Illinois vs. August Spies et al. trial transcript no. 1 Direct examination by Mr. Foster. Cross-examination by Mr. Grinnell. Testified on behalf of the Defense, Spies, August et al. Attended the meeting of the American Group at the Arbeiter-Zeitung office on May 4 and then went to the Haymarket where he was wounded. Testified on various topics (page numbers provide a partial guide): socialists and/or socialism (vol.M 173), meaning of "Ruhe" (vol.M 169), Greif's Hall (vol.M 173), 1886 May 4 meeting of the American Group at the Arbeiter-Zeitung office (vol.M 168), learned about the Haymarket meeting in an English-language newspaper (vol.M 171), weapons in the crowd (vol.M 170), time and place origination of the gunfire (vol.M 170), medical care and wounds (vol.M 170), Parsons' speech at Haymarket (vol.M 176), Schwab, Michael (vol.M 168).
Testimony of John F. Waldo, 1886 Aug. 5.
Volume M, 167-178, 12 p.
Waldo, John F.
Printer.
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JOHN F. WALDO,
a witness called and sworn on behalf of the defendants, was examined in chief by Mr. Foster and testified as follows:
Q What is your name?
A John F. Waldo.
Q Where do you reside?
A At 39 West Adams.
Q What is your business?
A Printer.
Q How long have you lived in Chicago?
A Over two years.
Q Are you a man of family?
A No sir.
Q I will ask you whether you were a member of the American Group of the International Working Men's Association?
A Of the International Working People's Association.
Q When were you a member?
A Since February, 1885.
Q Were you a member on the 4th of May last?
A Yes sir.
Q Do you remember a meeting that day held at the Arbeiter Zeitung building on the evening of the 4th of May?
A Yes.
Q Did you attend that meeting?
A I did.
Q Do you know Mr. Patterson?
A Yes, sir.
Q Was Mr. Patterson there?
A Yes.
Q What was the object of that meeting?
A It was to form a union of the sewing girls, I believe.
Q How long did the meeting last?
A Some twenty or twenty five minutes.
Q I will ask you after you went to the Arbeiter Zeitung office, without stating any conversations, if you remember of some telephoning being done, and some talk about a speaker at Deering?
A I do.
Q Was that soon after you went?
A Yes, ten or fifteen minutes after.
Q Ten or fifteen minutes after you got there?
A Yes sir.
Q Was the telephone in the same room you were in?
A It was.
Q After this telephoning was done, I will ask you whether you saw Mr. Schwab in the room that evening after that?
A Yes, he was there.
Q For how long a time was he there?
A For a few minutes.
Q You say he was there a few minutes--then the balance of the time during the meeting, was he there that you saw?
A No.
Q After the adjournment of that meeting, where did you go?
A I went to the Haymarket Square.
Q Who was speaking when you got there?
A Mr. Spies.
Q How long did you stay?
A I stayed until the meeting was over, until the firing commenced.
Q At the time that you went to that meeting, I will ask you if you had heard anything about the word "ruhe" or its publication in the Arbeiter paper, or its meaning?
A No.
Q When did you first hear of the word ruhe?
A After the Haymarket meeting in the English papers.
Q From the American papers?
A Yes sir.
Q Are you German?
A No, sir.
Q Where were you born?
A In Indiana.
Q Can you read German or speak German?
A No.
Q Did you belong to this association called the International Rifles?
A Yes.
Q Did you ever have any rifles?
A No.
Q It was the International Rifles without the rifles?
A Yes.
Q With the rifles left out?
A Yes sir.
Q Whereabouts did you stand at that meeting?
A I stood on the west side of the street, nearly opposite the speaker
Q Opposite the speaker?
A Yes.
Q Right across Desplaines street?
A Yes.
Q Were you there at the time the firing began?
A Yes sir
Q You hear the explosion of the bomb?
A Yes.
Q Which way did you go?
A I went to Randolph street.
Q Did you hear the firing there and see the firing?
A I heard the firing and saw the firing.
Q Who did you see fire?
A The police.
Q In the entire time you were there, at the time of the beginning of the firing, and your scrambling away and going away, did you see any citizen fire?
A I did not.
Q Did you go with the crowd hurriedly down Randolph street?
A I was behind the boxes. Part of the crowd was late. Most of the crowd went ahead of me.
Q Were there any shots in the crowd as you run down there ahead of you--did you see any flashes immediately ahead of you, from the crowd?
A No, sir.
Q Did you get shot?
A I did.
Q Where?
A In the leg.
Q What part of the leg?
A Below the knee.
Q Which way did the ball go in and where did it come out?
Q It went in on the right side and come out nearly in front
Q It went in from behind as you were running?
A Yes.
Q Were you armed that night?
A No, sir.
Q Ever carry a revolver in your life?
A No, sir.
Q Did you see any revolver in the audience there?
A I did not.
Q You say the first you ever heard of the word ruhe, or any
significance to that word, was when you read it in an English paper, speaking of the Haymarket meeting?
A Yes, that was the first.
Q When did you first learn that there was a meeting to be held at the Hay Market Square?
A On that night, at the Arbeiter Zeitung office.
Q When you went to the Arbeiter Zeitung office, how did you come to go?
A Friends of mine saw the notice in the News and told me of it, and I went down with them.
Q The notice was published in the News, and some friends had seen it and told you about it?
A Yes.
Q You went down in pursuance of that notice?
A I did.
Q When you got down there, you learned of the Haymarket meeting, you say, for the first time?
A Yes.
Cross Examination
By Mr. Grinnell.
Q What time did you go to the Arbeiter Zeitung office that night?
A About eight o'clock.
Q How long did you stay there before you heard the telephone about a meeting at Deering's?
A Ten or fifteen minutes.
Q Do you know where the telephone came from, the first one you heard?
A I was told it came from Deering.
Q Were you told right then and there in the meeting?
A Yes, right there in that office.
Q Who stated it, and answered it?
A There was more than one. I think he was a clerk in the office first, and afterwards Mr. Schwab came there.
Q He went up to speak--that was ten or fifteen minutes after you first got there?
A Yes sir.
Q You got there at eight o'clock?
A Yes, sir.
Q How long after that ten or fifteen minutes, did Schwab stay there?
A Not very long.
Q Did you notice when he went away?
A Yes, sir.
Q Did you see him go out the door?
A Yes, sir.
Q What room were you in there?
A The front room, second story.
Q How many were in that room that night?
A I don't know exactly--not many. I think about twelve or fifteen.
Q It is not a very large room, is it?
A No.
Q Any tables there?
A There is a desk against the wall.
Q You went over to the Hay Market?
A Yes, sir.
Q Whom did you walk over with?
A I walked over with Patterson and Owens.
Q Have you ever delivered any speeches at socialistic meetings?
A I have not.
Q Owen is a speaker, is he not?
A I have never heard him speak.
Q You have heard of his speaking?
A No, sir.
Q You never a tended any meetings at which he spoke?
A No, sir.
Q How long have you been a member of socialistic organizations?
A For over a year.
Q Since February, 1885?
A Yes sir.
Q Belonged to the American Group?
A Yes, sir.
Q Did you belong to the armed section of the American Group?
A Yes sir.
Q Where did that meet?
A At Greif's Hall.
Q How often did you meet there?
A Once a week--sometimes twice.
Q Where were you when the bomb exploded?
A I was on the west side of Desplaines street.
Q On the sidewalk?
A Yes, sir.
Q Opposite the speaker's stand?
A Nearly opposite.
Q Where did you go to, immediately south or north?
A South
Q Did you run?
A No, I run part of the way. I run when I got near the corner.
Q You run when you got near to the corner of Randolph?
A Yes, sir.
Q Did you walk until you got near the corner?
A Yes sir.
Q Anybody with you? that you knew?
A None that I knew.
Q Many people on that side of the sidewalk?
A A good many
yes sir.
Q Did you see the firing before the bomb was fired, the shot--before the bomb exploded, did you see any firing?
A I think I did.
Q Where?
A From the police.
Q Before the bomb exploded?
A Yes.
Q About how many shots did you say the police fired before the bomb exploded?
A Two or three.
Q What part of the police did they come from?
A About the third or fourth line.
Q Third or fourth line from the front--where were those police when they fired?
A They were the middle of the street
Q In reference to the spot at which they stood when they halted?
A They were between the alley and Randolph street, about midway.
Q Were they moving when you heard them fire, or had they halted?
A They had halted.
Q How soon after the firing of those two or three shots by the police, did you hear the bomb explode?
A Immediately after.
Q Did you look around to see the effect of the explosion upon the police?
A Yes.
Q What was the effect?
A They seemed to be scattered.
Q A good many of them thrown to the ground?
A Yes.
Q About how many should you judge?
A About fifteen or
twenty.
Q That is all, is it?
A That is all.
Q It made a hole right in the centre, did it?
A Yes.
Q You say there is where the firing began immediately after the shooting, the explosion of the bomb?
A No, I said it was the third or fourth back of that one.
Q That is the shooting before the bomb exploded?
A Yes.
Q Did you stop to look to see how many shots were fired?
A I saw the flashes of two or three.
Q You saw the flashes of the bomb?
A No.
Q instantly you started to go south, didn't you?
A Yes.
Q Did you turn to look back?
A I did not.
Q You went as fast as you could, considering the crowd, and not running?
A Yes.
Q Until you got near the corner, when you did run?
A Yes.
Q Which way did you run?
A I run to Randolph and then up Halsted.
Q Were you shot before you began to run?
A I was shot turning the corner.
Q Which leg were you shot in?
A My right leg.
Q Which way were you facing when you were hit?
A I was just turning the corner, I was facing west.
Q You were hit in the right leg?
A Yes, sir.
Q Put your finger on the spot on your leg that you were hit?
A Right here (indicating).
Q That is where it hit you?
A Yes, sir.
Q And went which way?
A Went upwards and came out here.
Q Where do you live?
A 39, West Adams.
Q How long have you lived there?
A Over two years.
Q You have lived at 39 West Adams ever since you have been in town?
A Nearly ever since--stopped a few other places.
Q Do you know Spies?
A I know him by sight.
Q How long have you known him by sight?
A For over a year
Q Do you know Parsons?
A Yes, sir.
Q How long have you known him by sight?
A For a year and a half.
Q Did you make his acquaintance in Chicago?
A Yes, sir.
Q Where were you when you first made Parson's acquaintance?
A Met him at labor meetings on the lake front, and at other places.
Q When were the labor meetings on the lake front--Sundays?
A Yes sir.
Q Did you see him frequently down there at labor meetings?
A I seen him as often as meetings were held.
Q Do you know Fielden?
A Yes, sir.
Q How long have you known him?
A Over a year.
Q Do you know any of the other defendants?
A Only by sight
Q Do you know Fischer by sight sometimes?
A Yes, sir.
Q How often did you see him?
A This is the first time I have seen him for three weeks. I saw him last summer, several times.
Q At lake front meetings?
A I saw him mostly in picnic demonstrations.
Q Socialistic picnics?
A Yes sir.
Q Sheffield?
A Yes, sir.
Q Did you go down to Sheffield?
A Yes, sir.
Q Do you know Neebe?
A By sight.
Q Did you see him down there, too?
A Yes, sir.
Q How often did you see Neebe at socialistic picnics?
A I believe he was at nearly all of them.
Q Do you know Engel?
A By sight.
Q Li ngg?
A I don't think I ever met Lingg.
Q Did you ever see him before this trial?
A I don't recollect of ever seeing him.
Q Do you know Schwab? Have you ever seen him?
A Yes sir.
Mr. FOSTER: Q Now, you say you did not turn back after you started to run from the noise of the crack of the pistols-do you know whether they were coming from the centre of the street or not?
A They were coming from the center of the street.
Q As you run down on the east side of Desplaines st, could you see the flashes to the side of you and back of you?
A I was on the west side of the street.
Q As you run down the west side, did you see the flashes over east?
A Yes, they were from the middle of the street, all along the street.
Q Were the bullets cracking against the brick wall by the side of you?
A Yes.
Q You got your one you say just as you turned the corner starting west?
A Yes, sir.
Q You say you belong to the armed section of the American Group?
A That was its name, but it was not armed. It was called that name.
Q What was the name of what Mr Grinnell called the armed section--what was the correct name?
A The International Rifles.
Q That was the same society organization that you spoke of before?
A Yes sir.
Q There was not the International Rifles and also an armed section?
A No sir.
Q That is the same thing?
A Yes sir, one and the same thing.
Q Where were you born?
A In Indiana.
Whereupon court adjourned until 10 o'clock A. M., August 6th, 1886.