St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-27
MRS. PARSONS GOLD WATCH.
The Widow of the Dead Anarchist
Wants Jewelry and Not House
Rent.


The Widow of the Dead Anarchist
Wants Jewelry and Not House
Rent.
CHICAGO, Jan. 25.-The Times says:
"The Pioneer Aid and Support associa-
ton has decided to fix the weekly pay
ments to the families Of the executed
anarchists at s. to each of the widows,
50 for each child where there are two
children, and 81 for the third child in
the case of Mrs. Fischer. 1t appears that
the families are better off now, finan-
cially, than they ever were while the
husbands and fathers were alive, and as
their circumstances were bettered so did
their wants increase. The spirit in
which they are accepting the charitable
support of the committee and their con-
duct toward that committee, have led to
much friction, and many members of
the committee are thoroughly dis
guSted.
Mrs. Parsons recently bought a gold
watch, for which she paid s65. Some
time later she complained that she had
no money to pay rent. She got tbs
money and went to Marshall Field 81
Co. and had her measure taken for a
plush cloak.
Mrs. Spies and her grown children
live in house for which she pays S25
rent. She has received about S4OO
from the committee, in addition to her
monthly installments, which was
claimed for the purpose of getting out
biography of August Spies. Mrs. Par
sons got $500 to get out her husband
book on Anarchy" Mrs. Engel got
S400 to pay off some debts on her store.
Before her husband got into trouble
she used to tell him not to work at
painting any more, as the store would
support them. Now she takes her
committee. Some members of the COM
mittee were in favor of leaving those
favored ones without support for
sufficient time to make up
for the money advanced, particularly as
they all have, either means of support or
else grown children capable of sup
porting them. But the women control
the Central Labor union, and any one
who dares oppose them is hauled down
as ''busiueSS socialist" and charged
with treachery to their ''principles,n
Some of the relatives, even, have gone
so far as to write letters to New York
not to send any more money to DE,
Schmidt, the prime mover in the de-
TENSE dllu support committees. Z
At recent meeting of the committee
DR.. Schmidt read passage from such
a letter. and Gretchen Spies said: 81
wrote that letter" One of the most
ridiculous features is that even Elsie
Friedel, who was known as Louis
Lingg's girl, has been expecting money
out of the relief fund. The selfishness
| of some of the families has
repeatedly come near breaking
up the committee, especially
where those with small fami
lies or no children at all insisted On get
ting as much as those who have larger
families, and when they insisted thai
| the title deed to the burial lot should
be transferred to the widows instead O.
the four men who purchased it and as
sumed all esponsibility-Dr. Smidt
Frank Stauber, Henry LinDemeyel
and Max Oppenheimer. A mem
Der of the committee yesterda!
expressed himself in reference to thesi
Quarreis, ana wound up with the state
ment that the families were doing littl,
to prove their claim, that the men VIII,
died were engaged in an unselfish wOrl
for the oppressed, if it was fair to draw
any conclusions as to their character
from the conduct of their widows o
mothers.