Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-08-19
SPEECHES TO THE JURY
Argument Before the Jury is Begun in
the Chicago Anarchist Trial.
How the Evidence for the Defense AZ
fects the Case for the State.
The First Speech is Made to the jury.

The First Speech is Made to the Jury.
CHICAGO, Aug. 11.-Spies led the de-
PENDANTS into the crowded court room,
this morning, little before 10 o'clock,
and scarcely had they taken their seats
when female friend presented each with
bouquet.
Officer Palmer was called to the stand
by the state and testified that SchnaubeIt
could speak English, contradiCting the
statement made by Spies on the stand.
The witness was not ross-examined.
Detective Bonfeld said, that Spies
statement that he was violently treated
when arrested, and i'll -treated when taken
before Supt. Ebersold, was untrue.
After some discussion as to the order in
which the speeches to the Jury should be
made, it was decided that Assistant
States Attorney Walker, should open for
the state, to be followed by Jeisler for
the defense. Ingham will follow for the
state and he will be followed by Foster
and Black for the defense, Grinneu clos
ing the case for the state.
MR.. WALKER BEGAN
by stating that in this republic all men
stood equal before the law, and when the
perpetrator of any crime stood before the
bar for trial, the goddess of Justice was
indeed blind until his guilt had been
proven, no matter whether he was a So
cialist or an anarchist. The very law
which he had desired to "throttle'' now
stood as his protector until his guilt was
shown, and in this case proof had been
made that defendants were guilty beyond
4ho oh of hn 4
that but fo1 the heroism of the police on
May 4th, many would have keen murder
ed and the ''sociaI revolution" for which
defendants admit they bought dynamite
and arms, would have been accomplished.
These men were guilty under the law of
conspiracy, the result of which was the
throwing of the bomb and the death of
Matthias j. Deegan and "the punishment
for MURDER" said the speaker, lis DEATH
Continuing his speech at the
OPENING OF THE AFTERNOON SESSION
Mr.. Walker defined the law of the state in
relation to accessories, and said the con-
viction of any one of the defendants was
authorized by the law, though he was not
present at the place of the commission of
the crime, nor had ever agreed that the
crime was to have been committed at that
time. The fact that he had advised Or
encouraged the commission of such a
crime, through public speech at pub
lie meeting, or through published articles
or private conversation, made him an
accessory.
Walker spoke with contempt of the
efforts of certain of the defendants to
base their hopes of acquittal upon the
ground that they were not present at the
Haymarket when the bomb was thrown,
and characterized them as leaders in
conspiracy to commit wholesale murder.
He then read from Most's instructions to
the defendants on the witness stand, ad-
vising them to first save them
selves, if possible, for future
Deeds" and if that proved impossible, to
use their position in the witness chair to
teach the principles of revolution. This,
said the speaker, was the course followed
by Parsons. Finding no loop hole for es-
cape, he turned the witness stand into the
stool of propaganda.
Walker was rewarded with a murmur of
applause from the audience when he re-
ferred to Spies speech at Grand Rapids
on Washingtons birthday. Said the
speaker: "Spies compared himself to
GEORGE WASHINGTON,
he said there will be a revolution in 1886
when the eight-hour movement reaches
its elimination. George Washington led
the revolution. If he had failed he
would have been punished, and if I fail
will be punished. There are 5000 revo-
lutionists in Chicago. They are known
by numbers and not by names and any
one can join by application. Walker
then read from the testimony of witness
Wilkinson who swore that Spies
told him a revolution would occur on
the first day of May or about
speaker, 'look like conspiracy"
Walker devoted some time to an editor
ial article in the Alarm which closed with
words: THE social war has come; who
ever is not with US, is against u.s. ''Does
this look like cons piracy?" asked the
speaker. The editor of the Alarm was
Parsons, one of the defendants.
Walker dwelt at some length on Spies
speech to the McCormick's strikers, dur
ing the progress of which a large
number of his audience broke
away and joined in the riot in which
several persons were killed and wounded.
Then said the speaker, ''Spies came
back to the Arbeiter Zeitung Office be-
lieving that he had eight thousand new
converts at his back, and wrote an edi-
torial containing the words: Had they
been provided with good weapons and
one dynamite bomb not one of the muir
derers would have escaped" At this
point Walker read the celebrated 'Ere-
venge" circular, in which the word and
sentiment, revenge" is an inducement
held out to the readers of the circular to
attend the meeting for the purpose to
revenge the victims of the bloodhound
police. "Does this look like
a conspiracy to murder the police" said
the speaker, land is there no signif-
canoe in the fact that Spies called the
revenge meeting to meet on the Hay
market, the very place designated to the
reporter Wilkinson as the location for the
commencement of the social revolution