There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones
Hellraisers Journal, Friday November 15, 1907
Rathdrum, Idaho – Clarence Darrow Fights for Life of Steve Adams
Three long articles cover most all of the front page of this weeks edition of the Montana News, the subject of all three being the ongoing trial of Steve Adams. Clarence Darrow is on the scene taking the lead in the fight to save the life of Adams, former member of the Western Federation of Miners
From the Socialist Montana News of November 14, 1907:
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Of the three front-page articles, we found this description of the the uncle of Steve Adams to be of particular interest. Unfortunately, the name of the uncle needs correcting from Mr. Millard to Mr. Lillard.
LATEST FROM SCENE OF BATTLE
Rathdrum, Nov. 10.
Mr. Millard [James W. Lillard], the uncle of Steve Adams, is an interesting figure at the trial. Steve was arrested on his ranch at Haines, Oregon, a short distance out from Baker City. The kind-hearted old gentleman is a fine specimen of the old soldier, having served through the civil war on the confederate side. He is 71 years of age but straight and vigorous with hair and beard yet dark. His mind has been so agitated by the shocking injustices he has perceived in connection with the arrest of his nephew that he has lost all faith in any justice or rectitude under this government. He has become entirely devoted to the progress of this case, and says he means to see it through no matter what it costs. He says his wife is equally determined to stay with the sad and tragic situation till its final issue.
As an instance of the kind heart of the old gentleman he not only has reared eight children of his own but besides these has provided and cared for ten orphan children till they were grown. He raised Steve and his two brothers, although they were fairly well grown when their mother died.
Adams came from Park City, Utah, to his uncle’s ranch in June [1905]. He had not been in hiding at all as the mine owners’ side of this proposition has spread broadcast. He was arrested the next February [1906]. He was hauling hay when Steunenberg was killed [December 30, 1905]. He had located a ranch near Baker City. His troubles and detention have very nearly caused him to lose it, but his uncle says he thinks he can save it for him.
After Orchard’s “confession” a Caldwell attorney filed the complaint against Adams on which he was arrested. Detective Thiel went out and made the arrest and announced that he had “located” Adams, whereas it had never been the slightest difficulty to “locate” him. Instead of being taken to the Caldwell jail, he was was taken straight through to Boise with his family and lodged in the penitentiary where he was kept for seven months without bail, and without a charge being lodged against him.
Closely Guarded.
No one was allowed to see him except the guards and the aristocrats of the Idaho republican administration—Gooding, Borah, Hawley and all that swarm of capitalist parasites. Three times his uncle tried to see him, but could never get to him except in the presence of the guards. His mail was all opened and read by the warden. He was shut off from any communication with the outside world or any confidential relations with his friends.
Immediately after the arrest of Adams, Mr. Millard, who was in Texas, wrote a former friend of his, one M. S. Bond, to get C. A. Moore, a lawyer of Baker City, and go to Boise and try and get bail for him. Moore and Bond went to see Gooding the first thing when they arrived at Boise.
Through some unexplained oversight Adams lay in the penitentiary a long time with no attention from the Federation. It was then that Gooding furnished the traitor Moore with money to go to Colorado and see the governor, and see if he could not obtain immunity for Adams, provided he would corroborate Orchard.
There can be no question about this latter instance as Moore admitted this in the office of ex-Governor Morrison before a number of witnesses.
Deep Plotted Conspiracy.
Adams was held without charge or preliminary examination until after his uncle got him out on a writ of habeas corpus through ex-Governor Morrison whom he employed as attorney.
The day of the irrigation congress Mr. Millard had asked to take dinner with his nephew in the penitentiary. To his surprise Warden Whitney granted the request, and he had a fine dinner with Steve and his family. This was the first time he had got to see him alone since his arrest.
Whitney called in during the visit and made this statement, “If Steve stays with the state and helps hang these men (referring to the Western Federation officials [Moyer and Haywood]) he will be given complete immunity.”
Torture Begins.
After this visit, on a pretense of searching Steve for anything that his uncle might have given him, he was stripped, taken from the woman’s ward where he had been living in comparative comfort, and put in a murderer’s cell. The Pinkerton scavengers were then admitted to him-the whole band of harpies, Hawley, Gooding, McParlan [McParland], Thiele and all the rest.
Steve had been jailed for 93 days in Colorado at the time of the industrial troubles and was then turned out without any trial or charge. The hardships he endured then seem to have unnerved him. When he was rearrested, he was made to believe that he would be mobbed if taken back to Colorado.
When Thiel pretended to “locate” him, he phoned Brown, the sheriff at Baker City, who came out bringing several others with him. Brown said to Steve, “I am on the inside; do what they want you to, and you’ll be back in a few days.” At Mr. Millard’s expense on the preceding trial Brown came to Wallace and testified to this for the defense. So one can see which side would have the incentive to blow him up, the Pinkertons or the defense.
In regard to the Phillips’ yarn about dynamite being found in their yard in Spokane, it is fishy with a Pinkerton flavor from the start. If the tale were genuine why has no investigation been made. It is hardly likely that Thiele’s Pinkertons would over look a bet like that. Yet, no detectives have been put to work. And why 10 pounds with caps in a pail when one pound would blow up the whole neighborhood?
Forcing the Confession.
So far as the “confession” is concerned, Steve couldn’t have written it if he had tried. He has no education. The human harpies fixed it up to suit themselves, took Steve to a notary, and he signed it. He thought he was gone anyway and it made no difference what he did.
Although Mr. Millard could not see his nephew alone, he could see him in the presence of Moore, the man who had betrayed him.
The real purpose of this whole shameful persecution is to get Steve to swear against the Colorado men, and thus support Orchard’s wonderful revelations, otherwise unsupported.
The traitor Moore admitted that Gooding, Borah and Hawley paid him a handsome fee.
Why does not Hawley bring C. A. Moore to the present trial? Mr. Millard offered him $1,000 to come here as his attorney and take the stand, and tell what he knows. Brown came willingly, but the prosecution is afraid of Moore.
When the human hyenas thirsting for the blood of the Federation men were petting Steve and coming to see him, he was living in high society, Gooding was kissing the baby and all sorts of courtesies were shown Mrs. Adams. But there was a sudden drop from all this to a murderer’s cell when Steve had got his second wind, braced up and determined to be a man again and stand by his comrades in the terrible class fight that belongs to the workers the world over.
Ida Crouch-Hazlett.
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SOURCE & IMAGE
Montana News
(Helena, Montana)
-Nov 14, 1907
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024811/1907-11-14/ed-1/seq-1/
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024811/1907-11-14/ed-1/seq-4/
See also:
Tag: Steve Adams
https://weneverforget.org/tag/steve-adams/
For J. W. Lillard as correct name for uncle of Steve & Annie Adams, see:
http://moses.law.umn.edu/darrow/documents/Idaho_v_Adams_transcript_vol_1_pp_1_505.pdf
For James W. Lillard as correct name, see:
Clarence Darrow: Attorney for the Damned
-by John A. Farrell
(search: james w lillard)
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2012
https://books.google.com/books?id=c8ptkc_pdkQC
Note: During the trial of Steve Adams at Rathdrum, Clarence Darrow was very ill with an ear infection. He had been told by a Spokane doctor that he should go at once to the hospital rather than to Rathdrum. See:
Clarence Darrow for the Defense
-by Irving Stone
Penguin Group USA, Dec 1, 1971
Pages 279-280
https://books.google.com/books?id=5i79PgAACAAJ
He [the Spokane specialist] repeated [a Boise doctor’s] admonition in no uncertain terms that he was risking his life by going into the Adams case, that he could take no responsibility for him if he left Spokane.
Within the hour the Darrows were once again on a train, “for if Adams lost it meant his death or his surrender to the state, which would further imperil the lives Moyer and Pettibone.” The Spokane specialist had been sound in his judgment, but he had figured without one factor in Darrow’s life: Ruby, who, no less than Clarence, was a fighter with a stout heart and tender hands.
We were in Rathdrum for two months, two months of agony. There was scarcely a moment in court when I was not in pain. At night I would try to get some sleep with the aid of a hot rubber bag which had to be reheated from hour to hour and which was constantly and devotedly attend by Mrs. Darrow. When the pain was unbearable we had to resort to the hypodermic. I could not possibly guess how many times she went to the kitchen with its coal stove to keep the kettle boiling, refill the bag, prepare the apparatus for injecting the codeine and then irrigate the ear. She filed the needle points to the slimmest of hairs with the finest emery paper; the instrument had to be boiled, the needle and the tablespoon that held the needle while it was being sterilized, as well as the liquid and the codeine; the outfit assembled with sterilized gauze so that no fresh infection would be added. I believe Mrs. Darrow suffered as much as I did over this treatment.
Dump The Bosses Off Your Back – Utah Phillips
Lyrics by John Brill