Show lDAHORIOTS I House Commitee Hears the I First l fitness for f i the Defense I < III 1 II STEUNENBERG TALKS I Governor Details His Action Acton During Insurrection I WHY TROOPS WERE CALLED Congressman Lentz Who Conducted the Examination for the Prosecution Prosecu-tion Objects to the Line of Inquiry by the Defense Committea Again Compelled to Sit Down Upon the 1 Friend of tho Dynamiters Idaho Executive Narrates in a Plain I Frank Manner tho Story of the Outbreak Out-break in the Coeur dAlenes Which I I Necessitated His Proclaiming Martial Mar-tial Law and Appealing to the President for Aid in Suppressing the Insurrection His Story Was Extended and Circumstantial Washington March Unusual Interest In-terest attached to the Cocur dAlene investigation in-vestigation today as the prosecution after presenting testimony almost uninterruptedly un-interruptedly for live weeks closed its the defense case and gave way to Gov Steunenbcrs oC Idaho was the first witness called in rebuttal of the charges which havebeen made Hois a type of the strudy far West of massive mas-sive build and his Indifference to conventionalities con-ventionalities Is shown by n refusal to wear a necktie As he toolc the stand he iTread before himseveral hundred telegraphic dispatches The examination examina-tion was conducted by J C Cheney ton one of the counsel for time defense ELECTED AS A DEMOCRAT Got Stuencnberg said he was elected Governor of Idaho In J89C on the Peoples Peo-ples Democratic ticket having accepted ac-cepted the nomination of the Demo cnitic convention He read telegrams dated several days prior to the blowing up of the Bunker Hill mill on April 29th and leading up to that event APPEALED TO FOR AID I On April 26th Frederick Burbrldge of the Bunker Hill mine telegraphed thai an armed mob had stopped the Blinker Hill men from working and I calling for protection to the property interests lie also lead many telegrams tele-grams to and from the Sheriff and other showing the steps taken to maintain order SUGGESTED ARBITRATION The Governor suggested arbitration of the differences but In answer1 Mr Uurbrldge stated there was nothing to arbitrate and again called for protection protec-tion RIOTERS START FOR WARDNER On April 29th the day of the blowing I up of the mill Gov Steunenbergsald said ho received at 1037 a ni a dispatch from Mr Bui bridge stating that all the nil neis of Canyon Creek had laid off and were coming to Wardncr to menace the Bunker Hill men This was accompanied accompan-ied by another request for protection DYNAMITED THE MILL At the name time dispatches were received lmc < I ceived from A L Mohler of the Oregon I Railway and Navigation railroad first slating that an armed force had taken possession ot the lailway tracks at Wuidncr and then at J p m stating that thy rioters htCd bet fire lo the mill that they had placed dynamite under the mill and that It would be blown lip CALL On FEDERAL AID Sheriff Young also teJegraphed him from Wardner that the mill was blown up and giving the gravity of the situation situ-ation At G I p I in the Governor said ho sent a dispatch to the President culling for Federal aid as the Idaho troops were absent In the Philippines SENT SINCLAIR TO WARDNER The Governor bald he had been ill prior to tIme Couer dAlene excitement and being unable to go in person ho sent a representative Bartlett Sinclair Icpresentllve Bartett to the seat of disorder On April 30th Sinclair telegraphed urging that the President be advised to rush the troops from the nearest post MARTIAL LAW URGED He also telegraphed that he had thoroughly Investigated the need of martial law that the local administration administra-tion 01 the law was a farce and 0 amounted to maladministration that people were afrliid to testify and that testfy masked men were piowllng about the town terrifying people Many llko telegrams tele-grams showing the exciting develop cxcltng ments from day to day the arming of tho citizens the making of arrests etc wore read by the Governor INSURRECTION PROCLAIMED On this information and from hla ant own knowledge of affairs for six years Including repeated outrages with apparently ap-parently no effort to apprehend the guilty parties the Governor wild he proclaimed that a stale of Insurrection and rebellion existed at the scene of disturbance SINCLAIR WELL QUALIFIED Gov StucMienberji mldh cautioned cautoned Mr Sinclair not to align himself with either side employers or employees I mJ10yccs Sinclair had made speeches In New York for Henry George s that the I Governor said hf regarded him as qual fed to glvp fair consideration to the i labor situation L LENTZ OBJECTS Representative Lentz objected at this j point to HIP line of Inquiry by Mr pint Y nail questioned the proprlety 1 of having private counsel direct Un ln 4tlalon Chairman Hull replied that the prose cution had selected Mr Lent to dlr tIt t-It side Mr Robinson an attorney for the minors had assisted and tho defense de-fense was entitled to have counsel QUESTION STANDS Tho commlttc voted to permit tho question to stand as tho attorneys propounded pro-pounded It Aathcro wore frequent objections t questions the committee I agreed to a motion by Mr Sulzcr that the Governor he allowed to tell his story In his own way without interruption GOVERNOR DETAILS HIS ACTS Gov Steunenberg then related In detail de-tail the steps taken to carry out tho proclamatloh Arrests wore made of thoso reasonably suspected of complicity com-plicity lu the disturbance AUTHORITIES EMBARRASSED The Governor said he took such pre cautlonsjas were possible to look aftertime after-time prisoners But the conditions of insurrection were most unusual and at every point the authorities were cm barrasspd by the insurrectionary element ele-ment Ho visited tho barn and the stockade occupied by the prisoners and sought to have the stockade or permanent perma-nent quarters completed STATE BUILT A BAKERY He sajd lie talked with the prisoners who told him that the bread was too light bjit everything else was all right The cliteC commissary of tho State In formed him that the parties who furnished fur-nished bread had been walled upon by a committee and warned that they must not continue the supply A baker was thereafter built by the authorities and good bread supplied WHERE INSURRECTION STARTED Gov Stcuncnberg was asked where the insurxeation had its inception and what mining camps engaged In It He said that In his opinion tho mining district of ShosHone county had been in a state of insurrection since 1892 The Insurrection of April 29th he said Started1 at Burke where a meeting was held In the hall of the Western Federation Fed-eration of Miners DYNAMITERS ARMED The participants proceeded to arm themselves and went by train to Ward nor At Gem he said a similar meetIng l meet-Ing 3tn similar hall was held and arms and nfnsks wero distributed He I descrlUed the gradual concentration of the imwn at Wardncr where he sold I they waited In a disorganized state until un-til a alngle engine arrived from Wallace Wal-lace Then systematic orders were I given the first being Wardner to the front i I frontDYNAlIrrrED DYNAMITED THE MILL A party secured dynamite which was placed under the mill and fired Firing began Indiscriminately and one of the invading party was killed Some of the Bunker Hill employees were taken prisoners by = the masked men LENTZ AS AN OBJECTOR The Governors description was extended ex-tended and circumstantial l and brought out fvpquent objections from Mr Lentz on the lound that It was hearsay GOVi Sleuncnbcrg was asked what part the United States troops took In the arrest and detention of Imprisoned miners Ho said tho position they occupied oc-cupied was tho name as that which the State mUItlo would have occupied 1C they had been available fcA UJ5EOF PRISONERS < The Governor said the course bftlte United States troops as coming under his observation and Investigation was at all times proper and considerate of tIme men they had In charge and hi I obedience to their superior officers He said he did not sec any abuse of prisoners pris-oners although he had mingled freely among them and while complaints were made on other matters there was no complaint as to the conduct of the I troops Ho had Investigated a report that a Grand Army man Miller was prodded by a bayonet when arrested and was told by Millers brother who is a member of tho Legislature that the prodding did not occur although there was a controversy IS CROSSEXAMINED The crossexamination of Gov Steun onborg was conducted by Mr Robinson Robin-son attorney for the miners The Governor Gov-ernor stated that he considered his proclamation as to an Insurrection equivalent to a declaration of martial law Ho was asked by what right arrests ar-rests were made without warrant prior to May 3rd when the proclamation was issued It was done he said under the general requirement of the Governor to protect life and property Mr Robinson Rob-inson also asked if this would permit arrests without warrant The Governor I ernor said ho was not aware that any such arrests had occurred TWO PROCLAMATIONS When the Governor stated that he wrote tho proclamation Mr Robinson read from the testimony of Mr Sin clair before the Industrial commission that he had prepared a proclamation and a permit Tho Governor explained that there were two proclamations The Governor wrote the one proclaiming an Insurrection while a later one as to the permit system was that referred to by Mr Sinclairs testimony |