About the truth of it there could be no doubt. Hronek was a desperate fellow, quite ready and willing for any violence. He was an enthusiastic Anarchist, and a great admirer of the “martyrs,” as he called them, and he had a regular arsenal of explosives and weapons.
Chleboun’s story was a singular one. He was a tailor who had come from Bohemia to Chicago in 1882. He met Hronek shortly after the Haymarket riot, and the two struck up an acquaintanceship. With Frank Capek they discussed Anarchy and the trial of the leaders, and all went well as long as they confined themselves to theory and beer.
Chleboun was one of those weak-minded people who like to play at conspiracy, but he soon found that he had allied himself with desperate and dangerous men and that the chances were altogether in favor of his own neck paying the penalty for his comrades’ work. This alarmed him, and he seems to have tried to draw away from them. But they would not let him. For a time he lent them money and tried to get along with them, but they made his life a burden to him. In October, 1887, he wanted to visit the old country, and desired to take out citizen’s papers before he left. It shows the relations between the men, that Hronek and Capek would not help him to get naturalized until he had formally agreed to the plot to kill Grinnell, Gary and Bonfield. They, also demanded $25 from him, and he paid it. He returned from Europe in December, and they at once pounced on him again. The poor fellow did not know which way to turn, and he finally did the wisest thing by making a clean breast of the whole plot.
The trial of the would-be assassins came on in the November term, but the prisoners secured a severance, and only Hronek was tried, Capek’s trial being deferred until the next term. On the stand Chleboun told the story of the conspiracy at great length and in detail, and a very severe cross-examination failed to shake his testimony in any way. He showed how Hronek had planned the murder of the three men coolly and deliberately; how he had provided dynamite made up into tin bombs, and in other ways, and had secured a poisoned dagger, as well as a pistol. Capek seemed to concur in what the others did, but Hronek was the undoubted leader. Among other things Hronek told them was that he had met Inspector Bonfield, and had had a safe chance to kill him, but that he had had no arms with him and could not do it. Hronek was very angry over his disappointment. Chleboun described the visit of the three men—himself, Hronek and Capek—to Judge Grinnell’s house in Aldine Square, and the reconnoissance they made.
Dynamite was in the possession of all the parties, and on one occasion a man named Janauschek tried to get Chleboun to give him an order on Mikolanda, one of the open leaders, for some of the stuff. This was not done, however.
Hronek, in his own testimony, steadily denied any purpose of killing either of the threatened gentlemen, but under the skillful cross-examination of Mr. Elliott he failed to convince the jury that his possession of the bombs, which he claimed had been left at his house by a man named Karefit, was innocent. In fact, the testimony against him was too strong, and it was corroborated in many places even by his own admissions, and the jury found him guilty. He was sentenced to twelve years in the penitentiary.
