The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-08-19

A Trio Of the Chicago Anarchists on
the Witness Stand in Their
Own Behalf.
A Resume or Their TestimOny-A
banning Letter from Most
TO Spies.
TChicapo telepram

lChicago telegram
The counsel for the defense in the anarchists l
trial Vested their case Wednesday morning,
somewhat unexpectedly, and the State spent a
short time in rebuttal. Schwab, Spies, and Par
in the witness chair and allowed to tell their
stories. All three OF them, so far they were
permitted by their counsel acknowledged their
open advocacy OF the OF dynamite TO
overturn the existing order OF society. Spies
and Parsons acknowledged this i'm 80 many
words. and Schwab assented TO IL SO far IA he
more. He proved the fundamental
fact OF the conspiracy. He even
acknowledged that he knew the meaning
of the "Ruhe' signal, and gave a very gauzy
explanation OF how IL came TO be written by
him and inserted in the Arbeiter-Zei tung. The
sum OF his testimony was virtually statement
true, except don't know anything personally
of that particular bomb thrown at the Hay
market. Fischer knows more about it than
do. am a dynamter, an anarchist, revolu-
ZIONIST, friend and disciple OF Johann
Most; 1 want 10 kill the law and over
throw your so-called civilization, and
urged others to do so but did not throw
that bomb" Mosts instructions for anarchists
the witness-stand were faithfully followed
by this trio OF confessed dynamitsrs. First,
says Most, try to prove an alibi second use
your position for the declaration and dissemin-
alton OF our principles. These two rules were
obeyed as far as was consistent with the pres
ent attitude Of the defending counsel. All
three tried 70 make speeches, and Parsons sue
ceeded so well that in one instance, while
giving an alleged recital of what he had
said at the Haymarket, he spoke for thirty
FIVE minutes without break. Schwab, Spies,
and Parsons are all declared atheists and ene-
mics OF religion, and declined to take the oath.
They simply affirmed.
Schwab, when he took the stand amid some
laughter, gave his residence as No. l07 County
Jail. His occupations are co-editor of the
ArJeiter- Zeitung and brother-in-law to Rudolph
Schnaubelt. He did not see Spies on the night
OF the 4th, neither was he in the neighborhood
OF Cranes alley ut that time. His direct ex-
animation took up only fifteen minutes OF the
courts time. Mr. Grinnel, in his cross
examination, led the witness step by step TO the
Deering meeting. The witness wanted to make
a speech when Mr.. Grinnell asked him il he was
an anarchist, but was promptly choked of.
Spies, when put upon the stand, admitted
that he authorized the printing OF the signal
word ~Ruhe, and confessed il was in his own
handwriting. He pretended that he did not In
derstand its Significance yet it was printed in
full-faced type at the top q the editorial an
nouncement e9lpmn In the manuscript it was
had come to him in the regular form of an
nOuncement, he said, and with the request that
1t should be printed prominently. He learned
its full meaning from Fischer and Reu after
the paper had gone to press They agreed in
stating that il was q notice to the armed sec
lions. to arm themselves and to resist the
attacks Of the police though there was no in
dication that the police were going 70 attack
them. Spies effort to shift the blame on
t hsSh to Unload n Ss9 IN Hf ' is2
his fellow-prisoner, Schwab, and on the pub
fishers OF the paper. His explanation of his
conduct at the meeting near McCormick's fac
tory was at variance with his own account
thereof written the same evening and published
in tho Arbetter- Zeittn0 the following day. He
said he exaggerated the casualties on the occa-
sion ON the basis OF report published in an
evening paper OF the previous day. He failed
70 state that the morning papers containing the
true statement OF the facts appeared on the
streets. ten hours before his own paper went to
press He took credit TO himself for rebuking
the persons who had circular printed inviting
the workingmen TO come 70 the Haymarket
meeting armed and in full force" though he
admitted having written the Revenge" circular
which was much more violent in its language
than the poster calling the meeting. His ex-
plantations as 10 the presence Of dynamite
bombs in his editorial desk and dynamite
packages on his shelves, and his apology for his
interviews concerning street-hghting and the
crsdence. He tried to make the explanation OF
his Haymarket speech the occasion OF har-
angue TO the jury on the woes Of the working
men, but he was not successful.
In the cross examination of Spies by States
Attorney Grinnell something of a sensation
was created when letter from Herr Johann
Most to the witness was produced. Spies, in
his direct examination, had pleaded total ignor-
q everything concerning dynamite or
bombs. and when this letter read he was
placed in exceedingly awkward position
and showed it by his looks, Following is the
letter:
DEAR SPIES Are you sure that the letter from
tive? In the week will go TO Pittsburg and
I have an inclination, also, TO go TO the Hooking
Valley. For the present send you some printed
matter. There Sch and III. also existed but on
paper told you this some months ago. On
the other hand am in condition TO furnish
medicine, and the genuine article at that.
Directions for use are perhaps not need with
these people. Moreover, they were recently
published in the FIR" The appliances 1 can
also send. Now, IL you consider the address of
Buchtell thoroughly reliable will ship twenty
or twenty-five pounds. But how? Is there an
express line TO the place? Or is there
another way ossible? Polus the great seems to
delight in hopping about in the swamps of the
n. Y. V. u. like n blown-up lbloatedl frog. His
TRADES excite general detestation. He has made
himself immensely ridiculous. The main thing
is only that the fellow cannot smuggle any more
rotten elements into the newspaper company
than already in it. In this regard the caution
is important, The organization here is no better
nor worse than formerly. Our group has about
the strength of the North-S Side group in Chicago,
and then, besides this, we have also the Soc rev
6, the Austrian and Bohemian leagues-three
more groups. Finally IL is easily seen that in
fuence with the trade organizations is steadily
growing. We insert meetings only IN the
FIR. and cannot notice that they are worse at
tended than at the time when we yet threw the
weekly SIS and 81 into the mouth OF the n. Y.
V. u. Don't forget putting yourself into COM
munication with Drury in reference to the En-
glsh organ. He will surely work with you
much and we'll Such paper is more necessa-
ry than the Tooth. This, indeed, is getting
more miserable and confused from issue to is
hole. Inclosed is a fiy-leaf which recently ap-
peared ut Emden, and is perhaps adapted for
reprint.
Greetings to Schwab, Rau and to you. Your
JOHANN Mosr.
p. S.-To Buchtell will, OF course, write for
the present only in general terms.
A. Spies, 107 Fifth avenue, Chicago, Ill.
Anarchist Albert II. Parsons was the third
and last witness. Parsons was the best witness
OF the trio He Is 35 years old, thin, long haired,
and sallow and is keen and intellectual both
in face and manner. He was somewhat affected
in speech, and careful about what he said. In
his story Of the riot he gave mild version OF
his speech, taking nearly an hour in the telling
OF it. He had said that the press was subsi-
died by capitalists and monopolists, and be-
lieved it, He had told them law was for sale;
that you couldn't get justice without money,
Just as you couldn't get bread without money"
The ballot was a farce. Wage-working was
slavery. He had advised his hearers to arm,
believing that other means were hopeless.
The defense failed 70 produce.any testimony
which materially affects the credibility of any
of the witnesses for the state except the painter
Gilmer, but the prosecution produced a host OF
good men TO show that he Is truthful and re-
liable. They proved that he veteran
soldier and member in good standing OF a
local artillery company. Ex-Gov. Merrill, ex-
Supreme Judge Cole, and ". S. Circuit Clerk
Mason, all OF Des Moines, Iowa, besides several
prominent Chicagoans, testified that they knew
Gilmer and would believe him.
- - IL. a. Il