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
“On Tuesday, May 4, 1886, about 9:30 P.M., myself and old man Lehman
were together on the corner of North Avenue and Larrabee Street, near
the police station, and afterwards we went back to Neff’s Hall. Three
men came into the saloon and said that there had been a terrible
explosion on the West Side at the Haymarket meeting and that a great
many were killed and wounded; that Fielden had made a speech, and a
radical one. The police came, and a shot was fired. Some one in the
crowd said: ‘Now, do not spare powder or lead.’ A friend of mine got
shot through the cheek. The man works for Mr. Christal, corner of Lake
and State Streets, in a basement—a carpenter-shop. That man stated
that he was there at the meeting, standing near the speaker, and about
fifteen feet away from where the bomb was thrown. The understanding
with us when we left Neff’s Hall on that Tuesday night, May 4, was
to make a racket that would call out the police. It was a failure
because the West Side police did not come out any sooner to interfere
with the meeting or the mob. The grudge we had was the score of the
police shooting our men at McCormick’s factory. We wanted revenge.
The order came from the International armed men or the group. I was
at Greif’s Hall, 54 West Lake Street, May 3. I there saw a circular
calling for revenge. I was at the meeting Monday night at Zepf’s Hall,
and there an order was given for the armed men to go to 54 West Lake
Street, in the basement. The pass-word to get into that meeting was ‘Y
komme.’ I went there to the meeting. I found George Engel there, and
he made a speech. The whole plan was then unfolded by Engel. He said
that there would be a meeting held on Tuesday night, May 4, at the
Haymarket, and that the North Siders should stay on the North Side,
and there they should wait until it had started—meaning the riot
on the West Side. Engel said that some of those who had arms should
come to the meeting, and those who had no arms should stay away from
the meeting at the Haymarket. At the meeting in the basement a man
by the name of Waller was chairman. George Engel did the speaking.
There were about fifty men present belonging to the armed sections.
Engel explained that the plan would have to be worked in this way:
As soon as they had commenced on the West Side, then they should
commence on the South Side and the North Side. Engel stated that
the signal would be a fire which would be set, and seen at Wicker
Park, and by the noise of the shooting. That would be the signal for
commencing, and they should all attack the police stations; should
throw dynamite bombs into the stations, to either kill or keep the
officers in the stations, and should shoot the horses on the patrol
wagons to prevent the police from helping one another. Engel is the
man who proposed this plan. Engel is the only man that gave us any
orders. And under the orders Engel gave us that night, May 3, in that
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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