Illinois vs. August Spies et al. trial transcript no. 1 Direct examination by Mr. Foster. Cross-examination by Mr. Ingham. Testified through an interpreter. Testified on behalf of the Defense, Spies, August et al. On May 4, 1886 worked in a closet at the Arbeiter-Zeitung office where on May 5, 1886, police found dynamite. Testified on various topics (page numbers provide a partial guide): items confiscated from the Arbeiter-Zeitung office or the defendants' homes (vol.M 76), the Arbeiter-Zeitung (vol.M 74), Spies, August (vol.M 74), Schwab, Michael (vol.M 76).
Testimony of Henry Lindemeyer (first appearance), 1886 Aug. 5.
Volume M, 74-81, 8 p.
Lindemeyer, Henry.
Mason and calcimator.
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[Image, Volume M, Page 74]
HENRY LINDEMEYER,
a witness called and sworn on behalf of the defendants, was examined in chief by Mr. Foster, and testified as follows: This witness testified through interpreter Gauss.
Q What is your name?
A Henry Lindemeyer.
Q Ask him where he lives?
A 503 Noble street.
Q What is your business?
A I am a mason.
Q Do you also do calcimining?
A Yes sir.
Q Are you acquanted with Mr. Spies, the defendant?
A Yes sir.
Q Do you know where the editorial room is, in the Arbeiter Zeitung office, the floor next to the top?
A Yes.
Q And two floors above the street?
A He says it is three floors above the street.
The Court: Q The third floor?
A The third floor.
Mr. Foster: Q Did you do any work in that room, in the editorial rooms during the month of May?
A No.
Q Did you use any part of that room for any purpose, the closet of that room?
A Yes sir, there was a closet in the rear of it, which I used---I put on my working clothes and left them there when I got through.
Q What were you doing there at that time?
A I calcimined everything down from the type-setting room, on top.
Q When did you do that?
A I commenced the second Sunday in May and stopped on Wednesday, the 5th.
Q Now, while you were there, did you have occasion to hunt for anything in this closet off of the editorial rooms, and if so, what, and how did it come about?
A It was not a clothes closet, it was an open closet, in which was a shelf, on which shelf I placed some things, and I had lost the brush which I looked for.
Q Now, did you look in the closet, and if so where, for the brush?
A In the closet. There was a shelf in the closet on which I looked for my brush. There was some papers lying which I took down, and I didn't find my brush.
Q Did you stand on anything while you were looking on the shelf, and if so, what?
A Yes, I stood on a chair.
Q What did you find on the shelf at that time?
Mr. Grinnell: Q Does it appear what time this was?
Mr. Foster: I will come to that question.
Mr. Grinnell: Then we object to it until we find out when it was.
The Court: It should appear in order to be of any consequence when this search was made.
Mr. Foster: Did you find anything on the shelf?
Objected to until it is found out when it was.
The Court: When was it?
Mr. Foster: Q When was it you were looking for your
brush in that closet?
A On Tuesday, the 4th of May.
Q What time in the day?
A At about noon time---I can't tell exactly whether it was before or afternoon.
Q At that time did you find any bundle, any large package on the shelf?
A No.
Q Did you see any dynamite?
A No.
Q Now, did you see any indication on the shelf of greasiness, a grease muss of any character on the shelf?
A No.
Q How long have you lived in Chicago?
A Twenty years.
Q What was your business all that time?
A I was a mason.
Q Have you a family?
A Yes.
Cross Examination by
Mr. Ingham.
Q How long have you known Spies?
A Well, I think quite a time, seven or eight years, I don't know precisely.
Q Are you on the bonds of his brother now?
A Yes.
Q Who is charged with conspiracy growing out of the haymarket troubles, is he not?
A Yes, for trespass.
Q How long did you say you had known August Spies?
A That I can't say exactly. It is seven or eight years--it may be longer.
Q Do you know Schwab?
A Yes.
Q How long have you known Schwab?
A About the same time, three or four years, as long as he is here.
Q Where did you see Schwab?
A I saw him at several meetings.
Q Meetings of what?
A At public meetings.
Q Public meetings held where?
A At different places.
Q What places?
A At Turner Hall or other halls, I don't know.
Q where did you used to see Spies?
A Spies I saw nearly every day---he lives in my neighborood on the northwest side.
Q How long has he lived in your neighborhood?
A That I don't know precisely, he lives there quite a time.
Q Did you ever read his paper?
A Yes.
Q Did you ever take it?
A Yes.
Q How long did you take the Arbeiter Zeitung?
A So long as it is in existence.
Q How long have you been working in the building on the 3d of May, how many days had you been there?
A I commenced the 2nd of May and stopped the 5th.
Q Where was the closet in which you looked for your brush?
A On the third floor, in the rear of the editing room.
Q Third floor from the ground?
A Yes.
Q Did that room face east or west?
A The closet was southeast, part.
Q What kind of a closet was that?
A It was about four or five foot square.
Q How high was it?
A It was as high as the room---I can't say exactly---about twelve foot. It might have been eleven feet or twelve feet---I can't say.
Q How many shelves were there in the closet?
A Only one.
Q Are you sure of that?
A Yes, I am sure of it.
Q You can't be mistaken about that?
A No.
Q Were not there two in the closet?
A No, there was no other shelf. There was some other fixings. There was a water closet under which I had secreted some things.
Mr. Zeisler: He said wash stand.
A Yes, wash stand.
The Interpreter: He means to say a closet for washing purposes.
Mr. Ingham: Q Then you say in the closet which you searched there was only one shelf?
The Court: He has answered it.
Mr. Ingham: Q Had you calcimined that room?
A Yes, before that.
Q How long before?
A A few weeks.
Q Which floor did you calcimine first?
A The upper one.
Q When did you calcimine that?
A On Sunday.
Q How long before the 4th of May?
A It was on the 2nd of May.
Q When was it you calcimined the editorial rooms?
A That I can't state precisely. It was a few weeks previous.
Q When did you whitewash the library or calcimine it?
A On the 5th of May.
Q When was it you left your things in the closet?
A From the 2nd to the 5th of May I left my things remain there, at least to the forenoon of the 5th of May.
Q When was it you looked for your things?
A It was on the 4th of May about noon time, either before or after noon hour.
Q What time on the 5th of May did you take your things from that closet?
A While the police were there, the forenoon of the 5th of May I took my things away, and took them to some other place.
Q What were the things you left in that closet?
A My working clothes and my tools.
Q Where in that closet did you put your clothes and your tools?
A My hat and my vest I had on the upper part of the shelf, and the rest I laid on the floor.
Q What did you find on the shelf when you searched it?
A Nothing else but a small package of papers. I didn't look at it to examine it. I can't tell what kind of papers they were.
Q How much of the shelf did the papers cover?
A About the size of the paper. They were not folded, about the size of an open paper.
Q What proportion of the shelf did the papers cover?
The Court: How many inches in length?
Mr. Ingham: I want to know what proportion of the shelf.
A It occupied about one quarter of the shelf.
Q Did you feel on the bottom of the shelf to see if there was any grease on it?
A No, I didn't do that.
Q Did you look at it carefully to see if there was any grease on it?
A No, that I didn't do. I only was hunting my brush, but there was not any grease on, or else I would not have put my clothes there.
Q How do you know there wasn't any grease there, if you didn't feel on the board?
A Because I could see it.
Q How high up was the shelf from the ground?
A In the neighborhood of six feet. It may have been below that, about six feet.
The Court: There is a confusion about the 4th or 5th of May. Which day was it you looked for your brush?
Mr. Black: He has said every time it was the 4th of May.
Mr. Zeisler: The record shows it.
The Court: (Q) What day was it you looked for your brush on the shelf?
A On the 4th of May.
Mr. Foster: (Q) These papers you say were on the shelf, the bundle, how high from the shelf were they up?
A I can't tell precisely. It may have been an inch and a half to two inches.
Q Was it like a newspaper spread out that way. Let him show how the papers were on the shelf. (Hands witness newspaper).
A About that size (indicating), but they were wrapped up in pastboard.
Mr. Foster: Will you have the kindness, Mr. Grinnell, to produce the bundle that was found on the shelf?
Mr. Grinnell: I sent it out. I didn't want it in the building.
Mr. Foster: Will you have it here tomorrow morning?
Mr. Grinnell: Yes, I will try to.
Mr. Foster: Tell him to come back to morrow morning.
A I can't come tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock. Some one has died and I have to go to the funeral.
Q Will you come at 2 o'clock?
A I can't come at 2 o'clock.
Mr. Grinnell: Ask him if he can't come Saturday.
A Yes sir.
Recess to 2 o'clock.