Fielden, who was examined on August 7, 1886, was the first of the four defendants whom the defense put on the stand. He was followed (there were intervening witnesses) by Michael Schwab, August Spies, and Albert Parsons. These were the most moderate of the eight defendants and the only ones who could communicate in English effectively, which probably meant that they were the ones the jury would find most sympathetic.

When Captain Ward commanded peace, Fielden responded that the rally was peaceable. Fielden claims he never referred to the police as bloodhounds. He testifies that he was getting down from the wagon, as Ward instructed, when the bomb went off. Fielden states that not only did he not shoot at the police, but that he never owned a gun in his life.

Fielden himself was shot, however, and he describes here his frantic escape from the Haymarket area and his search for someone to dress his wound. He also offers some details about the organization of the anarchists and about his arrest.