Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-08-26
THE VERDICT.
Closing Scene of the Great Chi
cago Anarchist Trial.
The Accused All Found Guilty of Murde,
Except Neebe, and He Gets a Peni-
Tertiary Sentence-The Death
Penalty for the Rest.

! Il,
were firm in their refusal, and the
five hundred people who applied between
| that time and nine O'Clock were given
| the same answer. Every conceivable
ruse was resorted to, but the officers were
| memorable, and when the verdict was
/ brought in there were probably less peo-
| pie in the courtroom than al any time
| during the trial The crowd outside
numbered a thousand, and they were
kept informed of the progress of affairs
inside by the police.
Some people succeeded in getting up
stairs and took seats. At the west end
! of the room were Mrs. Spies, Mrs. Par
sons, Neebe's wife, Lngg's sweetheart,
Aug. Spies sister and his brother Ferdi-
| nand, Mrs. AmeS, General Parsons,
! Spies mother and half Il dozen others,
who have been regular attendants at the
| trial.
| Judge Gary was on time, and at four
| minutes to ten the court opened, and the
| judge sang out to the spectators to take
| their seats and make no demonstration.
| The prisoners were then brought in and
ranged along the south wall by the Win
| dows. The Judge turned and told the
clerk to call the names of the Jurors.
This was done amid an oppressive ST.
| lence, except on the part OF Ncebe, who
| was probably the most affected of the
| prisoners. He turned and looked across
the room to the place where his wife was
sitting, craned his neck forward and said
! something in an undertone to himself.
Parsons looked straight ahead to the
place where his brother, the General, was
| standing. He then turned and looked
| into the street, where, under the burning
| sun a thousand men and women gazed
| anxiously at the upper windows. Par
| sons glanced hurriedly around, and, with
bold, defiant look in his eyes, pulled
| something from his pocket. 1t was a
| battle flag of the Anarchists-a dirty red
| silk handkerchief. Turning so that all
in the streets might see, but in such Il
manner that the court could not, he
waved 1t for a moment or two. Some
| one in the street caught sight of it, and
| Il cheer was uttered, but quickly stopped.
When the people in the courtroom
turned to ascertain the cause of the
demonstration, Parsons sat stiflly in his
! chair and gazed vacantly at the clerk.
The others gazed anxiously into the
. faces of the jury and of their friends
and then looked up at the judge, as if in
the hope of cleaning some indication of
their fates
The relatives and friends of the pris-
oners were the most affected. Over III
the corner sat little old woman nearly
hidden by big policeman. 1t was the
mother of Spies, and during the half
hour that she was in the court room she
| wept constantly, holding a handkerchief
to her eyes.
Mrs. Parsons and General Parsons said
nothing, and betrayed no evidence of the
suspense they must have experienced.
Mrs. Schwab looked at her husband
with fearful eyes and once or twice
wiped the tears away. Lingg's sweet
heart was next to her, and during the
calling of the Jurors names kept up a
constant signalling with him.
The roll-call was finally finished,
and then it was that the prisoners and
their friends betrayed the first excite
ment. At two minutes after ten O'Clock
Foreman Osborne rose 10 his feet and
faced the court. The suspense was ter
rible, and as if already aware of the fate
in store for them, a trcmOr ran over the
prisoners, while the feelings of their rcla-
tivcS and friends were manifested by
twitching muscles, hard breathing and
shaking limbs.
"IIave you agreed upon a verdict?'
The voice of the judge was almost in
audible, and even he gave way to momen-
tary solcmnity and suspense.
"Have you agrecd?"
turned on the foreman, who reached for
ward and gave the paper which he held
in his hand to the clerk, who gave it to
the judge. The foreman's work was
done. The Judge and clerk held q whis-
pered conference, and finally the clerk
raised the paper where the light fell on
it, and the judge bent forward and fixed
his eyes on the spectators.
The people were like marble figures.
Not a word or sign did they make. Their
eyes merely shifted from Judge. to clerk.
The latter then began reading slowly as
follows:
THE VERDICT.
We find Spies, Parsons, Flelden. Schwab,
Fischer. Lingg and Engel, guilty as charged
in the Indictment, and punishment by death.
We find Neebe guilty of lnansIaughter and
fix his punishment at fifteen years in the
penitentiary.
The clerk then sat down, but the Judge
and foreman still remained standing.
.there was not sound, and for over a
minute the people seemed stricken dumb.
Then there was fain. sob; a low wall
ing moan came from the corner where the
little old mother of Spies sat, and it was
the signal for the outbreak of a murmur
which ran over the assemblage.
"QUIET, EVERYBODY SIT DOWN."
and the Judges voice came clear and
distinct. But even his authority could
not prevent expressions of surprise and
outburst of pent-up feelings, and sup
pressed murmurs of anguish that came
from friends and relatives of the con-
demned men. The unfortunate defend
ants themselves said nothing; nor even
did they move-only looked into space,
and it was as if all hope had gone, and
now for the first time they knew that
their lives had been failures.
The Judge was the first to make a
movement. Stepping to the front, he Or
dered that the jurors be polled. Each
juror was then asked by the clerk if the
verdict expressed his true conviction, and
if he agreed to the verdict. In answer
there came
FIRM, BUT LOW, "I Do"
Then the judge glanced for the first
time at the prisoners and their friends.
He allowed his gaze to rest for Il moment
ON the cringing forms of the little old
mother, weeping sisters and wives. Then !
bringing his eyes to the jury again, he
told them they had done their work well.
''You have listened attentivelv 10 the
evidence giveE, in every detail, both Tor
and against the prisoners. Your close
attention and verdict is the expression
OF your convictions. This has been a
long and tedious trial, but you have
served we'll. l think you for your atten-
ton"
The Judge then in a few words dis
charged the jury, and notified them that
that they were at liberty to go. There |
was not one of the twelve good aud true |
men but looked thankful and drew Il sigh |
of relief. The jury then rose and tiled |
out of the room, and the bailiffs made |
their way to the sides of the prisoners |
Not one word escaped any one OF the |