The Accused the Accusers. The Famous Speeches of the Eight Chicago Anarchists in Court
Chicago: Socialistic Publishing Society, 1886.
First Edition. 188 pp, in original printed pink wrappers. Light soiling and uneven sunning to wraps, small loss to backstrip, text quite clean, with just a few small spots of foxing. Very good.
An important pamphlet containing speeches of the eight Chicago anarchists tried for their involvement in the Haymarket Riot of May 4, 1886. The Haymarket Riot (also called the Haymarket Affair or Massacre) was a violent confrontation between Chicago police and labor protesters that became a symbol of the international struggle for workers’ rights. It began as a peaceful rally in support of the eight-hour work day, but havoc ensued after an unknown person threw a dynamite bomb into the crowd. Police responded with uncoordinated gunfire that resulted in the deaths of seven police officers and at least four civilians; dozens of others were wounded. Amid the anti-labor panic that followed, August Spies, Michel Schwab, Oscar Neebe, Adolph Fischer, Louis Lingg, George Engel, Samuel Fielden, and Albert R. Parsons were arrested, tried, and sentenced to death, despite the fact that several were not present at the May 4 event and their alleged involvement was never proved. Ultmately, four of the men were executed, one hanged himself in jail, and three were granted clemency by the Governor of Illinois in 1893, after a review of the case revealed a biased judge and jury and fabricated evidence.
Item #19920
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