Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-08-01


reports Is to the nature Of the evidence
necessary to convict Of murder or con.
spiracy. II will read these" said be,
"for the information Of the jury and
for the judge Is WE'LL" Continuing,
| Mr.. Solomon said tho defendants could
be held for conspiracy il 1t was proven
that the meeting in which they took
part was called for the purpose
of killing police. "Thess de.
fendants," be said, "are not
murderers or thieves or burglars
they are not criminals, but are possess
ed of feelings Of broad humanity.
They have not desired to appropriate
the goods Of Marshall Field to their own
use, but all they have done has been in
support of the principle which is the
eradication of social wrong. They
have not advocated assassination or .
recourse to arms on account of person.
al feelings against any man on earth,
but all their efforts have been put forth
with the single object in view of bet
tering the condition Of their fellow
men," The defendants attorney de-
claied that they had the right to preach
their doctrine and make converts. IL
the people wanted Socialism OF Anarchy
they would have it.
The law could not put down Social
ism any more than it could suppress Re-
publicanism and destroy Democracy.
You fought in the rebellion" said
Mr.. Solomon, "to put down slavery, so
that ore man should not own another.
These defendants believe there are
white slaves, and therefore put forth
their efforts toward their Liberation. II
they use dynamite they use it for that
end only. We do not desire to go into
the evidence presented here, because We
do not believe it proves anything. We
expect fully to prove that none Of these
men have done murder or have con-
spired to do murder.
Weexpect to prove that these men as
sembled at Haymarket on the night Of
the 4th of May to exercise the right Of
free speech; to hold . peaceabls meet
ing for the purpose of discussing the in
terests of the laboriDg-men. We do
not believe that any of the defendants
present once thought Of the possibility
Of such thing as bomb being thrown
at that meeting. But we SEQ in the
action of the police an incredible AM
! mus. We see In them a devilish de-
sign, a fendish design, an intention to
destroy every life on that market. We
expect to show you that Mr.. Fielden
fired no shot at that meeting, and that
be had not then and never had arevolver.
We expect to show you that Witness
Gilmer is . constitutional and profes.
sioDsl liar. We do not believe that in
the minds Of the jury the testimony Of
sworn witnesses is necessary to estab-
lish the fact that Gilmer's testimony is
absolutely valueless. We expect to
prove that on the night Of the Haymar-
ket meeting Schwab did not speak to
Spies, as has been testified to, but that
he left the meeting some time before the
explosion occurred. We expect to
show that Parsons and Fischer left the
meeting early, and were seated in
Z.pfs hall--perhaps drinking a glass
of beer-when the bomb exploded.
We shall prove that Nesbe was at
home, and expect to show that he had
no knowledge Of the meeting. You are
familiar with the movements of Lingg.
The evidence in no way connects him
with the throwing of the bomb, and il
he made the bombs he did no moro
than he had perfect right to do; and
there is no law prohibiting his having
dynamite in his house if he chose. We
expect to show that none Of these de-
PENDANTS fred shots at the Hsymarket
meeting, and that the first shots were
fred by the police"
Mr.. Solomon concluded, reasserting
bis belief in the absolute lack of evil
dence connecting the prisoners with the
offence charged against them, and asked
the jury that their verdict be one Of
acquittal.
At the conclusion the court ad-
jOurned.
Mass Meeting Of knights or Labor.
lBy telegraph to the Dhpatch.l
NEW YORK, July 3l.-The mass
meeting of District Assembly No. 40 Of
Knights Of Labor at Union Square to.
night was a tremendous success, fully
10000 people being present. Many
persons estimated the crowd at 10000,
and even more. The park commission
ers would not allow the erection of
stands for the speakers, so three trucks
were used as substitutes and speaking
was carried on from these three trucks
simultaneously. One truck was in front
of the reviswing-stand, and the others
were at Broadway and Fourth avenue
respectively. The speaking began at 8
O'Clock and lasted for over two hours.
In one or two cases speaker held forth
first at one stand and then at one Of the
others but in general the different
trucks were loaded with independent
bands Of orators.
The speakers were local leaders of
the Knights. No attempt had been
made to have any one particularly
prominent man who should occupy the
greater portion of the evening, but it
was rather an experience meeting, in
which short addresses were in order,
and no elaborate addresses we're At
tempted.
The chief order Of the meeting seemed
to be the importance Of testifying by
an enormous attendance to the strength
of this organization. Almost every
speaker warned the Knights against the
mendacious utterances Of 80 vsnal
prostitute press" The meeting was
eminently orderly. A large force Of
police was on the ground early, but no
occasion arose for their services. No
permits for professions had been issued,
and no parade was made. While the
crowd was assembling more than 200
clubs of one kind and another were re-
presented, and some Of the more hume.
rous came in body, with the attend
ance Of many hundreds.
Mills shut Down.
AUGUSTA, Ga, July 3l.-The Sib-
ley mills shut down to-day, and $50
persons are thrown out of work there