The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-06-27
Samuel Fielden, Oscar Neebe and Mi
chael Schwab Ont Of Prison.
Released from Joliet Penitentiary By Gov.
Allgsld. Who Concluded Yesterday they
Were Wrongfully Convicted.
Long Statement Giving His Reasons for
Granting Executive ClemeDcy.
Judge Gary, Who Presided at the Trial of the
Haymarket Assassins. Scored-lhe
Freed Men at Home.

SPRINGFIELD. ILL.,. June 26.-Anarchists
Fielden, Neebe and Schwab were pardoned
by Governor Altgeld to-day. E. p. Dreyer.
who has been interested in their case from
the start, came from Chicago this morning.
ana. after securing q pardon for each
of them from the hands of Governor
Altgeld, left with il tor Joliet at
noon. 1t is supposed Mr.. Dreyer's in
fiuence Was decisive. It was not even
know that the case was being considered
by the Governor. and his action created
great surprise. Governor Altgeld' ssstate-
ment accompanying the pardons contained
1900 words The Governor reviews the
story of the Hsymsrket meeting of
tho basis of the appeal for par
don was the petition signed by
several Thousand merchants bankers.
judges, lawyers and other prominent citi-
zens of Chicago. which. assuming the
prisoners TO be guilty. stated the belief
that the prisoners have been punished
enough. but q number of them who have
examined the case more carefully base
their appeal on entirely different grounds,
and assert:
First-That the jury which tried the case was
q packed jury. secured 10 convict
second-That, according To the law. as laid
down by the Supreme Court, both prior and sub
sequent to the trial OF this case. the jurors ac-
cording to their own answers, were not coinpe-
tent jurors, and the trial was, therefore, not .
legal one.
Third-That the defendants were not proven
20 be guilty OF the crime charged in the indict-
ment
Fourth-That, as TO the defendant Neebe. the
States attorney had declared. at the close OF the
- kk.r 81 atnct i'm
and Jet he has been kept IN prison all thes-
years.
Fifth--That the trial judge was either so pre-
.judiced against the defendants, or else so deter
termined TO win the applause of a certasn class
in the community, that he could not and did not
grant fair trial.
ished enough, / will merely say that If the
defendants had q fair trial. and nothing
has developed since to show that they are
not guilty of the crime charged in the in
dictment, then there ought to be no execu-
tive Interference for no punishment under
our laws can then be too much. Govern
ment must defend itself. Life and proper
~ must be protected and law and order
must be maintained. Murder must
be punished, and so If the defend
ants are guilty of murder. either committed
with their own hands or by some one else
acting on their advice. and II they have
had a fair trial there should be II? this case
no executive interference. lie soil of
America is not adapted tor the mouth of
Anarchy. While our institutions are not
free from injustice. they are stlll the best
> that have yet been devised, AM therefore
must DO maintained.
THE GOVERNORS REASONS.
On the first proposition the Governor
shows that the jury was not selected In the
usual way by drawing names from box.
but that on motion of the States attorney
the court appointed Henry l.. Rice as spe-
cial bailift TO summon such men as he saw
fit. and that Rice elected jurymen whom be
PENDANTS. BY this MEANS and with the
aid of the court. which refused
TO sustain challenges for cause, the
defendants were compelled to exhaust the
TO take preiudiced men. The allegations
that the special deputy was prejudiced and
selected only such men as he boosted
would hang the defendants" Is supported
inent business men in Chicago. In this
connection the Governor quotes numer-
Gus extracts from the examination
OF jurymen. which. he asserts, tends
TO show that jurors who had
positively confessed to a pronounced preju-
dice and bad stated that they could not Try
the case fairly. were taken in hand by the
court su bsequently and persuaded to say
that they thought they could give ver-
dict in accordance with the evidence. In
one case the Juror frankly stated that he
was so handicapped by his prejudice that
be could not try the case fairly.
but that the presiding judge, Gary, over
ruled the challenge for cause, and in the
presence of the entire panel remarked,
We'll. you are sufficiently qualified for q
juror. The more a man feels that he Is
handicapped, the more will ne be guarded
against"
On the second point the Governor quotes
from the record of the Supreme Court of
Illinois. in what was known Is the Cronin
case. in wLioh the examination of jurors
was similar TO that pursued in this case
and In which the Jurors answered
were almost verbatim rs In this.
in which the court held that the jurors
were utterly incompetent. and that the
mere fact that the Judge had succeeded by
an adroit manipulation in getting juror to
say that be would try the case fairly on the
evidence did not make him competent
after he had expressed strong prejudice.
On the record question. where the proof
Allows the guilt of the defendants. the
Governor first cites the presiding Judges
theory as to the ground upon which the
conviction was had. namely. that it was
not on account of any personal partioipa-
tl0n In the act which caused the death OF
began. but because the defendants ad adj
vfsed by speech ana printing general in
terms. violence It Is shown In this connec-
tion that the prosecution IN this way made
it appear that the man who threw the
bombs acted upon advice given by the &C.
cused.
no UcVcIuof soy y tHdt tue Actu8l tDr0W-
ing of the bomb was probably an act of
vengeance committed by some one who
had been maltrested by police captain
John Bonield. who WAS In charge OF the
souad of police into which the
bomb was thrown. Numerous affi-
davIts and statements are quoted showing
that Bonfield had been guilty of innumera-
bic acts of violence and brutality com.
mitsed upon workiugmsn. and by ISLANDERS
during times of labor troubles. That the
got OF throwing the bomb was an act of
one seeking personal revenge tor outraGes
committed by Captain Bontield is
made TO appear probable from statements
and atdsvits. especially when il is
remembered that only one bomb was
thrown. and that if any body or associa-
tion of men had ssse m bled for n purpose of
murder or assassination. their action would
have been concerted. and n number of
bombs could have been thrown.
CHARGES AGAINST TIE POLICE.
The Governor also quotes q abatement
made by the then Chief of Police EbersoId.
from which it appears that If was the