Illinois vs. August Spies et al. trial transcript no. 1 Direct examination by Mr. Foster. Cross-examination by Mr. Grinnell. Testified through an interpreter. Testified on behalf of the Defense, Spies, August et al. Attended the Haymarket meeting and stood right next to the speakers' wagon. Testified on various topics (page numbers provide a partial guide): movement, position or tenor of the crowd (vol.L 560), time and place origination of the gunfire (vol.L 560), trajectory of the bomb (vol.L 561), the Arbeiter-Zeitung (vol.L 561).
Testimony of Charles Louis Schmidt, 1886 Aug. 4.
Volume L, 559-561, 3 p.
Schmidt, Charles Louis.
Machinist; German immigrant.
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[Image, Volume L, Page 559]
CHARLES LOUIS SCHMIDT,
A WITNESS CALLED ON BEHALF OF THE DEFENDANTS, BEING FIRST DULY SWORN, WAS EXAMINED BY MR. FOSTER, AND TESTIFIED AS FOLLOWS:
|THIS WITNESS TESTIFIED THROUGH INTERPRETER GAUSS|.
Q WHAT IS YOUR NAME?
A CHARLES LOUIS SCHMIDT.
Q WHERE DO YOU LIVE?
A DAYTON STREET, CHICAGO.
Q WHAT NUMBER?
A 134 DAYTON STREET.
Q HOW LONG HAVE YOU LIVED IN CHICAGO?
A 3-1/2 YEARS.
Q WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS?
A I AM A MACHINIST.
Q WERE YOU AT THE HAYMARKET MEETING ON THE NIGHT OF THE 4TH OF MAY?
A YES.
Q WERE YOU THERE WHEN THE BOMB EXPLODED?
A YES.
Q HOW FAR FROM THE WAGON?
A OH, I WAS ABOUT CLOSE TO THE WAGON, ---CLOSE TO THERE THE WAGON WAS.
Q HOW MANY FEET FROM THE WAGON?
A OH, I WAS AT ONE TIME QUITE CLOSE TO IT. --I EVEN LIGHTED A MATCH AT THE WHEEL OF THE WAGON.
Q AT THE TIME THE BOMB EXPLODED HOW FAR WERE YOU FROM THE WAGON?
A PERHAPS TWO OR THREE PACES.
Q WHAT DID YOU DO AFTER THE EXPLOSION OF THE BOMB?
A I WENT AWAY.
Q IN WHAT DIRECTION?
A I WENT NORTHWARD---I WENT NORTHWARD ON CANAL STREET TOWARDS THIS WAY.
Q DID YOU GO NORTH UP DESPLAINES STREET AFTER THE BOOMB EXPLODED?
A I DON'T KNOW WHICH IS DESPALINES STREET; I WAS THERE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD ONLY ONCE.
Q DID YOU GO UP NORTH ON THE SAME STREET THAT YOU WERE STANDING ON AND THAT THE MEETING WAS HELD ON?
A I WENT DOWN CANAL STREET AND WENT IN A NORTHERLY DIRECTION TOWARDS THE WAGON. I LEFT THE ALLEY AFTER MY WIFE.
Q WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS, HE WAS STANDING ON THE STREET NORTH OF THE WAGON---DID HE GO NORTH ON THAT STREET?
A YES, AFTERWARDS I WENT NORTH AGAIN. I HAD COME SOUTHERLY AT FIRST AND AFTER THE EXPLOSION I WENT NORTH.
Q DID YOU RUN WITH THE CROWD NORTH?
A YES SIR, I WENT WITH THE CROWD OF PEOPLE.
Q NOW, DID YOU HEAR AND SEE THE POLICE SHOOT ON THAT OCCASION?
A I CAN'T TELL ACTUALLY AND POSTIVELY WHETHER IT WAS THE POLICE
SHOOTING, BUT I SAW THE FIRST SHOTS FIRED FROM THE SOUTHERLY DIRECTION, AND THEN RIGHT AWAY AFTER THAT THE BOMB CAME FROM THE OTHER DIRECTION.
Q AT THE TIME YOU WERE STANDING THERE AND WHILE YOU WERE RUNNING AWAY, DID YOU SEE ANY OF THE AUDIENCE, OR ANY OF THE CITIZENS FIRE ANY SHOTS?
A NO.
Q YOU HEARD SHOTS FIRED WHEN YOU WERE RUNNING AWAY, DIDN'T YOU?
A OH, YES, I HEARD, CERTAINLY.
--DURING THE TIME I FELL OVER SOMEBODY THERE WAS SHOOTING GOING ON.
Q NOW, WAS THAT SHOOTING BACK OF YOU OR IN FRONT OF YOU AS YOU WERE RUNNING AWAY?
A I HAD TURNED AWAY---AS I HAD TURNED AWAY IT WAS BEHIND ME.
CROSS EXAMINATION BY
MR. GRINNELL.
Q THERE IS 134 DAYTON STREET?
A IT IS AT THE CROSSING OF CLYBOURNE, AND NORTH AVENUE.
Q HOW DID YOU COME TO BE OVER AT THE HAYMARKET MEETING THAT NIGHT?
A WHEN I HAD COME HOME THAT EVENING I READ OF THE MEETING IN THE PAPER.
Q IN THE ARBEITER ZEITUNG?
A YES, IN THE ARBEITER ZEITUNG.
Q HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN READING THE ARBEITER ZEITUNG?
A SO LONG AS I AM IN THE COUNTRY.
MR. GRINNELL: THAT IS ALL.