Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-10-14
TALKING FOR LIFE.

TALKING FOR LIFE.
Tho Condemned Anarchists Responding 70
the Question: Shave You Any Thing TO
| say why Sentence should Not Now be
Passed Upon YOU Parsons Has tine
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 q strong guard of detect
ives and special bailiffs. The rush
of spectators, curiosity seekers ana
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 De 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 were, 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 Neebe. Also many came
for the purpose of hearing the speeches
of Parsons and Fielder, in expectation
of sensational utterances. The entire
group of prisoners are characterized by
nonchalance and Indifference to their
fate. All the stories about their paleness
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 Engel said that
the same causes that impelied 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 OF
Henry George and other authors to study
and investigate, and soon found why
equal Justice among men did not exist.
He 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. Their
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 Fielder rose and prefaced what he
had to say by reciting a poem from the
German of Ferdinand Freiligrath, en-
titled "Revolution." The first stanza
was as follows:
"And tho We caught your noble prey
Within your hangman's sordid thrail,
And tEo' your captive was led away,
Beneath your city's rampant WALL
And tho the grass lies DER her grave
Where, at the mornings early red.
The peasant girl brings funeral wreaths-
tell you still, she Id 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 little advertisement, and by see
ing the advertisement he had come to his
death. He declared that the newspapers
had either misunderstood or misrepre-
scented him, and were the cause of his
going to the scaffold. He had not advised
the sacking of the stores. He was severe
on the jury, and said some of them were
dependent on capitalists. Before Felden
concluded the court adjourned to 2 p. m.
In the afternoon the same speaker con-.
tinued and spoke as follows: ''Your
honor, have tried to show you that the
meeting on the 4th of May was 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 meant.
1t was not the intention of our organiza-
ton to take any mans life. II 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 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, Fielder concluded as
follows: "To.day as the beautiful
autumn sun Kisses the cneek OF my lei.
low man, j stand here never to battle my
head in it's rays. have loved my fellow
man as l have loved myself. I 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, il it will do any good freely
give myself up. l trust the time will
come when there will be better under
and more intelligence, and If
the mountains of iniquity, wrong and
will be replaced by truth and
justice which will come TO battle in the
pure light of an emancipated world
then am satisfied. thank your honor
for your attention"
Parsons followed and said: zone thing
beyond others that characterized the great
trial was its virus, its passion and the
prejudice that characterized
the prosecution. Now, hold that the
execution of sentence to be imposed on
me is nothing but judicial murder. 1t
was trial by 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 1880 p. m, when the court
adjourned at his request.
Minister Jackson's Farewell to Mexico.