The Labor Trial of the Century

The Bombing.

The trial of William D. "Big Bill" Haywood for the murder of former Idaho governor Frank Steunenberg is one of the most notorious trials of this century. The former governor was killed by a bomb rigged to the gate in front of his home in Caldwell, Idaho, on 30 December 1905. Shortly before he died from gaping wounds in his back and side, Steunenberg asked, "Who shot me?" There were no witnesses. The next day a reward of $15,000 was offered by the state and the Steunenberg family for the capture of the murderer(s). At the request of Idaho governor Frank R. Gooding, the investigation was headed up by James McPharlan, the head of Pinkerton Security, an established strikebreaking organization.

The Union Accused.

Initially a prounion politician, Steunenberg was never forgiven by the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) for calling out federal troops after an uprising at a lead mine in Couer d'Alene in 1899....

[The entire page is 898 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

eNotes Pass