Untitled

THE OLDEST ANARCHISM 309
would have to work with him. Two detectives had
promised him that amount. An associate of this man
was discovered to have been a detective who had later
joined the Western Federation of Miners. He testified
that he had kept the detective agencies informed as to
the progress of the plot to derail the train. The detective
of the Mine Owners' Association admitted that he
and the other detectives had endeavored to induce members
of the miners' union to enter into the plot ;
while
the railroad detective testified that he and another detective
were standing only a few feet away when men
were at work pulling the spikes from the rails. An
engineer on the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad
testified that the railroad detective had, a few days before,
asked him where there was a good place for wrecking
the train. The result of the case was that all were acquitted
except the ex-prize-fighter, who was held for a
time, but eventually released on $300 bond, furnished by
representatives of the mine owners. (42)
On June 6, 1904, when about twenty-five non-union
miners were waiting at the Independence depot for a
train, there was a terrible explosion which resulted in
great loss of life. It has never been discovered who
committed the crime, though the mine owners lost no
time in attributing the explosion to the work of "the
assassins" of the Federation of Miners. When, however,
bloodhounds were put on the trail, they went directly
to the home of one of the detectives in the employ
of the Mine Owners' Association. They were taken back
to the scene of the disaster and again followed the trail
to the same place. A third attempt was made with the
hounds and they followed a trail to the powder magazine
of a nearby mine. The Western Federation of
Miners offered a reward of $5,000 for evidence which