Haymarket Affair Digital Collection

Illinois vs. August Spies et al. trial transcript no. 1.
Testimony of F. H. Newman, 1886 July 26.

Volume K, 99-104, 6 p.
Newman, F. H.
Physician; German immigrant.

Direct examination by Mr. Grinnell. Cross-examination by Mr. Foster. Testified on behalf of the Prosecution, People of the State of Illinois.

Attended to officers wounded at Haymarket. Testified on various topics (page numbers provide a partial guide): medical care and wounds (vol.K 100).


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[Image, Volume K, Page 99]

F% H% Newman, a witness called and sworn on behalf of the people, was examined in chief by Mr. Grinnell, and testified as follows:

Q. What is your name?

A. F% H% Newman%


[Image, Volume K, Page 100]

Q. Are you a Physician?

A. Yes sir.

Q. Did you at the Hopital attend any of the wounded Officers, those wounded at the Haymarket Square May4th?

A. Yes sir.

Q. Look at that nut, and state if you extracted that from anybody? (Showing witness nut)

A. That was extracted under my direction at the time.

Q. From whom do you remember?

A. I don't remember his name--- it was a citizen.

Q. At what hour?

a. That I cannot state exactly, but it was towards morning.

Q. On the 5th?

A. On the 5th.

Q. Do you remember the mans hationality?

A. I think he was German.

Q. You gave that nut to Mr. Bonfield?

A. I did.

Q. Inspector Bonfield?

A. Yes sir.

Q. You may describe where it was taken from?

A. It was removed, the wound of entrance was about a half an inch from the rectum, passing diagonally into the gluteal region, about three inches or three inches and a half, and buried in the muscles of the gluteal region.

Q. Did you examine the other officers, how many did you examine that night?

A. I can't state the exact number, but somewhere from ten to twelve probably. I was there all night.


[Image, Volume K, Page 101]

Q. Now, what did you find on your examination of the different officers?

A. How do you mean the question?

Q. I mean what kind of missiles or what kind of woulds?

A. I found some bullets, and some of them appeared to be fragments of metal, or a combination of metal, lighter than lead, and lighter than bullets.

Q. What was the size of the pieces?

A. They varied very much.

Q. Give me as far as your observation went, the extreme of the sizes you found and extracted?

A. They would vary from perhaps what we would call 22 calibre, or even less than that. The smallest piece I saw was less than that. 22 calibre up to 45.

Q. Were these pieces that you extracted regular in size?

A. No sir.

Q. They were irregular?

A. They were irregular in size

Q. How about the bullets? Did they vary in size?

A. Yes sir.

Q. That piece of metal you designate, not bullets, how did they vary?

A. They varied in the same way, some large and some small.

Q. Have you a piece there?

A. I have an envelope here which is sealed.

Q. Very well, open it. (Witness here opens envelope)

A. This is a piece, it looks like a piece of metal.


[Image, Volume K, Page 102]

Q. Do you remember who you took that from?

A. Officer Barber%

Q. Where?

A. In the heel.

Q. What kind of a wound did it make?

A. It made a ragged wound, and was buried in the bone, crushing the bone considerable, fracturing it into several pieces.

Q. What was done with the wound, was amputation necessary?

A, No sir% I removed the speculae from the bone, scraped it and made it as smooth as possible, and it healed by granulation.

Q. Did you examine the wounds of any of the officers who died?

A. I examined the wounds of one officer--- his name I don't recollect. He died within a few hours of coming into the hospital. He was wounded in the Liver.

Q. By what was that wound?

A. That I do n't know. It was a large ragged wound.

Q. Did you extract any of the pieces from it?

A. No sir, I simply examined it, as he was the patient of another surgeon.

Q. Was it a wound like that which would be produced by a bullet?

A. Yes sir, if the bullet was very ragged, spread out considerable, as they do sometimes.

Q. You don't know the name of the officer who died?

A. No I do not%

MR. GRINNELL. I offer this in evidence% (Iron Nut)

I will offer this in evidence too. (Piece of metal contained in envelope)


[Image, Volume K, Page 103]

Cross Examination
By Mr. Foster.

Q. Did you mark this piece of Iron?

A. No sir.

Q. All you know is it is what is commonly called a nut, about resembling that?

A. I examined it very carefully at the time, and I am poitive this is the same nut.

Q. You put no private mark on it?

A. No private mark, but there are certain dents and scratches on it that were there at the time that I removed it.

Q. Was that on the left side?

A. I am not positive whether it was on the left or right, but I think it was the left side.

Q. Now, this other, what was in the envelope there------ is that a bullet?

A. I do not think it is a bullet. It seems to be a piece of metal.

Q. You took that from a policeman?

A. I took that from a policeman's heel.

Q. You also treated some policemen that were wounded by Gun shots?

A. Yes sir, I had three under my care until they were cured. The night they came in I had several others, but I did not treat them until the end.

Q. Do you remember who they were?

A. Those that I carried through were Officers Barbour, Snell and Hennessy.

Q. You did not state that this nut was taken from an Officer


[Image, Volume K, Page 104]

A. No sir, it was taken from a citizen%

Mr% FOSTER. That is all%

Mr. GRINNELL. I offer this in evidence.


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