In the austere courthouse of Boise, Idaho, George Pettibone faced the same charges that had captivated the nation just months earlier during the trial of “Big Bill” Haywood. On November 25, 1907, newspapers reported that Pettibone’s trial for conspiracy in the assassination of former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg would begin that Friday, marking the second major courtroom drama in what had become the most sensational labor case of the early twentieth century.

Background

The case stemmed from the December 1905 bombing death of Frank Steunenberg, Idaho’s former governor who had earned the enmity of the Western Federation of Miners during his handling of the 1899 Coeur d’Alene mining strikes. Harry Orchard, a confessed assassin, had implicated three prominent labor leaders in the conspiracy: William “Big Bill” Haywood, secretary-treasurer of the Western Federation of Miners; Charles Moyer, the union’s president; and George Pettibone, a Denver businessman and union supporter.

The three men had been dramatically kidnapped from Colorado and brought to Idaho to face trial, sparking a national debate about workers’ rights and the power of corporate interests. Haywood’s trial earlier in 1907 had drawn intense national attention, with famous attorney Clarence Darrow securing an acquittal that sent shockwaves through both labor and business circles.

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will not attract near the attention the Haywood trial did

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— The Daily Alaskan, November 25, 1907

The Event

As Pettibone’s trial prepared to open, the atmosphere in Boise was markedly different from the circus that had surrounded Haywood’s case. The Daily Alaskan reported that the trial “will not attract near the attention the Haywood trial did” and noted that “No outside newspapers will be represented.” Court observers expected the proceedings to last no more than two weeks, a stark contrast to the months-long spectacle of the previous trial.

The prosecution’s case would again rest heavily on Harry Orchard’s testimony. The confessed bomber was expected to repeat the detailed account he had given during Haywood’s trial, describing the alleged conspiracy that led to Steunenberg’s death by dynamite bomb. For the defense, Big Bill Haywood himself would serve as the star witness, his recent acquittal lending weight to Pettibone’s cause.

Legal observers in Boise predicted that the trial would likely end in either a hung jury or an acquittal, reflecting the changed political climate and the prosecution’s weakened position following their failure to convict Haywood.

Significance

Pettibone’s trial represented more than just another criminal proceeding—it was a crucial test of whether the state of Idaho could successfully prosecute the remaining defendants in what many viewed as a politically motivated case. The Western Federation of Miners had painted the prosecutions as an attack on organized labor, while business interests saw the trials as necessary to maintain law and order in the volatile mining regions of the West.

The case also highlighted the growing tensions between labor and capital that would define much of early twentieth-century America. The use of extraordinary legal measures, including the interstate kidnapping of the defendants, raised fundamental questions about due process and the lengths to which authorities would go to prosecute labor leaders.

Why It Still Matters

The Pettibone case helped establish important precedents for labor rights and criminal procedure that echo in today’s legal system. The controversy over the defendants’ extradition contributed to stricter interstate legal procedures, while the case’s focus on conspiracy charges became a template for prosecuting organized groups that authorities continue to use today. The Western Federation of Miners eventually evolved into the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, which later merged with the United Steelworkers, one of America’s largest industrial unions today.

Sources

• The Daily Alaskan, November 25, 1907 — Library of Congress