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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ004111S
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00:28 It happened here at the turn of the century in the snowy 00:31 surrounds of a town called Boise It's the capitol of the State of 00:36 Idaho in the Pacific Northwest. Winter time brings on chilly 00:41 winds, plenty of snow and ice storms. In December of 1905 00:51 the man who was making tracks in the snowy streets of Boise was 00:55 actually one of America's most infamous assassins. This is 01:01 where Harry Orchard actually planted a bomb that would change 01:04 history. It was the first assassination by bombing. 01:08 It was a vile act of terrorism precisely which still sends 01:14 chills down our spines today. 01:18 ♪ ♪ 01:51 Just as the New Year was beginning to make its appearance 01:54 when all seemed safe and peaceful Harry Orchard sits 01:59 his bomb at Governor Steunenberg's gate. 02:01 The governor makes his way home through the dusk to his wife and 02:07 family his mind on happy thoughts and a loving greeting 02:11 that awaits him. But instead just at that moment without 02:16 warning a devastating explosion shattered the evening silence and 02:22 instantly kills him within eyesight of his wife and 02:27 children. It's time to forever put an end to this highhanded 02:33 method of wholesale crime and assassination. Forever put an 02:41 end to wholesale crime, terrorism? Well in this case it 02:47 would happen. But not in the way that prosecutor expected. 02:52 But because of a little book that made its way inside these 02:56 walls. A book stronger than a bomb. Seems hard to believe but 03:02 wait till you hear this story. The infamous act of terrorism 03:09 happened here in what is now known as the Steunenberg 03:12 Historic District. It happened on this street. The beginning of 03:17 the end happened on this lot where Idaho's Governor Frank 03:21 Steunenberg lived. His house once stood right here. One night 03:28 in 1905 a few days after Christmas Frank was headed home 03:33 looking forward to a quiet evening with his family. A warm 03:37 meal was waiting. So was an assassin's bomb. America's most 03:43 notorious assassin, Harry Orchard, had hidden his bomb 03:47 by the gate. ♪ ♪ Frank Steunenberg had become 04:25 Idaho's most famous citizen. He's still honored today in this 04:29 state. But he served at a time when the struggle between mining 04:34 companies and labor unions had become very violent. At the 04:44 beginning of the 20th century thousands of laborers and 04:48 immigrants began leaving the harsh mining conditions of the 04:51 eastern United States in hopes of finding new 04:55 opportunities in the rapidly expanding mines of Colorado, 04:59 Montana and Idaho. But this would prove to be no better. 05:04 Workers had to contend with tremendous physical labor, 05:09 working 12 to 14 hours a day underground in dangerous 05:14 conditions with very high risks to life. Desperate mine 05:18 workers began joining unions in the hopes of bettering their 05:22 working conditions. This saw the number of labor strikes rise to 05:27 over 4000 a year by the early 1900s. Laborers were considered 05:34 quite expendable by these big companies and in Idaho the 05:38 Western Federation of Miners was trying to fight back. 05:42 Unfortunately terror became one of their weapons and the most 05:47 feared terrorist of the day was Harry Orchard. Back in his 20s 05:56 Harry had started working at a logging camp in Michigan and he 05:59 began drinking and living it up with his buddies. He kept 06:03 hearing exciting stories about the wild, wild west. Eventually 06:08 he left his wife for another woman and headed for the new 06:11 frontier. Harry made money quickly but spent it even faster 06:17 Struggling with debt he was even willing to commit murder for 06:21 hire, a killer for cash. (Train whistle) Well the biggest 06:34 market for murder at the time lay in the violent struggle 06:38 between miners and their greedy employers. In June of 1904 some 06:45 union officials sent Harry to the Cripple Creek District of 06:49 Colorado to sabotage nonunion mining. He managed to plant over 06:55 45 kilos of dynamite under the platform of the railway station 07:00 there. At two in the morning a train pulled in. A group of 07:04 strike-breaking miners prepared to board. Harry set off the 07:08 charge. When the dust settled 14 men lay dead and many more 07:13 were crippled for life. (Train whistle)(Sound of train) 07:21 For this horrible act Harry's bosses rewarded him with a thick 07:29 wad of money and a seat within their inner circle. Harry soaked 07:35 up their approval and flattery. His conscience obviously had 07:39 been buried. Next, Harry would blow up the Victor Mine in 07:45 Colorado; another notch in his belt. After Harry had blown up 07:55 the Victor Mine in Colorado then came the big-name target, Frank 08:01 Steunenberg, Idaho's most celebrated public figure. While 08:06 governor, he had declared marshal law, summoning federal 08:09 troops to deal with frustrated miners who'd gone on a rampage. 08:14 Union bosses determined to get their revenge. So of course they 08:20 called on America's chief assassin. It all started here 08:29 where the old Five Star Saratoga Hotel once stood in the town of 08:34 Caldwell. December 13th, 1905 Harry Orchard had rented a room 08:40 here to keep an eye on Steunenberg. The governor often 08:43 met with friends in the lobby and as Harry played cards in the 08:47 saloon he spotted his target bidding his colleague farewell. 08:52 So Harry rushed upstairs to his room and grabbed the bomb he'd 08:56 put together, wrapped it in newspaper. Tucking it under his 09:01 arm he dashed down the street toward the Governor's home. 09:05 Harry set his deadly trap, wired it to the gate and walked away. 09:18 A few minutes later came that fatal surprise. Another mission 09:27 accomplished. Harry returned to his hotel. But while having sat 09:35 here contemplating the success of his deadly deed the militia 09:40 surrounded the city. Every stranger faced scrutiny. And 09:47 some folk had been eyeing the grumpy stranger at the hotel who 09:51 claimed to be in the area buying sheep. The police were asked to 09:55 check his room and there they found the telltale materials for 10:00 constructing a bomb. So on New Years day authorities had him 10:09 arrested and charged with murder Harry's trial was to take place 10:14 here at the Canyon County Courthouse. And the State of 10:22 Idaho managed to secretly arrest union leader Big Bill Haywood in 10:27 Colorado, stick him on a train at night and bring him all the 10:31 way to Boise. He had become the State's target. And so began the 10:39 trial of the century. (Courtroom conversation) But after a few 10:56 days Harry had a visitor herein the Warden's office of the 11:00 State Penitentiary. It was Pinkerton detective James 11:04 McParland, a man who had brought a gang of Irish thugs the Molly 11:09 McGuire's to justice. America's most famous detective had been 11:14 asked to interrogate America's most infamous assassin. The 11:19 police and the prosecutors really wanted to nail the union 11:24 bosses who had hired Harry Orchard, the officials behind 11:27 the crime. So they wanted Harry to become their witness and 11:32 expose those men. At first Harry wouldn't admit to anything. 11:37 But with final persistence under pressure (...state witness 11:45 ... Never committed...) The well known lawyer Clarence 11:50 Darrow defended Big Bill and ended up trying to defend the 11:54 union struggle to protect miners Chief prosecutor James Hawley 12:00 tried to nail Big Bill as the man who hired assassins. 12:04 But it all revolved around the testimony of Harry Orchard and 12:09 in this long trial what caught the attention of the country, 12:12 what captivated and horrified Americans everywhere was this. 12:17 Getting inside the mind of an assassin, the heart of a 12:23 terrorist. ♪ ♪ This was indeed a horror story. 12:56 Harry was a man that many people just wanted to hang or at least 13:02 put away forever. In the first of his two trials Harry was 13:08 sentenced to death. But something unexpected happened on 13:12 that run. It was something bigger than all the rage between 13:17 unions and mine owners, bigger than all the crimes Harry had 13:22 committed, bigger than his heart of stone. 13:25 A Christian doctor 13:32 decided to send Harry a Bible. It arrived in the mail. A guard 13:38 brought it to Harry's cell. The assassin told the warden to get 13:43 lost and take the Bible with him Then another day the warden 13:49 approached Harry's cell and barked Orchard Mr. Steunenberg's 13:54 son wants to see you. Harry was shocked. Why 14:00 would the son of the man he killed want to see him? The boy, 14:05 trembling, held out a package saying, Mother sends you this. 14:12 Now it was Harry Orchard's turn to tremble. What was in that 14:17 package? A bomb? Certainly that is what he deserved. He opened 14:24 it. No, it wasn't a bomb. It was another little book, Steps to 14:31 Christ. Harry looked up. Bravely the boy announced, 14:36 Mother says she forgives you for the terrible wrong you've done 14:39 to our family. She asks you to give your heart to Christ. She 14:45 says she hopes you will be saved in God's kingdom. Well that was 14:52 too much. Harry couldn't even begin to take this in. A heart 14:58 broken family sending love and forgiveness to the cold blooded 15:05 killer of their husband of their father. Impossible. But Harry 15:14 began to read this little book. And it summarized what the Bible 15:20 Gospels were saying about Christ and explained how a man like 15:25 Harry who'd never had a meaningful relationship in his 15:28 life could have a meaningful relationship with Christ. Harry 15:36 turned to the Bible he'd previously refused to accept. 15:39 It began really getting truth of his attack. It began breaking 15:44 through all his barriers all his toughness, smashing into his 15:50 callous point of view. For years Harry had bragged to his buddies 15:59 that he didn't believe in God, didn't fear God. He saw himself 16:04 as a rebel against religion. His only major egress was that he 16:10 hadn't put up a fight. He knew he'd rather die than suffer the 16:15 humiliation of prison. Harry turned to the Bible and, in 16:28 desperation began to read it. And what happened? The words of 16:33 the Bible itself describe its effect in Hebrews chapter four 16:38 and verse 12:... 17:01 Yes, the effect on Harry Orchard was utterly amazing. The Bible 17:06 was really having an effect on this assassin. He was changed 17:11 by the power of the Bible. Love replaced his hate. No other 17:18 book in history has ever contained such power. The power 17:22 to save, change and heal. You see it in the changes it made 17:28 to Harry Orchard. And you'll be amazed by the change it'll make 17:32 in your life when you give it a chance. Harry spent sleepless 17:45 nights agonizing over this issue. Was it really possible 17:50 for someone like him to find peace with God. Can a murderer 17:55 be truly forgiven and saved? Then Mrs. Steunenberg herself 18:01 came to visit him. This wonderful Christian widow shared 18:06 words of encouragement through the bars of his cell. And her 18:11 words taken straight from the Bible that he held in his hand 18:15 broke his down completely. He was finally able to grasp the 18:21 fact of God's incredible forgiveness. Harry began 18:26 studying the word of God and praying through his long lonely 18:30 nights. He found himself falling on his knees over and over. 18:35 Fellow prisoners sometimes mocked him about losing his mind 18:39 Harry didn't care. He was finding something much bigger 18:44 Someone much bigger portrayed so vividly in the Bible. ♪ ♪ 19:06 Now there were plenty of skeptics in Harry's day. Plenty 19:10 of people who didn't want to hear about an assassin being 19:14 converted. They were familiar with death row conversion 19:18 stories. They knew what prisoners were willing to do to 19:22 save their necks. After all hadn't this man already cut a 19:26 deal with prosecutors? He'd got life imprisonment instead of 19:30 being hanged. But Harry Orchard kept going. Quietly in this 19:36 penitentiary he kept building up his spiritual life. He made a 19:41 commitment to Christ. He was baptized into a church 19:44 fellowship. People who visited him saw the lines on his face 19:49 soften. There was now a humble honesty in his gaze. Yes, that's 20:00 hard to believe about a terrorist and assassin. It's 20:04 hard to accept. But a year later during another sentence 20:09 hearing the judge didn't even recognize Harry when he was 20:12 brought up to the bench. That tells us something In fact Harry 20:17 maintained such a cooperative, disciplined, kindhearted 20:21 attitude in his cell that eventually the warden granted 20:24 Orchard permission to establish a little chicken and egg prison 20:29 industry. One day someone noticed a sickly chicken limping 20:37 along the beside Harry. So they shouted, Hey Harry why don't you 20:41 stomp on that lame chicken and get rid of it? Harry turned and 20:46 exclaimed, I couldn't take the life of a helpless chicken. 20:52 Something foreign had burst out of this former assassin's mouth. 20:56 Something different had been growing inside him. This from a 21:01 man who at one time wouldn't have hesitated taking the life 21:06 of a human being. Eventually the warden came to admire Harry so 21:12 much he actually set him up in a little cottage inside the 21:16 penitentiary where he could have his own garden. And this warden 21:20 of the Idaho State Penitentiary would make a statement about 21:24 Harry Orchard. He affirmed that the man he observed every day 21:30 year after year was indeed a truly converted just man living 21:36 a true Christian life. He even wrote: I would have absolutely 21:42 no hesitancy in trusting either my person or my property of any 21:48 kind or amount to his custody. At one point a Harvard 21:53 psychology professor spent eight hours interviewing Harry. His 21:58 analysis: This is a healthy, honest, straightforward 22:04 individual. A well-known pastor who came to visit Harry would 22:09 describe him as one of the finest Christian characters I've 22:14 ever met. Let me tell you about one of the remarkable statements 22:22 in this book that Harry Orchard studied so diligently. It's in 22:27 2 Corinthians chapter five and verse 17: 22:42 Is that kind of transformation really possible? Well I can 22:46 assure you that Christ completely changed Harry Orchard 22:50 His terrorism came to a complete and total end. Not just because 22:55 he was locked up but because the Bible transformed him. Behind 23:01 prison walls he became known as a compassionate _ 23:06 grandfather, a man of peace for the troubled inmates around him. 23:10 He expressed a steady, calm, unshakable joy in Christ he'd 23:16 discovered in the Bible. ♪ ♪ 23:28 Harry Orchard who died in prison at 88 is buried here in the 23:35 Morris Hill Cemetery. But the book that transformed him is 23:41 still very much alive today. Has any other book on earth 23:46 had so much power. Even in a world of random explosions, sky 23:52 scrapers collapsing and any number of acts of hatred you can 23:57 lift up the Bible and say the worst of what's inside us can be 24:03 transformed. Our darkest habits can be turned upside down. 24:08 Even a cold blooded killer can be changed. If we read the Bible 24:17 with the same trust as Harry Orchard did there's no question 24:21 it'll change us too. Jesus said it very simply in John chapter 24:26 eight and verse 32:... 24:33 When you read the Bible to find truth, to find God's plan for 24:37 our lives, to learn what it means to be saved, to discover 24:41 God's promise of Divine forgiveness we'll never be the 24:45 same again. Read the Bible. Read it for yourself. Read it to find 24:52 happiness. Read it to find true peace. Read it to find 24:56 forgiveness. Read it to find your Savior and you won't be 25:00 disappointed. If you would like to read the amazing little book 25:09 that changed the life of hardened criminal Harry Orchard 25:12 if you would like to experience the peace and forgiveness that 25:16 knowing Jesus brings then I'd like to recommend a free gift 25:20 we have for all our Incredible Journey viewers today. It's the 25:25 book Steps to Christ. This little book, given to Harry 25:28 Orchard in prison by the wife of man he had murdered, will change 25:32 your life just like it did for Harry. This book Steps to Christ 25:37 is our gift to you and is absolutely free. I guarantee 25:42 there are no costs or obligations whatsoever. 25:45 So take the time to order the free gift we have for you today. 25:49 Phone or text us at 0436-333-555 in Australia or 020-422-2042 in 26:02 New Zealand or visit our website TiJ.tv to request today's free 26:08 offer and we'll send it to you totally free of charge and with 26:12 no obligation. So don't delay. Call or text 0436-333-555 in 26:19 Australia or 020-422-2042 in New Zealand or visit our website to 26:27 request today's offer. Write to us at: 26:42 Don't delay. Call or text us now. 26:45 If you've enjoyed our visit to Boise, Idaho and our reflections 26:52 on the difference Jesus can make in our lives, then be sure to 26:56 join us again next week when we will share another of life's 27:00 journeys together. Until then let's pray to the God who changed 27:05 Harry's life and who can change ours as well. 27:11 Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for your word the Bible. 27:15 Thank you for the story of Harry Orchard where we can see 27:19 firsthand the impact that the Bible can have on our lives. We 27:24 want to know you as our friend and Savior. Please open our 27:30 hearts so that you can lead us and guide us as we follow you. 27:34 In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. 27:38 ♪ ♪ |
Revised 2021-07-29