Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-08-13
THE ANARCHIST TRIAL.
The Prosecution Close Their Case
Attorney Salomon Opens for
the Defense.
An Interesting Story as to How Capt.
Setback Eunted Down the
C%onspirators,
[Chicago telegram,1

[Chicago telegram.l .
After the presentation of some purely
formal evidence as to the time and place of
Officer Degan's death, and the reading of
various %incendiary articles from a%narchistic
journals, the State closed its case against
the bomb-throwers on Saturday. During
the reading of the articles, which grew
more virulent as the LIST of May approached,
the red and black flags and infammatory
banners Of the socialists were presented to
the jury. When the State had rested, the
attorneys for the defense moved that Oscar
Neebe be discharged, and followed by a
motion that all the defendants except Spies
and Fischer be dismissed. These motions
We're argued at some length, but were over
ruled by the court, which held that where
there is q general advice to commit murder.
the time and occasion not being foreseen,
the adviser is guilty if the murder is com
mitted.
Mr.. Solomon then made the opening
statement for the defense. His effort was
not remarkable in any way except in that
it practically admitted very much that was
claimedby the prosecution. His chief ar
guments conferred upon two points: First,
there cannot be accessories without a prin-
cipal; second, the defendants did not throw
the bomb. Upon the first of these points
he held that the State must prove that
somebody was a principal in committing the
murder before it could convict the defend
ants as accessories. The manufacture of
bombs, the intent to use dynamite, and the
preparation for q revolution by force were
admitted by Mr.. Solomon, who made fully
as many points for the State as for his Gil
ents.
At this stage of the case a brief and au-
thentic record of the clever work of Cap
tain Setback and his assistants will be Of
interest. Captain Schaack has only six
troll. These are Schuttler, Lowenstein,
Whalen, Hoffman, Stiff, md Rehm. These
are the men that gathered the evidence that
hung Mulkowski, and it was these same
men who gathered practically all the evil
dence against the anarchists. Acting under
the general direction of Captain Shack,
they worked night and day and left no
stone unturned until every fact was laid
bare. The morning of May 5, the day after
the massacre, Captain Setback had a con-
sultation with Chief Ebersold. Il want to
work independently in this case," said
Shack; II want no help from the Central
Station. Your detectives here can work by
themselves, and l and my men will work
by ourselves" Chief Ebersold agreed. At
that time Lieutenant Shea, chief of the de-
tective department and its force of thirty
men, had arrested Spies, Parsons, Schwab,
Fielder, Fischer, and several others openly
identified with the anarchists or connected
with the anarchic publications, and had
seized the stuff in the Arbeiter- Zeitung
Building.
Setback called in his six men and gave
them their instructions. The second
morning afterward (May y he had learn
ed of bombs having been made in one or
two houses on Sedgwick street, and also in
a certain place in the lumber district. In
those two days, it might be stated, the
whole city was practically secured by those
six men in their search for o bomb factory.
The work had not been completed, but had
merely narrowed down to certain districts
and had resulted in certain pointers from
which that information of May z was gath
cred. Schuttler and Lowenstein and some
officers in uniform were sent to the two
houses on Sedgwick street, n of which
few doors off on the opposite side of the
street. Oppenheimer, the escaped inform
er, said that when the officers were going
toward Seliger's he and Lingg were stand
ing on the opposite sidewalk and that they
discussed the feasibility of making a rush
for the house and getting in in time to arm
themselves and kill the officers in case they
were actually bound for Seliger's. But
the unconscious officers were too quick in
their movements and go. to the house first.
Then Linggg said he would hide, and in
structed Oppenheimer to send his trunk to
No. II West Lake street in case the officers
did not take them away. 1t was then that
Schuttler and Lowenstein found the Lingg-
Seliger arsenal and all the internal machin-
cry for bomb manufacture. The officers
held possession of the place until every
thing was taken to the station. Seliger
shop the same evening, and was lodged in
the East Chicago Avenue Station. This
was the first arrest of Importance as lead
ing directly to the conspiracy. That night
Thi elen came to see what his friend Sell
ger was arrested for, and he too was put
under lock and key. 1t was then that
Lingg first was heard of. Thielen was the
first informer, but it was some days before
he willingly told anything. His talk the
first night, however, regarding Seligers
lodger, Lingg, and Seliger's talk on the
same subject, led Schacck to believe Cat
Lingg was an important factor in the case.
Schuttler and Lowenstein then bent all
their energies to Lingg's capture. They
tracked him first by an express wagon he
had hired to deliver his tool-chest at
Twelfth and Clark streets. Then they
traced him to Canal street. and then to the
lumber district, frequently losing the trai!
and then catching it again. Finally, the
14th, they located him in the little cottage
on Ambrose street, where they arrested him.
Lingg was an unconscious informer. He
was defiant; he desire | to conceal nothing
regarding himself, and in his reckless
moods he disclosed many things that
were valuable. Then Thielen squealed.
A host of conspiratols were hunted
down by these six detectives aud arrested.
Assistant States Attorney Furthman,
whom Setback describes as better tLan any
two detectives in the city, interviewed the
prisoners daily and nightly in their native
tongue, and kept a record of all their
statements.
A LAWYER walked down the street re-
Gently, with his length of arms taxed to
hold a lot of law-books. To him a friend,
pointing al the books, said: "Why, l
fhorobf Won coriai all that stuff in your