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
"How did you come to do that?"--"The night before at 11 o'clock I
received a letter as follows: _Mr. Editor_: Please insert in to-day's
letter-box the word 'Ruhe' in prominent letters."
"At that time did you know there was any import attached to the
word?"--"I did not."
"When did you next hear of it?"--"The next afternoon Balthazar Rau
asked me if the word was in the paper. I said: 'Yes.' He asked me if I
knew the meaning. I said: 'No.' Then he said: 'The armed section had
a meeting last night and adopted the word 'Ruhe' as a signal to keep
their powder dry and be in readiness in case the police precipitated
a riot.' I asked if that had anything to do with the meeting I was to
address at the Haymarket, and he said: 'Oh, no; that's something the
boys got up themselves.' I said it was very foolish, that it was not
rational, and asked if there was no way in which it could be undone.
Rau then went to see the people of the armed section and told them the
word was put in by mistake."
"Were you a member of the armed section?"--"No, not for six year."
"Did you ever have dynamite and a fuse in your desk?"--"Yes, I had two
packages of giant powder and some fuse in my desk for two years. I had
them chiefly to show to reporters, they bothered me a good deal. They
always wanted some sensation. Then, too, I wanted the dynamite to study
it; I had read a great deal about explosives."
"Do you know anything about a package of dynamite found on the shelf in
the closet of the _Arbeiter Zeitung_?"--"Ab-so-lute-ly nothing."
"Do you know anything about a revolver that was found in the _Arbeiter
Zeitung_ office?"--"No. I do not. I carried a revolver myself, but it
was a good one."
"Did you carry a revolver?"--"Yes. I always thought it was a good
thing to be prepared. I was out late at night a good deal."
"Did you have a revolver that night?"--"No, it was too heavy. I left it
with ex-Ald. Frank Stauber."
"You were arrested May 5?"--"Yes."
"Tell us how."--"Well, an officer--James Bonfield, I think--came to my
office and asked for Schwab. He said Chief Ebersold would like to see
him. Schwab asked me if he should go. I said yes, he might. Then the
officer turned to me and asked me if my name was Spies. I said yes.
Then he said Superintendent Ebersold would like to see me about that
affair of last night. I went over there, unsuspectingly. I was never so
treated before in all my life."
"Tell what happened?"--"Well, as soon as I got into the station
Superintendent Ebersold started at me. He said: 'You dirty Dutch
dog; you hound; you whelp--you, we will strangle you! We will kill
you!' Then they jumped on us, tore us apart from each other. I never
said anything. Then they searched us, took our money, even our
handkerchiefs, and would not return them to us. I was put in a cell,
and have not had my liberty since."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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