The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1886-08-26
during the trial.

The crowd outside numbered about 1000
people, and these were kept Informed of the
progress inside by the police. Some of the
people who succeeded in getting up stairs
and took seats at the west end of the room,
were Mrs. Spies, Mrs. Parsons, Neebe's wife,
Lipgg's sweetheart, August Spies sister and
her brother Ferdinand, Mrs. Amer, General
Parsons, Spies mother and half a dozen
others who have been regular attendants at
the trial.
Judge Gary was on time, and at 9:56 the
court was opened and the judge sang out to
spectators to take seats and not to make
any demonstration. The prisoners were
then brought in and ranged along the south
wall, by the windows. The judge then
turned and told the clerk to call the names
of the jury. This was done amid oppressive
silence, except on the part of Neebe, who
was probably the most affected of the pris-
oners. Neebe turned and looked across the
room, to the place where his wife sat-
He 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, thousand men and women gazed anx-
iously at the upper windows. Parsons
glanced around, and with a bold, defiant
look. pulled something from his pocket. 1t
was the battle flag of the Anarchists
dirty, red silk handkerchief Turning so
that all in the street might see, but in such
manner that the court would not he
waved ii for moment or two.
Some one in the street saw it, and CHEEK
was uttered, but quickly stopped. When
the people in the court room turned to
ascertain the cause of the demonstration,
Parsons sat stif1y in his chair and gazed
vacantly at the clock. The others gazed
anxiously into the faces of the jury and
friends and then up at the dignified judge,
| as if in hope of cleaning some encourage
| ment.
The relatives and friends of the prisoners
were the most affected. Over in the corner
sat a little old woman, nearly hidden by a
big policeman. 1t was the mother of August
Spies and during the half-hOur she was in
the court room she wept constantly, holding
| a white handkerchief to her eyes. Mrs.
Parsons and General Parsons said nothing,
betraying no evidence of the suspense that
| they must have experienced. Mrs. Parsons
looked at her husband and once or twice
| opened her lipss as if to speak. Lingg' 8
| sweetheart was next to her and during the
| calling of the jurors names kept constant
| signaling with him.
The call was finally finished, and then II
was that the prisoners and their friends be-
| trayed the first excitement. just two min
utes after 10 o'clock Foreman AsbOrne rose
to his feet and faced the court. The sus-
pense was terrible, and as if already aware
| of the fate in store for them, tremOr came
over the prisoners, while the feelings OF
their relatives and friends were manifested
by twitchings of the muscles, hard breath.
| ing and shaking limbs.
| 'Have you agreed upon a verdict?" and
the voice of the judge was almost inaudible,
and even lie gave way to the momentary
solemnity and suspense. "Have you agreed"'
Then all eyes were withdrawn from hin
and turned on the foreman, who reached
forward and gave the papers which he held
in his hand to the clerk who. in turn. gave
them to the judge. The foreman work wa:
done. The judge and the clerk held {
whispered conference and finally the clerk
raised the paper where the light would fall
on it and the judge bent forward and fixe(
his eyes on the spectators The people
were like marble figures; not q word no
sign did they make, but their eyes merely
shifted from the judge to the clerk. Tht
latter then began reading slowly as follows
1--WE find Spies, Parsons. Fielden. Schwab
Fischer, Lingg and Engel guilty, as charged
in the indictment, and punishable by death
We find Neebe guilty of manslaughter, ant
fix his punishment ut fifteen years In tn
nan'taptiarv."