On cross-examination Thompson said:
“My grocery store was closed by the Sheriff under an execution. I worked for Marshall Field before. I had never seen any of the defendants, to my knowledge, before that night, in my life. When I saw Spies and Schwab go into the alley, there was a crowd there. I was standing right near the alley, or alongside north of it, up against the building. I couldn’t see down the alley unless I turned my face to it. The first time I had ever seen Spies was when he got up on the wagon. Spies got out of the wagon and went into Crane’s alley with Schwab. I was right around the corner of the alley within three feet probably at the farthest, and I moved down to within half a foot. I did not look down the alley, only when they came out of the alley I did look. The conversation between Spies and Schwab was in English. I don’t understand German. I didn’t hear any words between ‘police’ and ‘pistols.’ They were in there probably two or three minutes. When I drew up within a foot of the alley, I heard: ‘Do you think one enough, or had we better go for more?’ Going up Randolph Street, I heard some words spoken in German between them, but not in the conversation at the alley. I cannot say that I knew Mr. Schwab’s voice at that time. I only knew Mr. Spies’ voice from what I heard him ask on the wagon. Spies was the one who used the words ‘pistols’ and ‘police.’ I did not see him when he said it. I could not see him without putting my head around the corner. They went out of my sight when they went into the alley. The whole conversation was done in three minutes, I should judge. The first remark that I heard was about a minute and a half after they went into the alley and went out of sight. When they came out and walked south on Desplaines I followed them within a few feet. It was then about a quarter past eight. They walked west on Randolph Street to Halsted, and I trailed after them all the time, part of the time beside them, part of the time ahead, and past them, but all the time close to them. When they came to Halsted there were a few people there, not much of a crowd. I was still tagging after them with no other object than looking for the meeting, to find where the audience was assembled. I don’t know whether they saw me; there was nothing whatever to prevent their seeing me. When they were going west I couldn’t hear a word of what they did say. The street lamps were lighted. When they got down on Halsted there was a crowd, of about twenty-five people. They were right in the thickest of the crowd, and I stood on the sidewalk, about ten feet from them. I didn’t hear either of them say a word. Then they went back east on Randolph Street. I was about six feet behind them. They said nothing. There was nobody else following them besides me. I couldn’t hear what they said until they came to Union Street. Then I got past them. It was light at the time; they could see me. Near Union Street Schwab said: ‘Now, if they come, we will give it to them,’ and Spies said he did not think they would bother them, because they were afraid. This conversation was carried on in the English language. I was behind them when I heard the first of it, but they kind of slackened, and I got by them. I was making my gait quicker to get by them. Schwab finished his remark when I got about three feet by them. Schwab made his remark in an ordinary tone of street conversation, loud enough for me to hear. I heard no more conversation between Schwab and Spies. I testified before the Coroner’s jury. I testified to this conversation at Union Street. If I didn’t, it was an oversight on my part, or it was because nobody asked me any question, but I say that I did say that before the Coroner’s inquest.
“Coming back, I stopped on the northwest corner of Randolph and Desplaines. I was then about ten or fifteen feet ahead of Spies and Schwab. They came up. I can’t say that they were talking. They went right through the street, moving diagonally to the wagon. I staid at the corner. I did not go after them until they got onto the wagon. That was the last time that I saw Schwab. I saw Spies when he got up to make a speech. Oh, no, that wasn’t the last time that I saw Schwab that night. That was the last time that I saw him until they were out of sight and the third man met them. When they started from the corner northeast across the street, I stood at the corner just to let them cross the street. Then I started after them. They did not get out of my sight. I didn’t catch up with them at all. When I got within eight or ten feet of them they were standing on the sidewalk. They stopped right there, about five feet south of the south line of Crane’s alley. There wasn’t probably more than half a dozen people on the east side of the street. There were a good many people on the West Side. It was then about twenty or twenty-five minutes past eight. When I got up within eight or ten feet of them and they stopped, I stopped too, and looked at them. They were in plain view of me. I don’t think they did see me, though they could see me if they looked up. I think there are some electric lights near there, on the Lyceum building. I was between them and the electric light. When they stopped there, the next thing was that they met that third man. I had never seen that third man before. I have seen this picture of Schnaubelt before; I think Mr. Furthmann showed it to me about a week ago. That third party came from the east. He must have been standing up against the house, and he walked west to the front of the sidewalk. Schnaubelt was not facing me; he had his back to me. They did not go into the alley. One had his back south, one east, and Spies had his back north. I didn’t hear what they were talking about. I was on the sidewalk near the curb-stone, partly south, not directly south of them. Spies stood directly to the north, which would bring his back to me. I don’t know but what he did see me. They stood there about thirty seconds. I didn’t hear a word. Spies handed that third man something, who put it into his pocket, and Spies got up on the wagon and made a speech. I did not see Schwab on the wagon. Spies got right up on the wagon and commenced to speak, but one or two minutes elapsed in the time.”
August Huen, a printer in the employ of Wehrer & Klein, set up the German part of the circular headed “Attention, Workingmen!” and testified that the last line read, “Workingmen, arm yourselves and appear in full force.” Mr. Fischer wrote it. On cross-examination, he testified that an hour after the form had been given to the pressman the last line was taken out.
Hugh Hume, a reporter for the Inter-Ocean, testified:
“I saw Mr. Fielden and other defendants in the sweat-box—that is, the cells down-stairs—at the Central Station, about midnight, between the 5th and 6th of May last. I had a conversation with Spies. He said he had been at the Haymarket meeting. He had gone up there to refute the statements of the capitalistic press in regard to what he had said at McCormick’s. Up at McCormick’s he had been talking to a lot of people whom he could not influence—all good Catholics. During his speech on the Haymarket, some people had shown a disposition to hang McCormick. He had told them not to make any threats of that kind. He had said, ‘When you want to do a thing of that kind, don’t talk so much about it, but go out and do it.’ He then said to me that the people had reached a condition where they were willing to do any violence, and he had advocated violence of that kind. It was necessary to bring about the revolution that the Socialists wanted. He said he had advocated the use of dynamite. I asked him if he was in favor of killing police officers with dynamite. He hesitated a little, and then said the police represented the capitalists and were enemies of theirs, and when you have an enemy he has got to be removed. That is the gist of what he said. Spies said he didn’t know anything about the bomb being exploded until afterwards. He had heard a noise that resembled the sound of a cannon, and thought the police were firing over the heads of the people to frighten them. He said he considered all laws as things you could get along without; they were inimical to the best interests of the people and of the social growth. He did not think that dynamite was in his office when he left it, and had an idea that the police put that dynamite there to get a case on him.
“I had a little talk with Mr. Fielden. He was suffering somewhat from his wound. When I asked him how the Haymarket affair accorded with his ideas of Socialism, he said, ‘You are on dangerous ground now. There is an argument, though, that we have, that is to the effect that if you cannot do a thing peaceably, it has got to be done by force.’ Something to that effect; I don’t remember the language. Fielden said, as to the number of Socialists in Chicago, that there were a number of groups here, containing 250 men. Those were recognized Socialists, but they had people from all over the city, from nearly every wholesale house; but those people are afraid to come out yet, only awaiting an opportunity. He spoke about the decision of the Supreme Court prohibiting military companies from marching around with arms. He was inclined to think that the decision was not right.
“I had a short interview with Schwab. All he had to say was that Socialism was right, even with the blood shed at the Haymarket.”
On cross-examination Mr. Hume said that Spies saw him write down answers to the questions and knew that he wanted the interview for publication.
Harry L. Gilmer proved a strong witness and testified as follows: