The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1886-10-14
TALKING FOR LIFE.


the Question: "Have You Any Thing tC
Say why Sentence should Not Now be
Passed Upon You" Parsons Has ths
Floor.
CHICAGO, Oct. s.-Judge Gary was on
the bench in the criminal court at ten
o'clock this morning. The eight defend
ants, Spies, Schwab, Neebe, Parsons,
Fielden, Fischer, Lingg and Engel were
escorted from their cells in the county
jail to their customary seats in the court
room by a strong guard of deteot-
ives and special .bailifs. The rush
of spectators, curiosity seekers and
chronic court sitters was something
unparalleled. Not half of those who
came were admitted, the entrances being
carefully guarded by deputies and police
officers, and the judge permitting no one
TO enter the room who could not be given
a seat. Many women were among the
lookers-on. OF friends and relatives of
the prisoners there were In court: Mrs.
Parsons and her two children; Mrs. Neebe
and her little boy; Miss Spies and Mrs.
Captain Black.
Captain Shack and large number OF
police In full uniform and detectives in
civilian dress we're, as usual, In and
about the court. All those who came TO
court this morning came with the expec.
tation of hearing Judge Gary pass SEN
tence of death on seven convicted men,
and sentence of Imprisonment for fifteen
years on Oscar Neeoe. Also many came
for the purpose of hearing the speech es
of Parsons and Fielden, in expectation
of sensational utterances. The entire
group of prisoners are characterized by
nonchalance and Indifference to their
fate. All the stories about their palenes s
and trembling are nothing more than ro-
manceS.
George Engel was the first of the de-
PENDANTS TO speak to the court this morn
ing During his speech Ensel said that
the same causes that impelled him to
leave Germany he found existing here.
Though this was the richest country In
the world naturally, he saw here human
beings fishing their daily food out OF
slop pals. He bought the works oil
Henry George and other authors to study
and investigate, and soon found why
equal Justice among men did not exist
lie then took up politics, but said
he found that the workingman
was not free in the exercise of his ballot.
Losing faith in politics as means OF re-
form, he turned over to the Internation-
alists, who were then organizing. Theii
conviction was that the freedom of the
working classes could only be brought
about by force.
Engel concluded with TRADE against
the capitalists. 1t was eleven O'Clock
when he ceased speaking. Three
minutes were spent by counsel and spec
tators in whispered discussions, and then
Sam Fielden rose and prefaced what he
had to say by reciting poem from the
German of Ferdinand Freiigrath, en-
titled "Revoution." The first stanza
was as follows:
Sand tho We caught your noble prey
Within your hangman's sordid thralI,
And tho your captive was led away,
Beneath your city's rampant wall,
And tho the grass lies oer her grave
Where, at the mornings early red,
The peasant girl brings funeral wreaths-
tell you still, she is not dead"
Fielden's speech, however, was quiet
and commonplace. He related his con-
nection with the Anarchists, the same as
related on the witness stand. He said
he had not intended to go to the Hay.
market meeting, but went there owing to
seeing a little advertisement, and by see
ing the advertisement he had come to his
death. He declared that the newspapers
had either misunderstood or misrepre-
sented him, and were the cause OF his
going to the scaffoId. He had not advised
the sacking of the stores. He was severe
on the Jury, and said some of them were
| Il tall otc Raj al
concluded the court adjourned to p. m.
In the afternoon the same speaker con-
tinued and spoke as follows: "Your
honor, l have tried to show you that the
meeting on the 4th of May was a peace
able one. have told you what l meant
by the expression throttle the law You
| interpret my remark to mean to kill the
police | ought to show what l meant.
1t was not the intention OF our organiZa-
ton to take any mans life. 1t was the
system we were aiming at. | defy any
one to find in my speech OF that night any
suggestion of violence. [ spoke of that
blind rage of the mob at McCormick's.
Did not that mean that l did not sanction
acts done in ignorance and rage? Nc
Cormick and Gould and Vanderbilt are
victims of this system as much as the
beggars on the streets. The two classes
are at warfare"
After few more remarks, in which he
denied having been friend of Lingg,
Engel and Fischer, Fielden concluded as
follows: "To-day as the beautiful
autumn sun kisses the cheek of my fell
low man, stand here never to bathe my
head in it's rays. have loved my fellow
man as / have loved myself. l have
hated trickery, and the monstrous in.
Justice of the nineteenth century commits
the crime of killing its friends. 1t will
live to repent it some day. But as have
said before, If it will do any good freely
give myself up. trust the time will
come when there will be better under
standing and more intelligence, and II
the mountains of iniquity, wrong and
corruption will be replaced by truth and
Justice which will come TO bathe in the
pure light of an emancipated world
then am satisfied. thank your honor
for your attention"
Parsons followed and said: "One thing
beyond others that characterized the great
trial was its virus, it's passion and the
rancorous prejudice that characterized
the prosecution. Now, l hold that the
execution of sentence to be imposed on
me is nothing but judicial murder. 1t
was a trial by q mob, with the mob's
howl continually sounding in our ears.
Your honor knows this, and 1t Is for you
to look at the matter from the standpoint
of reason and common sense" Parsons
spoke until 4:30 p. m, when the court
adjourned at his request.
|
Minister Jackson's Farewell to Mexico.