lawyer who defended big bill haywood

by Imogene Durgan 7 min read

The famous criminal lawyer Clarence Darrow went to Boise to defend Haywood, assisted by Fred Miller, John Nugent, Edmund Richardson, and Edgar Wilson. On the bench was Judge Fremont Wood. The prosecution team was comprised of William E. Borah, James H.

Who was the defense attorney for John Haywood?

In December of 1906, after the Supreme Court's ruling in the Pettibone case, Clarence Darrow, famed Chicago defense attorney, was hired to work with Richardson in preparing the case for the defense of Bill Haywood, the first of the three prisoners who would face trial.

Who was Big Bill Haywood?

THE TRIAL OF WILLIAM "BIG BILL" HAYWOOD ... America's most famous defense attorney, the Haywood trial ranks as one of the most fascinating criminal trials in history. In the early evening of December 30, 1905, Frank Steunenberg, returning from a walk in eight inches of freshly fallen snow, opened an in-swinging gate leading to the porch of his ...

What happened to Bill Haywood after his conviction?

Haywood was the first of the three to be tried, beginning May 9 1907, with famed Chicago defense attorney Clarence Darrow defending him. The government had only the testimony of Orchard, the confessed bomber, to implicate Haywood and the other defendants.

What did Haywood believe was necessary for workers to obtain justice?

Featuring James McParland, America's most famous detective; Harry Orchard, America's most notorious mass murderer turned state's witness; Big Bill Haywood, America's most radical labor leader; and Clarence Darrow, America's most reknown defense attorney, the Haywood trial ranks as one of the most fascinating criminal trials in history...."

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 · The famous criminal lawyer Clarence Darrow went to Boise to defend Haywood, assisted by Fred Miller, John Nugent, Edmund Richardson, and Edgar Wilson. On the bench was Judge Fremont Wood. The prosecution team was comprised of William E. Borah, James H. Hawley, Charles Koelsche, and Owen M. Van Duyn.

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Who defended Big Bill Haywood?

attorney Clarence DarrowHaywood was the first of the three to be tried, beginning May 9 1907, with famed Chicago defense attorney Clarence Darrow defending him. The government had only the testimony of Orchard, the confessed bomber, to implicate Haywood and the other defendants.

Was Big Bill Haywood a radical?

Bill Haywood, byname Big Bill Haywood, in full William Dudley Haywood, (born February 4, 1869, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.—died May 18, 1928, Moscow, Russia, U.S.S.R.) , American radical who led the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW, or “Wobblies”) in the early decades of the 20th century.

What was the 1907 Boise trial all about?

The struggle between the Western Federation of Miners and the Western Mine Owners' Association at the turn of the twentieth century might well be called a "war." When the state of Idaho prosecuted William "Big Bill" Haywood in 1907 for ordering the assassination of former governor Frank Steunenberg, fifteen years of ...

What was Bill Haywood accused of?

violating espionage and sedition actsIn 1917, Haywood was arrested with other labor leaders and charged with violating espionage and sedition acts for calling strikes during wartime. He was convicted, but he jumped bail and fled to the Soviet Union, whose socialist government he admired. He died there in 1928.

Was William Haywood successful?

He led textile strikes in Massaschusetts and New Jersey and helped recruit the over three million mine, mill, and factory workers that at one time or another were Wobblies. In 1918, Haywood was convicted of violating a federal espionage and sedition act by calling a strike during wartime.

Was Bill Haywood a communist?

He believed that workers of all ethnicities should be united, and favored direct action over political action. Haywood was often targeted by prosecutors due to his support for violence....Bill HaywoodResting placeKremlin Wall Necropolis, MoscowNationalityAmericanPolitical partyCommunist Socialist (until 1913)19 more rows

WHO welcomed both skilled and unskilled workers?

The Knights of Labor enjoyed considerable success in the early 1880s, due in part to its efforts to unite skilled and unskilled workers. It welcomed all laborers, including women (the Knights only barred lawyers, bankers, and liquor dealers). By 1886, the Knights had over seven hundred thousand members.

Which socialist labor leader organized the American Railway Union?

Eugene V. DebsThe American Railway Union, the country's first industrial (as distinct from craft) union, was founded in Terre Haute in 1893 by Eugene V. Debs, five-time Socialist candidate for president. The following year it was involved in the Pullman strike, which advocated a countrywide boycott of Pullman…

Who were the members of the Industrial Workers of the World?

The IWW's founders included William D. ("Big Bill") Haywood, James Connolly, Daniel De Leon, Eugene V. Debs, Thomas Hagerty, Lucy Parsons, Mary Harris "Mother" Jones, Frank Bohn, William Trautmann, Vincent Saint John, Ralph Chaplin, and many others.

Who defended Adams in the Haywood trial?

Darrow defended Adams in a February, 1907 trial that ended in a hung jury. The prosecution was assembling its own star-studded line-up for the Haywood trial. One of the two lead prosecutors was William Borah (who, later as member of the United States Senate would be a leading voice for the Progressive Republicans).

Who was the lead prosecutor in the Haywood trial?

The prosecution was assembling its own star-studded line-up for the Haywood trial. One of the two lead prosecutors was William Borah (who, later as member of the United States Senate would be a leading voice for the Progressive Republicans).

Who was the witness in the Haywood trial?

Prosecution witness Harry Orchard on stand during Haywood trial. The struggle between the Western Federation of Miners and the Western Mine Owners' Association at the turn of the twentieth century might well be called a "war.". When the state of Idaho prosecuted William "Big Bill" Haywood in 1907 for ordering the assassination ...

When was the Haywood case?

On May 9, 1907 the case of State of Idaho versus William D. Haywood was called for trial in Judge Fremont Wood's third-floor courtroom of the Ada County Courthouse.

Who was on the bench at the trial of Haywood?

In a front row bench, much like an old-fashioned church pew, sat Haywood's wife, daughters, and mother, all of whom had been asked by Darrow to attend the trial so as to help create sympathy for his client.

Who was the Senator who cross-examined Haywood?

One reporter, no fan of Haywood, wrote in admiration of Haywood's "manly assertion of his principles.". Senator Borah cross-examined Haywood for the prosecution. As Borah stood to begin his questioning, Haywood fixed his single eye (the other had been lost in a childhood accident) on the prosecutor.

Who asked jurors to determine Haywood's guilt?

In a nine-hour address full of theatrics and flourishes, Richardson asked jurors to determine Haywood's guilt "under the high dome of heaven.". He reminded juror's of Steunenberg's 1899 crackdown on northern Idaho miners and the resulting incarceration of miners in "bullpens" by federal "colored troops:".

What was the Bill Haywood trial?

Bill Haywood Trial (1907) "War" is not too strong of a term to describe the state of affairs existing between the Western Federation of Miners and the Western Mine Owners' Association at the turn of the twentieth century. When the state of Idaho prosecuted William "Big Bill" Haywood in 1907 for ordering the assassination ...

Who is the most famous detective in the Haywood trial?

Featuring James McParland, America's most famous detective; Harry Orchard, America's most notorious mass murderer turned state's witness; Big Bill Haywood, America's most radical labor leader; and Clarence Darrow, America's most reknown defense attorney, the Haywood trial ranks as one of the most fascinating criminal trials in history....".

Who was the governor of Idaho in 1907?

When the state of Idaho prosecuted William "Big Bill" Haywood in 1907 for ordering the assassination of former governor Frank Steunenberg, fifteen years of union bombings and murders, fifteen years of mine owner intimidation and greed, and fifteen years of government abuse of process and denials of liberties spilled into the national headlines.

Who was the star witness in the Haywood case?

Haywood's Fate Rests on Orchard's Credibility. The prosecution's star witness was Harry Orchard, the confessed assassin. Orchard had a long criminal career, however, and readily admitted that he lied many times in the past "whenever it suited my purpose.".

What was William Haywood's acquittal?

William Haywood's acquittal was widely applauded as a victory for organized labor and a defeat for big business.

Where was William Haywood born?

William Haywood was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, into a working-class family. His father died when Haywood was 3 years old. After a few years of school he took his first job as a miner in Nevada about 1884. He married, then floated from job to job, working as cowboy and construction worker but mostly as a miner.

Who was the Idaho governor who died in 1905?

In 1905, former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg was killed by an explosion caused by a bomb hidden in his home by Harry Orchard. Orchard admitted his guilt and implicated three leaders of the Western Federation of Miners: President Charles H. Moyer, Secretary-Treasurer Haywood, and retired leader George A. Pettibone.

Who killed Steunenberg?

Two days later, January 1, 1906, the police arrested Harry Orchard in Caldwell for Steunenberg's murder. Orchard confessed, telling the police that Haywood and Charles H. Moyer, another executive officer of the Western Federation, paid him to kill Steunenberg.

What happened to Haywood in 1918?

In 1918, the government again brought Haywood to trial, this time for treason. Haywood's luck had run out. The jury found him guilty and he was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. While out on bail, Haywood fled the United States for the Soviet Union, where the communist regime granted him asylum.

Who is Big Bill?

Born in 1869, William Dudley Haywood, popularly known as "Big Bill," grew up in the rough-and-tumble world of the old Wild West, where the discovery of vast deposits of valuable metals had led to the exploitation of natural resources by the big mining companies.

What happened to Haywood's father?

His father, a Pony Express rider, died when he was 3; he witnessed a fatal gun duel between classmates at age 7, and at age 9, he blinded himself in one eye in a slingshot accident. But it was an incident he observed at age 15 that changed Haywood forever: He saw a black man lynched.

What was Haywood's inspiration?

He soon found inspiration in the 1894 American Railway Union strike. “The big thing was they could stop the trains,” he observed. Haywood was on fire with unionism by the time he got a job at the Blaine Mine in Silver City, ID, in 1896, but soon after he started, his right hand was crushed, forcing him to give up mining.

Who planted the bomb on Frank Steunenberg's property?

On Dec. 30, 1905, Harry Orchard, an informer working for the mine owners, made a bomb and planted it on the property of former Gov. Frank Steunenberg, killing him as he walked through his gate. Orchard then “confessed” that Haywood and his friends paid him $250 to do the deed.

What law was used to raid IWW offices?

Citing the newly-passed Espionage Act of 1917, the federal government raided IWW offices across the country. Since the law deemed any behavior that interfered with the war effort criminal – including union organizing – Haywood and 100 others were arrested.

What was the biggest victory of the IWW?

The IWW’s biggest victory was the two-month Textile Strike of 1912 in Lawrence , MA, known as the strike for “Bread and Roses.”. Not only did the workers – who were mostly women – win better pay, the strike marked the first major labor protest where workers overcame ethnic differences.

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