The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1886-05-13
GREAT RIOT IN CHICAGO.

Tho Socialists Throw Bombs Into the
Ranks OF tho Police---Many Killed and
Wounded ON Both Sides.
Chicago was the scene of deadly riot on
the night Of the 9TH. The Socialists called
. meeting on the West Side to denounce
capitalists and encourage the striking
workmen. The place chosen was the old
hay market on Randolph street, capable
Of holding from 1900 to 5000 men.
Touching the square at one corner is Hal
stead street, the outlet to the lumber
yards, packing houses and to the factories
such as McCormick's. In close proximity
to the opposite of the hay market is Mil
waukee avenue, leading through Z vide
spreading district closely populated with
Germans and Poles. Surrounding the
houses, cheap saloons aud many of the low
est dives in the city. twas 9 p. N. before
the meeting began. The speakers were
August Spies, editor OF an in
cendiary paper called the Ar
beitler Zeitung, A. r. Parsons and
Sam Fielding. The police were held in re-
serve at short distance to disperse the
meeting Il II became violent. Spies and
Parsons had both made blood thirsty
speeches when Fielding took the stand and
spoke still more violently than the others,
urging the killing OF property owners, the
destruction Of the police and the overturn-
ing Of all authority. AS the crowd began
to grow rfotous the police numbering $50 to
900 advanced and ordered them to disperse.
At frst the socialists fell back. but this was
only momentary. The meeting had begun
with about 1000 present but not more
than one-half OF that number remained
when the police ordered tho meeting
to disperse. As the police renewed the
order TO disp0rse, two or three bombs were
suddenly thrown into their ranks, and they
exploded with great force, and in q mo-
ment twenty or thirty officers 10y dying or
wounded on the ground. The suddenneos
and unexpected character of the deadly at
tack for moment discencerted the police,
but those uninjured soon rallied and draw
ing their pistols fired indiscriminately upon
the crowd. The mob seemed to be we'll
armed and returned the fire, wounding
good many more Of the polio emen. Still
the desire Of the larger number
the IL, pc police Ice held undispused i'I possession %
Of the square. At II o'clock, twenty police
men lay OH the floor of the Desplaines
station, all disabled, and probably half
that number seriously SO. Others were
square, either dead or badly wounded. A
telegram sent out 1t that hour on the
night Of the zth, thus described the scene.
On table in the station house, where
the wounded policemen are, one poor
fellow lies stretched on q table with ter
rible bullet wounds in his breast. A few
feet distant Q man with tattered clothes
and mortal wound in his side is lying in
sensible on q cot, Around the room in
chairs with their legs bandsged up and
resting on supports of different kinds, are
some fifteen or twenty Of the officers who
were wounded by the bombs. Not groan
or complaint is heard from any OF
them. Another officer who was found "
ing in . doorway where he had been car
ried, or where he had dragged himself, has
jurt been brought in frightfully wounded
There are some twenty Of the Socialists in
the cells in the basement. Nearly all of
them are wounded and one of them, q
young fellow of about 29, is dead.
A latter report makes the following re-
capitulation:
One socialist dead. two officers dead;
four other officers who may not survive
and thirty police who have wounds, many
of most serious character. In addition
to this probably fifty people, nearly all
meusss-a of the socialist crowd OF citizens
OF the vicinity were shot or otherwise
wounded A great number of these were
quickly taken to different hospitals and TO
private houses, SO that it may be days bo-
fore the full extent of the horrors can b
brought to light.