New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1896-11-18
GIVES ALTHELD HIS DUE
Proctor Knott, the Noted Kentuckian, Says
the Governor is not an Anarchist.
In Well written Communication he Gives
his Reasons for Thinking so. 3

the abuse that has been heaped upon til
Illinois governor, it makes interesting
reading. He says: y .
! Replying to polite request for m,
opinion with regard to the charge o
anarchism SO frequently alleged Of lat,
against Gov. John P. Altgeld Of Illinois
I have no hesitation in saying that, il
my judgment, there is not the slightes
foundation for it whatever. There is not
indeed, so far as have been able tt
learn, solitary fact in his past history
nor syllable in any of his past utter.
ances, public or private, calculated tc
excite suspicion in any just mind that
he ever entertained shade of sympathy
I with such an atroc;ous sentiment for a
single moment.
This you may think, Is putting it rath.
er strongly, but it is rot particle strong
er than truth and simple justice to a
much abused gentleman require. I am
not personally acquainted with him. !
ne:er saw him in my life. But every
thing I have heard touching his charac-
ter, from persons of the highest respect
ability who have known him intimately
for years, everything ever read from
his pen, and every act of his public life
which has come under my observation
show him to be a man of rare ability,
strict integrity, dauntless courage and
exalted patriotlsm-unfaltering in his
fealty to the constitution, proud of his
state, jealous of her honor, faithful to
her institutions, fearless in the execution
Of her laws and devoted TO the prosperi-
ty and happiness of her people. To sus-
pect, indeed, that he can be tinctured
with the faintest trace Of aAalchism, in
view of his long and honorable career as
judge, his triumphant election as COVER
nor of u great state, his fearless and I'M
partial discharge of his duties as such
for nearly four years, and his recent un-
animous denomination for the same ex-
allied position against his own earnest re-
quest, requires IA degree of credulity en-
tirely beyond the comprehension of the
ordinary mind.
On the first appearance Of the absurd
charge against Gov. Altgeld it struck MT
as SO utterly at variance with every :hing
had heard concerning his character. ard
SO inconsistent with common sense it.
self, that | determined to at once intern
myself as accurately as possible of the
facts upon which il was claimed to be
based, and fortunately can speak of them
from copies Of official documents NOW
before me. They are briefly as follows:
On the night of May 4, 1896, some
500 or 1000 laborirg men assembled on
Haymarket square in Chicago to protest
against the alleged brutality of the po-
lice on some former occasion, when sew
cral persons had been killed. The may
or was present and remained until the
crowd began to dispcrsc. Up to that
time the meeting was orderly, but when
it was learned the mayor had gone de-
tachmcnt Of police appeared on the scene
for the purpose of dispensing she REM
nant of the meeting remaining on the
square. AS the police appeareda pomb
was thrown, which exploded, killing sew
eral Of them and wounding others, a.
mong the former one Matthias Degan
Who threw the bomb was not known
and has not been ascertained to this day,
but August Spies, A. r. Parsons, Louis
Lining, Michael Schwab, Samuel Fielden,
George Engle. Adolph Fischer and o.
car Neebe we're arrested and Subsequent
ly indicted and tried for Degan's murder
The prosecution proceeded On the theo-
~ that; notwithstanding the fact that it
was impossible to show by whom the
bono was thrown. the accused were gull
tv Of the murder because they had at
various times altered and printed sedi-
tious and incendiary language, practi-
caliy advising the killing Of policemen
and others acting in that capacity. The
public, all over the country as we'll as in
Chicago, was greatly excited and, after
a prolonged trial, all the defendants were
found guilty. Neebe was sentenced to
fifteen years. Imprisonment and all the
Others to be hanged. Lining committed
suicide, the sentence Of Fielden aud
Schwabswas COMMITTED to imprisonment
for life and the Others were executed. &
In the spring of 1898 several thousand
merchants, bankers, judges, lawyers and
other prominent citizens Of Chicago Pc
titioned Gov. Altgeld tospardon Neebc,
Fieldon and Schwah nm the Ground tlof