Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-10-14
Spies Speaks in Self-Defense.

Spies Speaks in Self Defense.
CHICAGO, Oct. 7.-When Judge Gary
asked the prisoners whether they had
anything to offer why sentence should
not be passed upon them, Spies stepped
forward and began reading a prepared
speech. He commenced by saving:
"Your honor, In addressing this court I
speak as the representative of one class
addressing the representative of another.
will begin with the words addressed 500
years ago on a similar melton by the We
netion dodge who addressing the court
said My defense is your accusation.
The cause of my alleged crime is your
history have been indicted on a charge
of murder as an accomplish or
accessory. Upon this Indictment [ have
been convicted. There was no evidence
produced by the state to show, or even
indicate that had any knowledge of the
man who threw the bomb, or that I my
self had anything to do with it. Not the
slightest evidence was ever produced to
show that [ had anything to do with
the throwing of the missile, unless you
believe the testimony of the accomplices
of the states attorney apd- Ponfi aid. the
testimony Of Thompson and Gilmer. If
responsible for it, then my execution is
nothing but a wilful, malicious and de-
liberate murder.
AS FOUL A MURDER
as may be found in the annals of relig
ious, political Or any other sort of pros e.
cution. Spies then reviewed the evidence
presented by the prosecution and charg-
ed the states attorney and BOnfela with
cons piracy to commit murder. Spies de-
voted some time to a discussion of social
ism and said you wanted to stamp out
conspiracy. You resemble child that
! is looking at his picture behind mir
ror. What you see and what you try to
grasp in our movement is nothing
! but creation of your own
bad consciences. If you want to stamp
out conspiracies and agitations you must
stamp out every factory lord who has
made his wealth upon the unpaid labor
of his employees and the landlord who has
made his money from the ground down
and oppressed laborers and farmers. If
you think you can crush out the ideas
sending Us to the galIows. that
you can SUPPRESSED truth, for that is
all that we have been preaching,
|
widely Spies wildly shrieked, Il shall die
proudly, defantly for the cause of just
ice" There is Socrates; there is Calico;
there is Piordano Bruno; there is Christ.
! Why, the number cannot be estimated of
| those who have trodden in these paths,
and we are ready to follow them.
MICHAEL sCHwAB THEN TOOK THE FLOOR.
In stentorlan voice he began: "It is not
much [ have to say, and [ would not say
| anything at all did I not fear silence
would look like cOwardly approval of
what has been done here. [ am con-
demned to die for writing newspaper ed
! itorials." The anarchist then went on to
| Justify these articles by going over in de-
! tail all real or imaginary evils of the &C
cumulations of capital and the injustice
| of the relations between employer and
employees.
Then followed a disquisition on the
principles and theories of socialism and
anarchism. He concluded by disayowing
| all knowledge of the man who threw the
bomb, and protested that he intended to
do no violence at the haymarket.
OSCAR NEEBE, THE NEXT SPEAKER,
had no sooner taken the floor than he
burst into violent abuse, calling States
Attorner Grinnell cur, and his assist
ants, Messrs. Walker and Furthmann
scoundrels, and saying that there was
only one gentleman in the crowd, and
that was Ingham.
The police were assailed in peculiar
phraseology and in short, Neebe's speech
was TRADE of abuse vilifying the police
and authorities and abandoning himself
to loud appeal to the jury to have him
with the others. He cried: at would be
aore honorable to be strangled by the
neck than to die by inches. Ny wife and
children will then be at ease some time
but they can never get over it if their
husband is sent to Joliet. Hang me,
your honor with my comrades"
ADoLPH FISHER CAME NEXT.
He commenced: ''your honor you ask
me to say why sentence of death should
not be passed upon me. protest against
my being sentenced to death because L
have committed no crime. l was tried
in this jury room for murd er and L was
convicted for an anarchist. l don't at all
deny that I was one of the parties who
| Summoned this meeting in Haymarket