The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-03-22
THE ANARCHIST's WIFE.
Mrs. Lucy Parsons, Widow of One Of the
Men Hanged at Chicago, Speaks.
From the Philadelphia Press.

Mrs. Lucy Parsons, the widow oft the
Chicago anarchist, addressed a large
meeting Of anarchistic sympathizers in
the Knights of Labor hall, at S06 Girard
avenue yesterday afternoon. She came
here under the auspices of the Interna-
tionale Arbeiter association, which is a
euphemistic term for an association of
anarchists. Since the hanging Of their
Chicago comrades they have been very
discreet and their president said yester-
day that they had disbanded and only
assembled as friends with common
ideas.
Mrs. Parsons is of more pronounced
negro type than is usually imagined
and her accent is decidedly southern,
with twang of the negro dialect. The
lecturer wore neat black gown with
slight hustle, neat cuffs, gold love
locket hanging from her neck, and she
fourished a mourning handkerchief.
Her voice was low yet clear, and her
lengthy address was delivered in a
rambling manner. Itwas quite poetical
at times with an attempt at rhet orical
finish, but as often full of slang and
commonplace sentences. II am a
profetariat," said Mrs. Parsons, "and I
speak so that the common people shall
understand"
The speech was filled with denuncia-
tions of capital, sarcastic filings at re-
igion and glorifcation of the anar-
chists and their ideas. All the infama-
tory speeches were applauded by the
audience, which was strictly foreign in
its make up. The brewers unions were
present in body.
Mrs. Parsons was introduced bya
man named Magee. On the stage with
her was a matronly-looking woman
dressed in black and a young girl in
blue. Takinga sip from a glass of lemo-
made on the stand, Mrs. Parsons began
her address by quoting the last words
of her husband: "Let the voice of the
people be heard; it will ring down the
ages" Continuing she talked right on
of the anarchists, the blessed martyrs,
and "bloody" Oglesby. She said: II
am not here to rail at religion, for I am
an anarchist, and that means 1 am free
to think and act. Anarchy is not dead,
although some of its adherents are
hanged. Such mugs as the papers pub
lish would hang anyone"
She related her trials and troubles,
how she was imprisoned, and then
proceeded to arraign capital. GAS those
who have died are no longer here to
trouble us,n she said, "we can delibe-
rate on what they died for. In the quiet
afternoon in this city of brotherly love
let US think of this. They were worthy
and you allowed them to die"
In rambling way interspersed with
reflections she told the story Of the Hay
market meeting and the story of the
bomb. She accused capitalists of hurl-
ing the bomb, and said it was part of a
conspiracy to grind down the working
people. She went for Chic Arthur
with vengeance, and with great irony
recalled his meeting with Governor
Oglesby while the anarchists were in
prison. "He called u.s." she said, "braw-
ling anarchists, and said that we did
not understand the real harmony of
labor and capital. Beneath the very
shadow of the bastile that held those
martyrs, he refused to aid them. Now
by the iron hand of fate before the
grass has grown green on their graves,
one ofMr. Arthurs men is shot by the
capitalists. I wonder what he thinks
of the exquisite harmony of capital and
labor now. Mr.. Arthur has got to learn
the 4 of the alphabet of labor. Capital
knows no land, no nation, no sex, no
condition other than to rob labor.
There is no harmony and identity.
That is the y of the alphabet"
Mrs. Parsons continued her history
Of the case, and in speaking of those
who prayed for the acquittal she said
aside: ~ am never guilty Of such an
indiscretion myself" [Great applause
She closed her address by prophesying
the supremacy of anarchy.