Tuesday, October 22, 2013

The Haymarket Affair


Steven Sapp
Smith, period 6
10/22
The Haymarket Affair

The Haymarket Affair
Tuesday, May 4th, 1886

The Day had started peacefully, with a rally for workers to get 8 hour work time, but an unknown assailant had thrown a stick of dynamite at police after they tried to stop the rally. The explosion caused the police to fire upon the civilians. when the smoke and gunfire had cleared, there were 7 police officers and 4 civilians found dead, and 100's were wounded. After the bombing, there were 8 Anarchists that were convicted of conspiracy. Evidence said that one of those convicted was the builder of the bomb, but non of those convicted threw the bomb. During trials, Judge Joseph E. Gary sentenced seven of those men to death, and the 8th to 15 years in prison. on November 11th, 1887, Samuel fielden, Adolph Fischer, August Spies, and Albert Parson were executed. One of the three others to be executed, one committed suicide, and the other two had their death sentences commuted to life imprisonment by Illinois Governor Richard J. Oglesby.

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