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
"We stand in the temple of justice to exercise the law, where all men
stand equal. No matter what may have been the deep turpitude of the
crime, no matter what may have been the design, though it aim even at
the overthrow of the law itself, no man ought to be convicted of the
crime charged until proven guilty beyond all reasonable doubt. These
men were presumed innocent at the outset until the proof presented by
the State established their guilt. The defendants were charged with
murder. Murder was defined to be the unlawful killing of a person
in the peace of the people. An accessory was he who stands by and
aids or abets or advises the deed, or who, not standing by, aids or
abets or advises the deed, and such persons are to be considered as
principals and punished. Whether the principals are punished or not,
they are equally as guilty as the principals. When a number of persons
conspire together to do a certain act, and when, in furtherance of this
design, some one is killed, all those in the conspiracy are guilty of
murder before the fact. The defendant's counsel have told you these
men conspired to precipitate the social revolution, and though that
conspiracy cost Matthias J. Degan his life, yet you are told these
defendants are guilty only of murder. Was Luther Payne or Mrs. Surratt
held guilty when in the execution of a conspiracy President Lincoln
was killed? Neither Payne nor Surratt committed the deed, yet they
were held guilty. There was a conspiracy; it was designed to bring
about another revolution. Booth killed President Lincoln, but all who
participated in the conspiracy had to forfeit their lives."
[Illustration: COUNSEL FOR THE STATE.]
"If a body of men, inflamed with resentment, proceed to pull down a
building, or to remove an objectionable obstruction and death to some
one ensues, each one of these men is individually responsible for the
killing. Nobody knew this better than August Spies, the author of the
'Revenge' circular. Suppose that a body of men undertake to pull down
a building; there is a common design to demolish that building, and a
stone is thrown, not at any individual but at the building, and some
one is struck by this stone and killed, all of those engaged in the
execution of that common design are responsible for the killing of
this one person. When there is an intent grievously to hurt and death
is occasioned, then the offense is murder. Was this man [pointing to
Fischer] in this conspiracy for murder? This man with his revolver a
foot long and his file dagger with a groove? What is this groove for?
It is for prussic acid. Was this man in the conspiracy?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account