Haymarket Affair Digital Collection

Illinois vs. August Spies et al. trial transcript no. 1
Testimony of Samuel Fielden (first appearance), 1886 Aug. 6.

Volume M, 308-333, 26 p.
Fielden, Samuel, b. 1847, defendant.
Teamster; English immigrant.

Direct examination by Mr. Foster. Testified on behalf of the Defense, Spies, August et al.

Testified on various topics (page numbers provide a partial guide): weapons and explosives (vol.M 321), socialists and/or socialism (vol.M 309), meaning of "Ruhe" (vol.M 322), Greif's Hall (vol.M 324), 1886 May 4 meeting of the American Group at the Arbeiter-Zeitung office (vol.M 309), arrangements made for the Haymarket meeting (vol.M 312), Captain Ward's command to disperse (vol.M 316), Fielden's response to the police advance at Haymarket (vol.M 316), the explosion (vol.M 317), time and place origination of the gunfire (vol.M 317), medical care and wounds (vol.M 318), Lehr und Wehr Verein (vol.M 327), the American Group (vol.M 310), International Rifles (vol.M 326), Spies, August (vol.M 312), Spies' actions at the Haymarket meeting (vol.M 320), Parsons, Albert (vol.M 312), Schwab, Michael (vol.M 311), Fielden's speech at Haymarket (vol.M 313), attendance of women and children at labor meetings and rallies (vol.M 312).


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SAMUEL FIELDEN,

one of the defendants, called on behalf of the defendants, was duly sworn and testified as follows:

DIRECT EXAMINATION,
By Mr. Foster.

Q What is your full name?

A Samuel Fielden.

Q Mr. Fielden what is your age?

A 39 the 25th of last February.

Q Where were you born?

A I was born in the town of Dolderdon, Lancashire, England.

Q At what age did you come to the United States?

A I came to the United States in the following July after I was of age, 21, 1868.

Q Where have you resided since 1868?

A I worked one day, I believe in Brooklyn, in a hat factory and from there I went to Providence and lived in North Providence and worked in Chapin & Town's woolen mill until the following March.

Q When did you come to Chicago?

A Well, I came from there to Ohio, worked on a farm four months there and from there in August I came to Chicago in 1869.

Q That would be August of 1869?

A Yes sir.

Q You have resided then, about seventeen years in Chicago?

A Well, most of the time. I have been down South twice working on levees and railroads down there and I have


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worked---the first work I did in Illinois I worked on John Wentowrth's farm at Summit, 12 miles from Chicago, and worked around.

Q What had been your business before the 4th of May, for a considerable time?

A I have worked in stone yards and driven stone teams most of the time since 1872, the year following the fire.

Q Are you a married man?

A I am.

Q Is your wife living?

A My wife is living.

Q At what place?

A 110 West Polk.

Q Was that your home prior to your arrest?

A Yes sir, I was arrested there.

Q And is yet your home?

A Yes sir.

Q Have you got a family of children?

A I have one child.

Q You are a socialist?

A I am.

Q Do you remember a meeting held at the Arbeiter Zeitung office, or at the building, at least, 107 Fifth Avenue, on the evening of the 4th of May last?

A Yes sir.

Q How and when did you receive notice of the holding of that meeting?

A I had been with a load of stone to Wadheim cemetery that day and I had engaged to speak at 12th street, 268 that night, and intended going there until I got home and bought a Daily News and saw the announcement of a meeting


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of the American Group to be held at 107 Fifth Avenue that night, important business, I believe it said; and I was the treasurer of that society or of that organization and had all the money that the organization was worth and and we should have had our semi-annula election the Sunday previous to the 4th of May, and I thought that possibly some money would be wanted as it was advertised as important business, so that I thought that I would go and not go to the meeting that I had engaged the Sunday night previous to go to that night, and that is what brought me there.

Q At what time did you arrive there, Mr. Fielden?

A I arrived there, I think, about 10 minutes or perhaps a little less than that, before eight.

Q Were you there at the time that there was any telephoning done with reference to the Deering meeting?

A Yes sir.

Q You heard the witnesses testifying on that subject?

A Yes sir.

Q Is your recollection different from theirs?

A The witnesses who have detailed the occurrence are substantially correct, I think.

Q What was the object, as you afterwards learned, of the meeting which was held there that night?

A I asked when I went in there what the meeting was for and a gentleman named Patterson, who was not a member of an organization, but I


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believe has been interesting himself in organizing different---

MR. GRINNELL: I do not think it is proper for him to state anything about that.

THE WITNESS: Mr. Patterson showed me a hand bill.

Objected to.

Q Did you see there a handbill calling that meeting?

A Yes sir.

Q A printed circular?

A No sir, not calling that business meeting, but a hand bill that I was told was the reason---

Objected to.

Q Did you see a hand bill with reference to the organization of the sewing women?

A Yes sir.

Q That is the handbill that you referred to?

A Yes sir.

Q What business was performed there, that is, upon what general subject, not going into details?

A I brought some money with me as I had intended, and I paid $5 to those who had paid for the printing of those handbills and who might need a little money or street car fare in going around to hire halls, and other incidental expenses.

Q You paid this money as treasurer, I understand?

A As treasurer of our organization.

Q Do you remember at or about what time Mr. Schwab left that meeting, if he had left it at any time?

A I think


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Schwab must have left there about quarter past 8 or 10 minutes past 8, perhaps, as near as I can think of now.

Q After Schwab left or at any time during the progress of that meeting I will ask you, Mr. Fielden, o state whether or not a request was received, as you understand it, from the Haymarket meeting for speeches?

A Yes sir.

Q In response to that request whom went to the haymarket meeting?

A Mr. Parsons and I.

Q Did you go in company with each other?

A Mr. Parsons I believe, brought his two children down stairs and gave them a drink of water in the saloon, if I remember correctly, and I waited at the corner for him.

Q From the corner did you go together?

A We walked together, I think, Mr. Parsons and I, through the tunnel and then after that I think I walked with Mr. Schneider from about the other end of the tunnel, the west end of the tunnel; I don't know whether Parsons was with us, but there was three of us in that group at that time, but I know that I had some conversation with Mr. Schneider there and I think that I walked with him over there.

Q You remember the fact from the conversation that you had with him?

A Yes sir.

Q When you arrived at the Haymarket, who, if any one, was speaking?

A Mr. Spies.

Q How soon after you arrived did Mr. Spies stop speaking?


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A Well, I think about five minutes.

Q Who was introduced as the speaker following Mr. Spies?

A Mr. Parsons.

Q By whom was Parsons Introduced?

A By Mr. Spies.

Q Where were you when Parsons spoke?

A I was on the wagon.

Q After the conclusion of Mr. Parson's speech, who, if anyone, was introduced to speak at that meeting?

A I was introduced to make a short speech and I did not wish to speak but Mr. Spies urged me and I did.

Q By whom were you introduced to that audience, Mr. Fields?

A By Mr. Spies, I think.

Q By Spies?

A I think so, yes sir, as far as I can remember.

Q About how long did you sepak?

A Well, I think I spoke about 20 minutes.

Q Now, I will ask you, without making a twenty minutes speech Mr. Fielding, if you will state in a general way to the jury, the tenor of your speech, as near as you can remember it?

A I think I referred to some adverse criticism of the socialists by an evening paper published in this city which had been calling the socialists cowards and other uncomplimentary names, and told the audience that this was not true; that the socialists were true to the interest of the laboring classes, and that they were not cowards and would not desert the laboring classes, but would continue


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to advocate the rights of labor. I think that that was the essence of the first part of the speech. I then went on, so far as I remember now, to speak briefly of the condition of labor. Then I referred to that class of people who were continually posing as labor reformers for their own benefit, and who had never done anything to benefit the laboring classes, but had at all times approved the cause of labor on order to get themselves into office, and then to back up that, or substantiate it, I cited the case of Martin Foran, who had in a speech in congress, on the arbitratioon, bill that was brought in by the labor committee there, stated that the working classes of this country could get nothing through legislation in Congress, and he had stated further then that, that only when the rich men of this country understood that it was dangerous to live in a community where there were dissatisfied people, would the labor problem be solved. I stated this, and someone on the audience cried out: "That is not true", or "That is a lie." That here was a man that was rich on the spot, a man who had been there for years, who had had experience and knew what could be done there, and this was his testimony; it was not the testimony of a socialist at all. And then I went on to say that this being the case, the only thing that they could do, the only way in which they could get


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any satisfaction, from the gradual decreasing opportunities for living of the working people---the only thing that they could do with the law would be to "throttle it". I used that word in figurative sense. I said to throttle it, because it was an expensive article to them and could do them no good. I went on further, so far as I can remember, to state that men working all their lifetime, their love for their families influencing to put forth all their efforts that the children that came after them might have a better opportunity of starting in the world better than they had done; and the facts, the statistics of Great Britain and of the United States would prove that every year it was becoming utterly impossible for the youngest generation, under the present system, to have as good an opportunity, as the former ones had had. Mr. Spies had stated to me before I commenced to mention the boycott that the Chicago Herald had advised the labor organizations of this city to give it to the red flags.

MR. INGHAM: The question is what you said at that meeting.

THE WITNESS: I spoke briefly and told them not to boycott the red flag as they had been advised to do, because the red flag was the symbol of universal freedom and universal liberty. I didn't speak very long about that, and I was just closing my remarks--------I think I had just closed that part of my speech------when some one said "It is going to rain."


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There was a very dark heavy cloud which seemed to be rolling over just a little to the northwest of me, and I looked at it and someone proposed to go to Zeph's Hall and finish the meeting there. Some one else said "No, there is a meeting there." And I said "Never mind, I will not talk very long. I will close now in a few minutes, and then we will all go home." I talked then a little longer. I think the last portion of my speech was advising them to organize into different organizations, to organize any way as laboring men; to organize for their own protection; not to trust to anyone else at all, but to organize among themselves and depend only upon themselves to advance their condition. Now, I was speaking in that way and I do not think I should have spoken one minute longer, when I noticed the police. I stopped speaking and Captain Ward came up to me, and he raised his hand---and I do not remember now whether he had anything in his hand or not-----and he said: "I command this meeting, in the name of the People of the State of Illinois, to peaceable disperse." I was standing up, and I said "Why Captain, this is a peaceable meeting," in that tone of voice, in a very conciliatory tone of voice, and he very angrily and defiantly retorted that he commanded it to disperse, and called, as I understood----I didn't catch those words clearly


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---he called up the police to disperse it. Just as he turned around in that argry mood I jumped from the wagon and said "All right, we will go," and jumped to the side walk. This is my impression after being in jail now for three months, and I am telling it as near as I can remember it, very incident of it:

MR. FOSTER: Go right on and tell.

A Then the explosion came. I think I went in a somewhat southeasterly direction from the time that I struck the street. It was only a couple of steps to the sidewalk. I had just, I think, got on to the sidewalk when the explosion came, and being in a dioganal position on the street I saw the flash as if in that corner (indicating) as it were, from where I was. Then the people began to rush past me and I heard someone-----I was not decided in my mind what it was---but I heard some one say "dynamite", and then in my own mind I assented that that was the cause of the explosion they rushed past me and I rushed with them, and I was crowded with them. There were some of them falling down and others calling out in agony, and the police were purring ahots into them. We tried to get behind some protection. Some men got there, but I saw there was so many trying to get there that there was very little protection afforded. I then made a dash for the corner of the street around to


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a saloon, I believe it is Bryan's saloon.

Q What corner.

A On the northeast corner of Randolph and DesPlaines. I turned that corner and ran down the street. I ran, I suppose, until I got to Jefferson street, and seeing there was no pursuit I dropped into a fast walk. I walked down to Clinton and turned on Clinton, intending at that time to go home. I have omitted one circumstance, and that is, that immediately after the explosion of the bomb---I had possibly gone three or four steps----I was struck with a ball. It felt, as near as I can estimate the feeling, now, as though a small hammer had struck me very quickly there with a strong powerful blow. I didn't feel much pain at the time in the excitement, but as I dropped into a walk down there on Randolph street I felt the pain and put my finger in the hole in my pants and felt my knee was wet. Then I concluded I had been shot, but I hadn't a great deal of pain in it at that time. As I walked down Clinton street I was thinking about going home. Then I began to think about those who had been with me, and, remembering about Mr. Spies being on the wagon at the time I was speaking, and at the time the police came up, I thought surely that some of these men must have been killed, from all that shooting. I concluded then that I would take a Van Buren street car


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and ride down past the Arbeiter Zeitung building and see if any one was there. I caught the car at the corner of Canal Street and VanBuren, but I found I had made a mistake. It was a car that runs directly east to State street. I turned the corner of Fifth avenue then, and walked from the corner of fifth avenue until I got to Monroe street. There came a car from down there which I thought was a Twelfth street car. Of course I was near the place and I could have walked there, but I thought at the time that I was so well known in Newspaper Row by the reporters that if I should walk I should be known. So I jumped on to the car and stood in front. I thought if I saw a light in the Arbeiter Zeitung building I would jump off and go up there; but there wasn't any. So when I got down near the Briggs House I alighted, and I thought then I would go up to Parson's House. I took an Indiana Street car and rode up to Clinton street. When we got to Clinton street the driver said "Why there is firing going on up there yet" and I saw a couple of flashes up near where I thought the Haymarket was, and I said "If there is I am not going up there." I then walked over on Jefferson street until I came to the north corner of Lake street, and I saw a terrible crowd of people around there, and I thought possibly that there would be a good many detectives there. So I turned back again and caught a Canalport Avenue car and rode down to


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the corner of Canal and Twelfth streets. There I got my knee dressed, it was becoming very painful at this time.

Q Who dressed your knee?

A A young doctor who was on the stand here the other day; Epler, I think was his name. I then went home.

Q At the time the police came up there and Captain Ward made the proclamation to the audience, or to the meeting, to disperse, you may state whether or not Mr. Spies at that time was on the wagon with you?

A Well, I feel sure that Mr. Spies was at my side when Captain Ward, but at the time that Captain Ward came up and made those remarks Mr. Spies was there. I will swear that he was there when Captain Ward began to talk.

Q Did you see Mr. Spies leave the wagon?

A I did not, I jumped off at the rear end of the wagon, what we always call the tail end of the wagon, jumped off into the street.

Q That would be the south end of the wagon?

A Yes sir. that would be the south end of the wagon.

Q So that you know as a matter of fact, that Mr: Spies was on the wagon at the time that the proclamation was begun?

A Yes sir, I do.

Q After that you paid no particular attention in that direction?

A No sir, I looked at the Captain, and from him


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I turned around to leave----to get off the end of the wagon.

Q How many other persons were on the wagon at that time besides you and Mr. Spies?

A Well, I didn't look much at the crowd on the wagon. I would sometimes turn my face to the sidewalk, sometimes south and sometimes north in addressing the audience, and I didn't pay any attention to the wagon, but I think I noticed there were four or five on there a little previous to the police coming up.

Q Did you see Mr. Schneider on the wagon?

A Mr. Schneider assisted me to get on the wagon. He went on the wagon before I did. When he got on there he caught hold of my hand and assisted in pulling me up.

Q Did he remain on the wagon, so far as you know, until the order to disperse was given?

A No sir, I think Mr. Schneider was on the ground when I got down. I think I saw him on the sidewalk there. Of course I don't remember everything as distinctly now as I did the next day.

Q Mr. Fielden did you have a revolver that night?

A I never had a revolver in my life. I never carried one in my pocket three feet out of doors, and I never had one in my house, and I don't believe that my wife knows what a revolver is.

Q You say, then, that you didn't have one in your pocket or about your person on the night of the 4th of May?


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A No sir, I did not.

Q I will ask you whether or not you fired at any policeman at any other person at the Haymarket meeting on the night of the fourth of May?

A No sir, I never fired at a person in my life.

Q Did you on the fourth of May, did you fire?

A No sir.

Q Did you, at any time after you got off the wagon step back between the wheels of the wagon, crouch down, rise and fire, and crouch down again and rise and fire repeatedly?

A No sir, I didn't stay there, I went the other way from the wagon. I went from the first man that I met when I came on the street----my whole course was from the wagon south.

Q You never came to a stop at any time?

A No sir; I may have stopped for the smallest perseptible space of time when I was startled with the explosion, but it was hardly any stoppage at all, I think, before I began to go with the crowd.

Q Mr. Fielden, when did you first hear of the word Ruhe having been published in the Arbeiter Zeitung, or hear anything as to the import or siginficance of that word?

A I think I saw it in one of the papers when I was in the County Jail here.

Q How long were you in the County Jail?

A I cannot tell


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now, I think it was some days.

Q At the time you were in the Arbeiter Zeitung office attending the organization of the sewing women, or the meeting that was called for that purpose, or at the Haymarket that night, or at any time during that day or night, did you hear of that word?

A No sir, I never saw the word before in my life, and, as I understand it is a German word, I would not have known what it meant if I had seen it.

Q Do you read German?

A No sir.

Q Was there any understanding, arrangement or agreement on the part of you or any other person or persons, to your knowledge, that violence should be used at the Haymarket meeting?

A No sir.

Q Or that arms should be used or that dynamite should be used at the meeting?

A No sir.

Q You anticipated no trouble of that character of kind?

A No sir.

Q How long did you speak that night, Mr. Fielden?

A I think I spoke about twenty minutes, as near as I can remember now.

Q I will ask you whether or not, upon the approach of the police there you used these words of words of similar report: "There come the bloodhounds", or "There come the bloodhounds, you do your duty and I'll do mine?


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A No sir, I did not.

Q Did you hear any such expression as that from any person that night?

A I did not.

Q When did you first hear of the Haymarket meeting?

A I heard of it after I got to the American Group meeting. that is the first I heard of it.

Q At the Arbeiter Zeitung building,

A Yes sir.

Q On the night of May 4th?

A Yes sir.

Q Now you have heard the testimony with reference to a Monday night meeting that had been held by certain persons at number 54 Lake street, I presume?

A Yes sir.

Q When did you first hear that such a meeting had been held?

A I heard of that about four days----no, I heard of that, I think, about ten or fourteen days after I was in the County Jail. I saw it, I think, in the morning Times, and the gist of what I saw there was that the police had got track of some meeting that had been held there on Monday night. That is the first that I had heard of any such meeting. However, I wish to say that I was at number 54 Lake street on Monday night. I spoke to the wagon makers in the upper hall.

Q What floor did you speak to them on?

A On the upper floor the largest hall.

Q Do you remember how many floors there are in that building?


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A There are some living rooms on the second floor. Then there is a hall on the third floor, and the largest hall is on the top floor. The one on the third floor is not so large. In the rear of the saloon there is a little room I believe it has been called a kitchen here, but sometimes committee meetings and small meetings have been held there that I know of.

Q Were you ever down in the basement of that building?

A I was never in the basement, except to the water closet in my life.

Q You simply have been down under the sidewalk?

A Under the sidewalk. You go down a space and then turn back under the sidewalk.

Q But were you ever in the basement proper under the main room?

A No sir, I didn't think, from the appearance of it, but what it was full of old lumber and trash and so fourth? I never thought that there was anything of a hall there.

Q You didn't go down stairs that night?

A No sir, I didn't go down stairs at all.

Q And didn't hear of any meeting being held there until you learned it ten or fifteen days after the fourth of May.

A That was the first notice that I had of it.

Q Were you a member of any armed section or organization of similar purport?

A Well, we drilled there at number


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54 Lake street on that Monday night without arms, but there never was anybody ever had any arms there.

Q How many times did you drill there, Mr. Fielden.

A Not over six times, I think, so far as I can remember now.

Q What did you call yourselves, what was your society.?

A I think it was proposed to call it the International Rifles, but I don't think, as near as I can remember now, that it was ever really decided, as the organization was in an imperfect state, and never was perfected, because it never became an armed organization. I don't think we really decided positively to call it that, but that name was talked of.

Q When was the last time, if you know, that there was any drilling or any meeting of that group or the International Rifles at Lake street or anywhere else?

A I think it must have been----I think we began there in August.

Q What year?

A Last year, a year from this fall, a year back, and the last meetings must have been in the latter part of September, very near to that, I think.

Q The last of September of that year?

A The last of September of that year.

Q Then there was no drilling during the winter of 1885--6 and the spring og 1886?

A No, sir.

Q And no arms were ever obtained?

A No sir.

Q You never had any arms at the time of any drilling?


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A No sir----well, there were a few men belonging to the Lehr and Wehr Verein who came in there as one of these witnesses said----Johnson, one of the Pinkerton agents----one night with their guns and grounded arms, or shouldered arms, something of that kind, but that is the only time that I ever saw any arms there. They didn't belong to the American Group at all.

Q I am only speaking now of you own group, the International Rifles, they never had any arms?

A No sir.

Q You never had any arms or exercised with any?

A No sir.

Q Now, Mr. Fielden, you say that the shots were puring in thick and fast after the explosion of the bomb?

A Yes sir.

Q Where did these shots come from?

A They came from the street.

Q With reference to the position of the police on the street where did they come from?

A I should judge they came from the police.

Q At any time when you were getting off from the wagon, was there, to your knowledge, an explosion of firearms from the wagon?

A No; I didn't hear the explosion of anything I can remember of before the explosion of the bomb.

Q As you were rushing down the sidewalk did you hear an explosion


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of any arms among the citizens who had attended the meeting?

A No sir.

Q You heard the witness Johnson testify?

A Yes sir.

Q You know Johnson?

A Yes sir, I have seen him.

Q You remember of his testifying with reference to a conversation had with you at the Twelfth street Turner Hall?

A Yes sir, I have heard him testify with reference to that conversation.

Q What was that particular conversation that he testified in regard to, Mr. Fielden?

A I don't remember now what it was that he did testify to but I think he testified something to my advocacy of dynamite, and I believe he testified now that it had occurred down in the saloon after I had done speaking, in the presence of a man named Boyd.

Q That was it and his notes stated at the same time that he hadn't time to talk with you at that time? Did you have any conversation with him down there in the presence of Boyd and the Twelfth street Turner Hall?

A I did not, Mr. Boyd was not in the city of Chicago at that time. His son had told me-

Q What was it you were going to say?

A His son told me-----

Objected to.

A Boyd and his son were both members of the American Group


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I missed the boy's father and I asked him at one time where his father was.

Objected to.

Q Did you at any time, whether at the Twelfth street Turner Hall on the occasion that he referred to, or at any other time, have the conversation which he stated he had in regard to you and the dynamite?

A I did not, I knew that he was a detective long before that, and I would not be fool enough to go and advocate anything of that kind, if I was a dynamiter, to him.

Q As a matter of fact, Mr. Fielden, your doors have always been open to membership?

A Yes sir.

Q Ten cents was the admission and no questions asked?

A It was not necessary to have ten cents. I was financial secretary and treasurer for a long time, and I always, in speaking and calling upon persons to join the organization, told them if they had no money they could join, but the fee was set at ten cents per months, so as to cover the expenses of paying for hall rent and advertising.

Q You say that on the fourth, if I remember correctly, you were hauling stone?

A On the fourth I took a load of sawed stone from Rodenscratz & Ernshaw's dock out to Waldheim Cemetary, which is the other side of Oak Park, and it is a day's work.


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Q What time did you return home that evening?

A I returned home about half past five.

Q It was after you returned home that you bought the paper?

A I bought the paper on the sidewalk just before I went into the house.

Q And then it was, If I understand, that you first ascertained of the meeting that was called for at number 107 Fifth Avenue?

A Yes sir, the American Group Business meeting.

Q Where had you been the day before?

A Well, I had worked three quarters of a day that day. At the beginning of May business was not so brisk because most of the building was stopped. Of course in hauling stones to buildings the space given to depositing our loads soon became clogged up, and sometimes a man would be at a building and would be informed not to bring any more until they began to work again. Consequently the work was not brisk. I only worked three quarters of a day on Saturday, which was the first day of May, and three quarters of a day on Monday.

Q Commencing with the day previous to the fourth which was on Monday, what were you doing on that day?

A In the morning I took a load of stone, which was roof coping up to Division street.

Q Where did you get that stone?

A At Bodenschatz & Ernshaw's stone dock, Harrison street and the river.


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Q What did you do the rest of the day?

A In the afternoon I took two loads of ashler from that dock to Deekman Bros. at the corner of Sixteenth and Jefferson, near the old Burlington tracks, Burlington freight house.

Q Did that constiture a days work?

A No sir, my wife only got three quarters of a day for that day.

Q Whom were you working for at that time?

A I was working for Bodenschatz & Ernshaw. I worked for them three or four years.

Q Did you own your own team?

A Yes sir.

Q You were working with a stone team, a span of horses and wagon, and your own services?

A Yes sir.

Q That is, they hired you, your team and wagon?

A Yes, sir.

Q And you were working by the day?

A Yes sir.

Q What were you doing on Saturday, the first day of May?

A Saturday the first load I hauled was to the new building going up at the corner of Lake street and that little street which runs diagonally over from Randolph street, just on the east side of Union Park. At the sharp corner there they were putting up a lot of new buildings and I hauled a load of dimension stone there for the basement, in the morning. That was a quarter of a day's work. When I got back I got a load for forty-six and Woodlawn Avenue, in Hyde Park.


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That is all that I did that day.

Q So your business has been that of teamster?

A Yes sir. that has been my business for the last six years. I have owned my own team for that time and previous to that I worked for different firms around town.

Q How many years of that six have you been engaged for that stone firm?

A This would be the second consecutive year. The year previous to that I worked for Heldemeyer & Boldenwick. The year before that I worked for Bodenschatz and Ernshaw and two years before that I worked for Boyer & Corneau.

Q When you were arrested, Mr. Fielden?

A As near as I can remember I was arrested at home about 10 o'clock on the morning of the 5th of May.

Q Were you ever arrested before?

A No sir, I never was arrested in my life.

Q Where were you taken upon being arrested?

A I was taken to the Central Station.

Q By whom?

A I don't know the names of the officers with the exception of one of them who testified here, I think----Slayton---and four more.

Q Were they police officers or detectives?

A Detectives. all in citizens clothes.


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Q Have you been constantly under arrest ever since?

A Yes sir.

Q Have you ever had any examination, preliminary or otherwise?

Objected to.

A I had no examination except that I was brought before the corner's jury on the evening of the Fifth of May.

MR. INGHAM: That is the only examination anybody ever has for murder.

MR. FOSTER: Q Before the corner's jury?

A Yes sir.

Q On the fifth day of May?

A Yes sir.

Q Is that all the examination you have had?

A Yes sir. That is all the examination I have had.

Adjourned to 10 A. M. August 7th 1886.


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