Albert Pruesser stated that he telephoned three times to the Arbeiter-Zeitung for a speaker for the meeting at Lake View. The committee from the Deering factory wanted Spies. Witness was told that Spies could not come, and he said it would make no difference if they sent some one else. A quarter of an hour later he telephoned again and received a reply that Schwab was on the way. He went to meet Schwab at the Clybourn Avenue car. He met him on the rear platform of the car. That was half past nine o’clock, or twenty minutes to ten. They went to Radtke’s saloon, 888 Clybourn Avenue, remained there ten minutes, and then Schwab went to the prairie and spoke. He spoke about twenty minutes. When he got through they went and had lunch and beer at Schilling’s saloon. Schwab then took a car for the city. It takes forty-five minutes to reach the corner of Clark and Washington Streets, and ten minutes to the Haymarket if there is no interruption. On cross-examination Pruesser stated that he had been a carrier for the Arbeiter-Zeitung for a time.
Johann Grueneberg testified that he was an intimate friend of Fischer’s. He went to the printing establishment of Wehrer & Klein at Fischer’s request and got some circulars with the line: “Workingmen, arm yourselves and come in full force.” He took them to the compositors’ room in the Arbeiter-Zeitung and then took some down to Spies. Fischer, Spies and witness had some conversation, and then he took an order from Fischer to Wehrer & Klein to leave out that line. On cross-examination Grueneberg stated:
“I came to this country from Germany four years ago. I have lived in Chicago two years. I am a carpenter.”
“Where did the armed section of the Northwest group drill?”
“I don’t know an armed section of the Northwest group. I don’t know of a single time that the Northwest group drilled. I know of a paper called the Anarchist. I distributed it three or four times. I saw Fischer on Monday, May 3, between five and half-past five, at the Arbeiter-Zeitung, in the compositors’ room. I did not see Fischer at any other place on Monday. I saw him on Sunday afternoon at my house, 570 West Superior Street. I did not see him Sunday morning at any place.”
“Were you at home all the morning yourself?”
The defense objected to this question.
The Court—“You have put this witness on the stand for the purpose of showing a thing was taken out, a particular circular. Whether he has told that thing as it occurred depends in some degree upon what his associations, feelings, inclinations, biases are in reference to the whole business.”
Mr. Black—“Whether he has told the truth in regard to that depends upon his bias and inclinations?”
The Court—“Whether it is to be believed—I don’t mean whether he has told the truth.”