The examiner., 1886-07-17
"SOME ONE HAD BLUNDERED." "
CAPT. BONFIELD OF THE CHICA-
GO POLICE CHARGED WITH
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE
HAYMARKET TRAGEDY
ssHe Wanted 60 DfsfinguisRn Himself.''
From the Chicago Tribune.)

y (rFOm the CnlCdSO IrIDuHe')
'sThere was a blunder on the part of the
man who commanded the police the night
of the Haymarket murders, this fearful
slaughter would not have occurred" said a
well-known police official to Tribune re-
porter. "Bonfeld made the blunder, and
is held responsible for its effect by every
man injured there. l suppose you haven't
heard of the peculiar way in which the at
tack of the police happened to be made.
The dispensing of the crowd was surprise
to the Socialists, as is well known, and it
was no less surprise to every one else ex-
cept Bonfeld. In fact, it wasn't intended
to disturb the meeting, unless that became
necessary 1t was not intended by Harris
on or Ebersold to change the policy of
letting them alone, which had been pre-
viously in vogue with the administration.
The bloody circulars calling the meeting de-
termined the chief to adopt measures to
prevent disturbance. Five companies
were put in the Desplaines Street station
and four held in reserve at the Central,
while score of detectives were mixed
through the crowd. Harrison and Eber-
sold remained around the Central, while
Bonfield was at Desplaines street. In the
meantime the meeting was held, speeches
were made, and it was apparently nearly
over, when, at about a quarter to 10, Bon
field sent word over to the Central that
there would be no trouble, and the reserves
might as well go home. These four COM
panies were then dismissed, and Ebersold
and the mayor went to their respective
residences, thinking that all prospects of a
disturbance was at an end. Bonfeld was
left at Desplaines with the five companies
to stay the thing out.
s'Ebersold was no sooner home than the
inspector determined to break up the
meeting. After communicating his lnten-
tion to the ieutenants, the companies were
drawn up in the squad-room ready to issue
forth.
eff the attack in itself was unordered," :"
continued the officer, the manner in
which it was conducted was unwise. The
five companies were marched up Desplalnes
street in solid mass, and halted at. the
south end of the crowd in that form. The
bomb, of course, did tenfold the damage in
the center of the mass that it would had
Bonfeld not laughed at the advice of older
officers in discussing the plan in the sta
tion. The police were virtually surrounded
and assailable on every side. The firing
began from both sides of the street, well
as from the front, when, if the proper pre-
caution had been taken, the sidewalks
could have been cleared by single Gordon
stretched from wall to wall across the
street. also know it to be fact that a
very large number of the police were
wounded by each others revolvers.. Six
officers of Boards command started up
Desplaines street toward Lake after the
bomb was thrown, and five of them were
seriously wounded by their brother officers.
Besides these calamities, no preeaution was
taken to protect the avenues of escape on
every side, which might easily have been
been done. In fact, the whole thing was
hasty and ill-advised; arising out of Bon
fields desire to distinguish himself.
''The report which he recently made, six
weeks after the riot, is laughed at by every
man on the force who has any idea Of the
facts in the matter. He speaks of re-or-
ganizing the companies Immediately after
the bomb exploded, when everyone knows
that no such reorganization or closing up
occurred 1t was every man for himself,
and while some got two or three squares
away, the rest emptied their revolvers,
mainly into each other, and then after the
crowd had fed, collected their scattered
senses. The falling in and recognizing
were all done after the fighting was over"