Haymarket Affair Digital Collection

Illinois vs. August Spies et al. trial transcript no. 1
Testimony of Eugene Seeger (fourth appearance), 1886 July 30.

Volume K, 683-690, 8 p.
Seeger, Eugene.
Translator.

Direct examination by Mr. Furthmann. Testified on behalf of the Prosecution, People of the State of Illinois. People's Exhibits 63 (vol.K 684), 64 (vol.K 686), 65 (vol.K 686), 66 (vol.K 687), 67 (vol.K 687), 68 (vol.K 687) introduced into evidence.

Testified on various topics (page numbers provide a partial guide): socialists and/or socialism (vol.K 688), plans for warfare against the police and/or capitalists (vol.K 689), the Arbeiter-Zeitung (vol.K 683), Spies, August (vol.K 684), Schwab, Michael (vol.K 685), People's Exhibit 63 (vol.K 684), People's Exhibit 64 (vol.K 686), People's Exhibit 65 (vol.K 686), People's Exhibit 66 (vol.K 687), People's Exhibit 67 (vol.K 687), People's Exhibit 68 (vol.K 687).


Go to Next Witness | Return to Previous Witness | Return to Trial TOC | Return to the HADC Table of Contents
[Image, Volume K, Page 683]

EUGENE SEEGER,

recalled by the people was examined by Mr. Furthman and testified as follows:

Q Is that the Arbeiter Zeitung of May 4th 1886 (shows witness paper)?

A Yes sir.

Q Just look at the article on page 4.

A I have got it

Q Headed "Blood". have you got that?

A I have.

Q Have you translated that article?

A I have. Here it is.

Q Read the heading of it?

A (witness reads) "Blood".

Q What else?

A "Lead and powder as a cure for dissatisfied workingmen etc."

Q Look at this manuscript. Have you compared that with the original?

A I have.

THE COURT: Whose manuscript is that?

MR. FURTHMAN: It is marked as exhibit of Mr. Spies' hand writing.

Q What manuscript is it, of what article?

A It is the manuscript in the article translated here on page 7 in the type writing manuscript and on the 4th page of the Arbeiter Zeitung of May 4th.

Mr. FURTHMAN: That manuscript we offer now in evidence.


[Image, Volume K, Page 684]

(See next page)

Defendants counsel objected to it on behalf of all the defendants other than Mr. Spies.

THE COURT: I doubt if it is admissible at all on account of its being in foreign language. Only the translation I think is admissible-- that is my impression.

Mr. INGHAM: It is important for the purpose of showing the handwriting.

Mr. BLACK: That you have already done.

Mr. INGHAM: That does not get it before the jury.

Mr. BLACK: It is not necessary for the jury to examine the handwriting.

Mr. GRINELL: You don't object to it because it is a manuscript and in German. You object to it because it is incompetent and immaterial to the other defendants.

Mr. BLACK: We object on all grounds. We object in toto. At the same time we say you have the proof that it is in Mr. Spies handwirting. You have now the proof that it corresponds with the article in the Arbeiter Zeitung; and you have a translation of that article. I don't see what more you want.

Mr. INGHAM: That is all we want.

(Said translation from Arbeiter Zeitung, the German manuscript of which is identified as a above, as in Mr. Spies handwriting marked People's Ex 63, contained in the vol. of exhibits hereto attached.

Mr. FURTHMAN: Q I hand you now a paper, the Arbeiter Zeitung dated May 4th?

A May 4th.


[Image, Volume K, Page 685]

Q Look at the item marked NO. 1?

A I see it. here

Q Have you translated that item?

A I have.

Q See whether you can find your translation on page 27?

A I have it here.

Q Read it?

Objected to, overuled and exception.

A (witness reads) "This evening there is a great mass meeting on the Haymarket. No working man ought to be missing."

Q Look at article NO. 2?

A It is here.

Q Have you translated that?

A I have.

Q Look at page 26 for your translation?

A Page 26.

Q Read it.

Objected to overruled and exception

A (Witness reads: "Let him who condemns the hideous brutalities of yesterday be present this evening at the Haymarket", corner Desplaines street".

Mr. FURTHMAN: I want to show Mr. Schwab is the author of the article. The exhibit shows this is Mr. Schwab's handwriting.

Q Look at NO 3. Have you translated that?

A I have. (witness reads; "This evening there is a great mass meeting on the Haymarket") No that is not it.

THE COURT: I can't tell whether things have been read or not.

Mr. BLACK: They admit this has been read. What is to be gained be reading it again?

Mr. FURTHMAN: Look at article No 3?

A Article No. 3 is here.

Q Have you translated that?

A I have.

Q What is the first two or three lines?

A (witness reads;


[Image, Volume K, Page 686]

"The heroes of the club dispersed with their cudgels yesterday") and so on. (reading) see below.

Mr FURTHMAN: The exhibit shows this is Mr. Schwabs handwriting.

Q Look at this manuscript. Have you compared this manuscript with the orgiinal article?

A I have.

Mr FURTHMAN: This is proved to be Mr. Schwab's handwriting.

A The manisctipt corresoponds with the article.

(Same marked People's Ex. 64 contained in vol. of exhibits here to attached.

Mr. FURTHMAN: Q Look at article NO. 4?

A Article NO 4, yes,

Q Have you translated that?

A I have.

Q Look at page 25, for your translation. Please read the first two or three lines.

A (Witness reads) "The reports of the capitalistic papers were all dictated by the police" etc. (See below.

Q Have you compared this manuscript?

A I have. It exactly corresoonds with the article here.

Mr. FURTHMAN: The exhibit shows Mr. Schwab's handwriting.

Mr. BLACK: That has already been proved.

(Same marked People's Ex. 65, contained in vol. of exhibits here to attached.

Mr. FURTHMAN: Look at article No 5.

A Article No 5.

Q Have you translated that?

A I have.

Q Look at page 25?

A I have got it.

Q Read the first few lines.

A (witness reads) "The armory on Lake Michigan is guarded by militia", etc


[Image, Volume K, Page 687]

Q Have you compared this with the manusctipt?

A It corresponds with that article.

Mr. FURTHMAN: The exhibit shows Mr. Schwab's handwiritng.

(Same marked People's Ex 66 contained in vol. of exhibits here to attched.

Q No. 6.

A No. 6

Q Page 27-- read the first few lines.

A (witness reads) "Milwaukee usually so quiet yesterday became the scene of quite a number of labor riots", etc)

Q Is this the manuscript?

A This is the manuseript.

Mr. FURTHMAN: This exhibit proves it is Mr. Schwab's handwriting.

(Translation referred to marked People's Ex. 67 contained in vol. of exhibits here to attached.

Q I hand you the Arbeiter Zeitung of May 3rd

A May 3rd Yes sir.

Q Look at article No 4?

A No 4.

Q Have you translated that article?

A I have.

Q Look at page NO. 5 of your transseript.

A Page NO. 5.

Q Read the first few lines?

A (witness reads) "A hot conflict. The detremination of the radical elements brings the extortioners in numerous instances to terms". etc.

Q Have you compared the manuscript with the article?

A I have.

Q Do you find it the same?

A The same".

Mr. FURTHMAN: This exhibit shows Mr. Schwab's handwriting.

(Translation referred to marked


[Image, Volume K, Page 688]

Poeple's Ex" 68 contained in vol. of exhibits here to attached

Q What is that paper?

A This is the Arbeiter Zeitung of April 30th.

(Counsel here handed witness manuscript)

THE WITNESS: That is not in this number. I can't find that in this number.

Mr. FURTHMAN:

Q I will ask you to look at the Arbeiter Zeitung of January 5th 1885, on the fourth page?

A I find a report of socialistic meeting in 54 West Lake street.

Defendants counsel entered same objection to this report as to the other. The court overruled the objection, to which ruling of the court defendant's counsel then and there excepted.


[Image, Volume K, Page 689]

Q What is it you find there?

A I find a report of a socialistic meeting No. 54 West Lake Street giving a small synopsis of the speeches made there.

Q Does that report call for any speaker, any one of the defendants here?

A It gives as the first speaker, comrade Spies.

Q Give what he says there in substance?

Defendants' counsel further objected to the testimony on the ground that it is not shown where this book come from nor how the defendants come by it-- how the prosecution come by this book.

THE COURT: It don't make any difference how they got it.

The question is who made it.

Exception by defendants.

THE WITNESS: It is dated January 5th, 1885. The report says here that Mr. Spies says "If we commence to murder we obey the law of necessity & or self preservation. We murder to make an end of the murdering. We do away with the murderers." That is a synopsis of Mr. Spies' speech.

Q Look at the Arbeiter Zeitung the issue of January 19th, on page 4?

A January 19th.

Q Fourth page?

A I find there, 19th of January, 1885. It is a report of about two columns about a mass meeting in Mueeller's hall on the 18th.

Q Who was the first speaker?

A The first speaker is comrade C. S. Griffin.

Q What does he say in substance?


[Image, Volume K, Page 690]

THE COURT: Not in substance?

THE WITNESS: It is two columns, and I just give a synopsis of the speech.

THE COURT: That is not admissible.

MR. GRINNELL: Read it.

THE COURT: Did you make a translation of that?

A Not of Griffin. I did not consider it essential.

THE COURT: It is not necessary that the translation should be written out. There may be an oral translation, but it must be not a synopsis but a verbal literal translation.

THE WITNESS: I will give you a literal translation.

MR. FURTHMAN: You may read whatever you may have translated of that report?

Defendants' counsel objected to the document on the ground that the witness had already stated that he has only taken out a sentence here and there.

MR. INGHAM: My understanding was that the article was to be fully translated. I have discovered in looking at the translations that the purport is only given instead of translating them verbatim.

THE COURT: Every translation must be literal. How long will it take to make the tranasations in writing?

MR. GRINNELL: I think we can fix it by two o'clock.

Recess to 2 o'clock.


Return to Top of this Witness
Go to Next Witness | Return to Previous Witness | Return to Trial TOC | Return to the HADC Table of Contents