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Show i : 1 . NOTORIOUS HARRY ORCHARD IS MODEL PRISONER, SHUNNED BY OTHERS Special to The Tribune. BOISE, Ida.. Feb, L Working at the trade of milking shoes for his fellow fel-low convicts, Harry Orchard, the self-confessed self-confessed murderer of twenty seven victims, who is now sorviug a life term in the Idaho state penitentiary in tbis city for the killing of Governor Frank Steuncnberg by tying a bomb to tho chief executive's gale at his home in Caldwell, blowing him to pieces, is considered con-sidered a model prisoner in many respects. re-spects. Although he is attempting to i atone for the great wrongs done, he i-s left practically to himself and given a wide path by.cv.ery other convict in the penal institution, even the life-term life-term murderers viewing him with tor- ror. Tic is tho pr'v.e prisoner, shut our, from society behind the bars of the bastile. A Orchard is considered as a sort of psychological phenomenon. "When tho trial of Mo3er. Pc-ttibone and Haywood,; then officers of the "Western Federation of Miners, took place before Judge Fremont "Wood in this city on the charge of conspiracy to murder Governor Gov-ernor Steune.nb'erg, Orchard ctsnblishnd a record. of being one of the most celebrated cele-brated witnesses for the state ever placed on the stand. After he was arrested ar-rested and sweated he confessed to the crime and implicated tho three officials, lie recited his eonfessiop during the months occupied by the tVial aud it is said lo tins day mat at no timo did his storj- vary iior was it possible for the most brilliant attorneys emploj-cd by the defendants to shake this remarkable re-markable story of crime. "When Orchard was arraigned for sentence to be passed he openly declared that he preferred death at the gallows rather than life imprifconment. His sentence was. however, how-ever, commuted lo the latter and he must serve out the balance of his natural life iu the Idaho penal institution insti-tution unless- he is pardoned, which is not likely. When Warden John Snook took charge of the stale prison last fall he immediately attended to Orchard's case so far as prisou life was concerned. Orchard had been giveu work up to that timo iu the commissary department aud was provided with a special bed and room in which to sleep. The new warden changod all this. Tie assigned Orchard to one. of the. strongest cells in the murderers' row and placed him in the shoe department to work eight hours ;i da3' at hard labor. There Orchard can be found today by the curious, plying a trade which was new io him.-but in which he has become fin i I n an expert. He says nothing, is court i'uiis, retired and backward. Few narc to speak to him and those who do are avoided, lie invariably is shy of strangers and hides his face when the visitor wishes to gaze upou him. This saves him a great deal of embarrassment embarrass-ment and probably some consolation. Otherwise he is the same Harry Orchard Or-chard only that he is devoted to religion re-ligion and seems lo havo but the one commendable object in view, to atone for the great wrongs he has done. Tn this rqspect ho is like the penitents and zealots of the middle ages. He lias organized a "praring band" in the prison so that daily prayers can be held. He believes in atonement, but thinks that he must suffer in ome way himself him-self in order to bo forgiven. "While I be term of "arrested development" develop-ment" has ben applied to this famous prisoner, all who visit him are astounded as-tounded at his ready command of English, Eng-lish, his ability to speak easily and fluoully. a? well as his remarkable faculty for writing. Ho demonstrated the latter ability when ho wrolc his own confession and had it published, lie even now exhibits tho most accurate memory of past deeds and acts and his general information on past and current topics is remarkable. Orchard is allowed to read the daily papers, magazines, books, etc., and takes a great deal of interest in the develop-meut.5 develop-meut.5 of the outside- world, losL to him forever. Had Orchard not gambled away a $300 claim representing a 1'ourlh interest in-terest in Hie famous Hercules silver loud mine in the C'oenr d 'Alene district some years before entering on his career of crime, he might todav be a million aire instead of a condemned murderer occupying a louelv cell in the Idaho penitentiary. To this day his alleged partner in crime, Oack Simpkins, a fugitive from justice, has never Liecn iippreheuded. Simpkins was never arrested, although a reward of $-5000 still hangs over his head. Suspects arc arrested from time to time, but it is always proven thev are. not the Simpkins wanted. The two planned, executed and carried to a successful issue the murder of the chief executive, of Idaho. Simpkins made bia escape and Orchard is paving the pen-H pen-H foi both ') |