get away from the facts and his testimony turned into a syrupy story of repentance, religion, and God's mercy to sinners, which had the effect of turning everyone's stomach."
The Idaho jury found Haywood not guilty. One juror told a reporter, "There was nothing against the accused but inference and suspicion." Pettibone was found not guilty in a separate trial, after the defense declined to argue the case. Charges against Moyer were dropped.
Steve Adams was tried in three separate trials, resulting in two hung juries in Idaho, and an acquittal in Colorado. After all the others were acquitted or released, Orchard was tried alone. He received a death sentence in Idaho for the murder of Steunenberg. An appeal was made by the prosecution to Idaho Governor Gooding, urging the commutation of Orchard's death sentence for his cooperation. This request was granted and Harry Orchard's sentence was commuted to life in prison.
Soon after receiving his sentence, Orchard converted to Seventh-Day Adventism. Orchard died in prison in 1954.
See also
- Frank SteunenbergFrank SteunenbergFrank Steunenberg was the fourth Governor of the State of Idaho, serving from 1897 until 1901. He is perhaps best known for his 1905 assassination by one-time union member Harry Orchard, who was also a paid informant for the Cripple Creek Mine Owners' Association...
, assassinated former governor of Idaho - James McParlandJames McParlandJames McParland,There are various spellings of James McParland's name. His stenographer, Morris Friedman, wrote a book about him — as "McParland." The Pinkerton Labor Spy, New York, Wilshire Book Co., 1907). also known as James McParlan,The Corpse On Boomerang Road, Telluride's War On Labor...
, Pinkerton Detective responsible for investigation - Steve AdamsSteve Adams (Western Federation of Miners)Steve Adams, sometimes known as Stephen Adams, played a minor, but particularly revealing, role in events surrounding the murder trial of Harry Orchard, and the trials of Western Federation of Miners leaders Bill Haywood, Charles Moyer, and George Pettibone, all charged with conspiring to murder...
, accused accomplice - Bill HaywoodBill HaywoodWilliam Dudley Haywood , better known as "Big Bill" Haywood, was a founding member and leader of the Industrial Workers of the World , and a member of the Executive Committee of the Socialist Party of America...
, union leader accused of conspiracy - Frank R. GoodingFrank R. GoodingFrank Robert Gooding was a Republican United States Senator and the seventh Governor of Idaho. The city of Gooding and Gooding County, both in southern Idaho, are named for him....
, governor of Idaho during murder and trials - Coeur d'Alene miners' disputeCoeur d'Alene, Idaho labor confrontation of 1899There were two related incidents between miners and mine owners in Coeur d'Alene: the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho labor strike of 1892, and the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho labor confrontation of 1899....
, alleged reason for the murder - List of assassinated American politicians
Additional reading
- Albert E. Horsley, The Confessions and Autobiography of Harry Orchard book scan, New York: The McClure Company, 1907.
- Albert E. Horsley, The Confessions and Autobiography of Harry Orchard in web format.