Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-08-20

the anarchists at their meetings. Fielden
Drought with him another agitator named Cor
began systematic organization in dead earnest.
The anarchist organization was divided up into
groups. each holding regular meetings twice a
week under the general name of the II. u. w.
2. A" The Germans, Poles, and Bobemians
OF the city focked into the groups, and
listened lm.e e ,de,ilightedly to the fiery talk of prop
to be accomplished by force. and that in its
most barbaric and inhuman forms. They
never spoke OF building up anything, it was
there were five or six anarchist groups in the
city. They had as their banners, very natural
Y, rea and aaa black black ha r.. signifying blood, de,
their organ. In the fall of 1884 the principal
group, known MS the American group No. 1, was
formed by Parsons. Fielden, Spies, Holmes.
Barker, Keesan. and John A. Henry. Homes
agency. Barker was an expressman and o great
dynalniter. keegan was q blatherskite sort of
cnGp, while Henry was q smooth-talking villain
OF a printer.
Henry always delighted in stating at the
meetings that the public called him blood
thirsty, and seemed anxious to appear q fero-
ciou3 anarchist, as I'LL the rest did. Henry was
out OF his group, md was not very well known.
One OF the first to join the group after its orga-
%nization was q man named Doucey. q stair
bu lder by trade, and d property-owner him
self, and. in addition, one of the worst landlords
IN tne city of Chicago. Doucey was q French
Canadian, and a very mean man. He was the
.4.o " Nntt upoA oA0 0AAbA W uOJu1O G4o
ballot. This was unnecessary, SO far as the
German, Polish, and Bohemian groups were
concerned, for none of the members were citi-
zens.
The American group, which was the principal
one, as 1 have stated, met every Wednesday
evening and Sunday afternoon, on the third
named Holmes was elected permanent treas
urer, aud Fielden permanent secretary. These
were the only, peri lently appointed officials
connected with the group. About all that
Fielden had to do was to note the subject dis
cussed ut the meetings, and the speakers, in a
little book, and to give out the subject to be
initiated new members and collected dues and
private subscriptions He pGid the expense
bills. No bonds were demanded from him as a
money was divided between Parsons, SPIES,
keeper keeiasH' d irHsa.''' For ssn'{ his ''s shar rue Of sA'o the
surplus, Grief supplied the meeting with vile
beer and worse cigars. The leaders secured
most of their living from these surplus funds.
The secretary usually called the meetings to
during the session. The principal speaker was
allowed one hour in which to give his views,
and was followed by Others who were confined
of the speaking Fielden would announce to the
audience that us they were not millionaires it
would be necessary to take up q collection to
defrny the expenses of the gas and hall. Nearly
all generally responded to this request, md SUBJ
scriptions ranged from five cents to 81. After
the cash WAS safely taken care of. Fielden would
duuOuIC0 GllttU dlyOOly COuIu JUL LuS group ny
signing their names in u book and paying a fee
OF ten cents. If any one didn't happen to have
the ten cents, why it made no great difference.
During the foil Of 1884 and The spring OF 1885
the organization of anarchists thrived wonder
fully, and the little meeting hall was packed
always. It soon became a great resort for
trnmps, who could air their grievances, enjoy q
good fire, and get M occasional glass of beer
from Grief for nothing. Women We're as eager
ly welcomed to the organization as men, and
some of them were the most earnest and hard
est workers of the lot. Among the most DrOmi.
nent female anarchists was, quite naturally,
Mrs. Parsons, the colored wife of tho leader.
active worker for the organization. Both were
as homely us sin, and it was q toss up as to
which was the prettier. Next came a Mrs.
lever in dynamite to Mrs. Parsons. She be-
lieved in the use of the dagger, pistol, and
other weapons rs we'll. Anything that would
what it was. She was a perfect vixen and u
decidedly dangerous person. A Miss Moore.
who had turned the shady side of 30, unmar-
ried and disguised with the world and society
in general and herself in particular, also took u
prominent part in the work, and never failed
to mako herself heard with the rest at every
meeting.
Apparently all that was being done or said
TRANSFERRED at these meetings, which were open
to the public, but in reality all important bust
ness was transacted at q secret meeting held
but true blue" anarchists were admitted
to these secret conclaves. All the
women were admitted to these, how
ever, for no stancher supporters OF the
doctrine of anarchy than they could be found.
They were desperately in earnest in all they
| said and did. 1t was ut these secret business
meetings that ways and means We're discussed.
Tbs principal scheme was to raise funds enough
to procure the services of a thoroughly skilled
| professor of chemistry, one who was away up
On the subject of explosives in general, and
take q class # anarchists and instruct them
fully in all the mysteries of explosives, 80 TINT
| they could in turn instruct their fellow-anarch
| lists ind prepare them TO: the revolution which
| was to arrive in time. This matter OF Il revolu-
| ton was openly asjtated at I'LL tho meetings.,
and preached to the reople constantly.
| The German group OF anarchists WAS the nfst
| to arm themselves and prepare for the unt:c1-
! pated revolution. The workings of the group
were conducted in the same manner as those OF
he American group. III March, 1855, the Ger
! mans got I'D n subscription and purchased q
| number of rifles. An anarchist named 3. Kan
acted Ms Purchasing agent for them, ana secnred
amount of money. A military company was at
| once organized from among the members OF the
group, and it began drilling Ut No. % Mess
| the anarchists. Removal was made to the
basement of q house on Milwaukee ave-
nue., because target practice e ed De Sc
| md were preparing themselves for murderous
! conflict. About May, 1885. the American group
also organized q military compa4EE ~ Of lnous
| hall of No. 54 West Lake street, but on Q differ
emit night from the meetings. Parsons, Fielden.
Holmes, Haby, swenk, Kan kan' W M1 lite nrd 1nfaent
anerefi api We're n members. Through a misun-
Outstanding, the American group had to remove
tors did NOT suit they went back again.
At the time OF the Haymarketrio riot in May there
were no less than thirteen regularly constituted nhieasn
In pddition to these. there are about seventy
five anarchist groups located in different parts
Of the country, all bound in the hea firm belief II ts 81
y % said supt. Cornish, "thatthese annrchists
are dangerous people to have Ground, 90 and nd, taey
This is a free country and all that, but it has
no use for such murdsrops scum: n Eo Gb IL the
time to do it. Certainly the people OF G IN thst
an example win be made OF the leaders they
now are trying"