The Rise and Fall of Anarchy in America: From its Incipient Stage to the First Bomb Thrown in Chicago — John Shaqi
The Rise and Fall of Anarchy in America: From its Incipient Stage to the First Bomb Thrown in ChicagoMcLean, George N.
History
The Rise and Fall of Anarchy in America: From its Incipient Stage to the First Bomb Thrown in Chicago
McLean, George N.
Anarchists -- United States; Haymarket Square Riot, Chicago, Ill., 1886
Some of the anarchists indicted for conspiracy turned State's
evidence. Gottfried Waller, a Swiss by nationality, a cabinet-maker
by trade, formerly a socialist, and a member of the Lehr and Wehr
Verein, testified that the latter organization comprised various armed
groups of anarchists; that the letter "Y" in the _Arbeiter Zeitung_
meant for the armed section to meet at Greif's hall; that he acted as
chairman of the meeting of seventy or eighty persons, Engel, Fischer
and Breitenfeld, the commander of the Lehr and Wehr, being present. The
witness testified that Engel unfolded a plan whereby if a collision
between the strikers and the police should occur, the word "Ruhe"
would appear in the _Arbeiter_ as a signal for the Lehr and Wehr and
the Northwest group of anarchists to assemble in Wicker Park with
arms. They should then storm the North avenue police station, and
proceed thence to other stations, using dynamite and shooting down
all who opposed them, and should cut the telegraph wires to prevent
communication with the outside world. Engel said the best way to begin
would be to throw a dynamite bomb into the police station, and that
when the populace saw that the police were overpowered, tumult would
spread through the city, and the anarchists would be joined by the
working men. This plan, Engel said, had been adopted by the Northwest
group. It was decided to appoint a committee to keep watch of affairs
in the city and to call a meeting for the next night in the Haymarket.
Fischer was directed to get the handbills calling the meeting printed.
Those present at the preliminary meeting represented various groups
throughout the city. Fischer announced that the word "Ruhe" would mean
that a revolution had been started. Engel put the motion, and the plan
was adopted. The committee on action was composed of members from each
group; the witness knew only one--Kraemer. The members of the armed
groups were known by numbers, and witness number was 19.
Spies was questioned in January, 1885, at Grand Rapids, Mich., relative
to these secret organizations, when he said that force must bring about
the necessary reform which the ballot-box had failed to inaugurate and
was incompetent to perform. Shook, of Grand Rapids, also testified that
Spies had said that the secret drilled organizations of Chicago for the
revolution of society numbered over 3,000, and that none except members
of those organizations knew of the _modus operandi_ by which they
intended to wage their warfare.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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