The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-06-27
PARDON 10 ANARCHISTS.
Fielden, Neebe and Schwab Are
Freed from Joliet.
REASONS FOR CLEMENCY.
Governor Altgeld Holds That They
Did Not Have a Fair Trial.
That the Court Was Prejudiced and That
in Niebe's Case No Evidence Tended
to Show His Connection With
the Haymarket Riot.

SPRINGFIELD, Ills, June 26.-Gov-
ernor Altgeld today pardoned FieIden,
Neebe and Schwab, the anarchists serving
lie sentences in the Joliet penitentiary
for completely in the Haymarket riot,
Chicago, on the night of May 4, 1886, in
which a large number of police were
killed and wounded, and for which Par
sons Spies and others were han eed and
over whose grave a monument was I'M
yelled by Chicago anarchists yesterday.
This morning the secretary OF state re-
ceived a note from William F. Doze. the
governors private secretary, transmit
ting papers pertaining to the application
Tor pardon and the executive order grant
Ing pardon to the men. The papers
were Immediately made out and given to
f. ID. Dryer, who left on the noon train
for Joliet. He delivered the papers to
Warden Allen and the men were at once
released.
Governor Altgeld's opinion is very
lengthy. After reviewing the history Of
the Haymarket riot, the trial and convic-
tIon OF the men, he says the people who
urged executive clemency based their APP
peal on the ground, assuming that the
prisoners were guilty, that they have
been punished enough, but Others assert
tnat the jury which tried the case was
packed, and according to law the Jurors
were not competent and the trial there
fore not legal. Further, that defendants
were not proved guilty of the charges in
the Indictment, and the states attorney
declared that there was no case against
Neebe. That the trial Judge was either
so prejudiced or else so determined to win
the applause of a certain class that he did
not grant fair trial.
After reviewing those reasons the COVER
nor says that if defendants had a fair trial
there should be no executive interference
IN this case. On the first proposition the
governor shows that the jury was not Sc
Iected In the usual way. but men were
| summoned who were known to be preiu-
diced against the defendants. On the
question OF the competency of the Jurors
to act as such, the governor quotes from
the record OF the supreme court of Hi
nols IN what is known as the Cronin case.
In which jurors answering questions al
most the same as in this case were held to
be incompetent.
On the Indictment question the gov
ernor says it is not known who threw the
bomb. He further shows that the actual
throwing was probably an act of ven
| geance by some one who had been NAL
treated by Police Captain Bonfeld. The
governor also quotes statement made bv
the then Chief of Police Ebersold, from
which it appears that 1t was the policy of
number of police officials to stir up
sentiment by largely exaggerating the
| number and activity of the anarchists.
Ebersold is quoted as saying: SCI began
! to think there perhaps is not so much to
this anarchy business as they cIaimed''
| The governor holds from this that
most of the so-called conspiracies were
really mere creations of the police ofic-
ials in search of glory and reward by sub
sequently discovering" them. AS to
Neebs's innocence the governor quotes
from letter written by Mayor Harrison,
| in which it is shown that there was never
any evidence against him. Mayor Har-
| rison's letter is endorsed by
Fred 8. Winston, then corporation
counsel of Chicago. In conclusion the
governor refers to the conduct of Pre-
siding Judge Gary, showing that on
every point his ruling was in favor of the
state, and throughout the trial Judge
Gary manifested feeling and venom
against defendants, which left q pro-
nounced mark upon the jury.