Anarchy and Anarchists: A History of the Red Terror and the Social Revolution in America and Europe; Communism, Socialism, and Nihilism in Doctrine and in Deed; The Chicago Haymarket Conspiracy and the Detection and Trial of the ConspiratorsSchaack, Michael J.
History
Anarchy and Anarchists: A History of the Red Terror and the Social Revolution in America and Europe; Communism, Socialism, and Nihilism in Doctrine and in Deed; The Chicago Haymarket Conspiracy and the Detection and Trial of the Conspirators
At this juncture the police made their appearance. During the remarks
of Spies and Parsons, detectives had frequently reported to the station
that only moderate, temperate sentiments were being uttered, but after
Fielden had got fairly worked up to his subject, this was changed. The
crowd was being wrought up to a high point of excitement, and there
were frequent interjections of approval and shouts of indignation.
Fielden’s was just such a speech as they had expected to hear. Very
little was required to incite them to the perpetration of desperate
deeds. Like a sculptor with his plastic model, Fielden had molded
his audience to suit the purpose of the occasion. With his rough and
ready eloquence he stirred up their innermost passions. His biting
allusions to capitalists caught the hearts of the uncouth mob as with
grappling-hooks, and his appeals for the destruction of existing laws
shook them as a whirlwind.
It would be as well, he said, for workmen to die fighting as to
starve to death. “Exterminate the capitalists, and do it to-night!”
The officers detailed to watch the proceedings saw that the speech
portended no good, and they communicated the facts to Inspector
Bonfield. Even then the Inspector hesitated. To use his own language,
in the report he sent to Superintendent Ebersold: “Wanting to be
clearly within the law, and wishing to leave no room for doubt as to
the propriety of our actions, I did not act on the first reports, but
sent the officers back to make further observations. A few minutes
after ten o’clock, the officers returned and reported that the crowd
were getting excited and the speaker growing more incendiary in his
language. I then felt that to hesitate any longer would be criminal,
and gave the order to fall in and move our force forward on Waldo
Place,”—a short street south of the Desplaines Street Station.
[Illustration: LIEUT. (NOW CHIEF) G. W. HUBBARD.]
The force formed into four divisions. The companies of Lieuts. Steele
and Quinn formed the first; those of Lieuts. Stanton and Bowler, the
second; those of Lieut. Hubbard and Sergt. Fitzpatrick, the third; and
two companies commanded by Lieuts. Beard and Penzen constituted the
fourth, forming the rear guard, which had orders to form right and
left on Randolph Street, to guard the rear from any attack from the
Haymarket. These various divisions thus covered the street from curb
to curb. Inspector Bonfield and Capt. Ward led the forces, in front of
the first division. On seeing them advancing in the distance, Fielden
exclaimed:
“Here come the bloodhounds. You do your duty, and I’ll do mine!”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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