The Haymarket affair culminated in a series of executions that profoundly impacted the American labor movement. On November 11, 1887, August Spies, Albert Parsons, Adolph Fischer, and George Engel were executed by hanging following their convictions related to the Haymarket bombing. These executions were the tragic conclusion to a highly controversial trial that followed the violence at Haymarket Square in Chicago in 1886. The day before the scheduled
executions, Louis Lingg, another defendant, committed suicide in prison, adding another somber note to the unfolding events.
The Final Days and Lingg's Suicide
Leading up to the executions, the atmosphere was tense. Louis Lingg, one of the men sentenced to death, took his own life on November 10, 1887. He died in his cell by suicide, using a smuggled blasting cap. Reports indicate he held the blasting cap in his mouth like a cigar, and the resulting blast blew off half his face. Lingg reportedly survived in agony for six hours after the self-inflicted injury. This dramatic and tragic event occurred just hours before his scheduled execution, preventing him from facing the gallows alongside his comrades.
The Executions and Unanswered Questions
On November 11, 1887, the remaining four condemned men—August Spies, Albert Parsons, Adolph Fischer, and George Engel—were hanged. The executions took place at the German Waldheim Cemetery, which would later merge with Forest Home Cemetery. The identity of the actual bomber remained a subject of debate and controversy. For instance, a New York anarchist and fraudster named Franz Mayhoff identified Klemana Schuetz as the bomber, claiming Schuetz had admitted to throwing the Haymarket bomb. Mayhoff's attorney, August Wagener, even sent a telegram to defense attorney Captain William Black the day before the executions, asserting knowledge of the bomber's identity. Black attempted to use this information to delay the executions, but Governor Oglesby refused the delay. It was later revealed that Schuetz had been the primary witness against Mayhoff in a trial for insurance fraud, leading historians to generally discredit Mayhoff's affidavit.
Last Words and Lasting Impact
As he faced his execution, August Spies famously declared, "The day will come when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you strangle today." This powerful statement is engraved on the Haymarket Martyrs' Monument, which was dedicated in 1893 to commemorate these individuals. The monument is located in Forest Park, Illinois, where Spies and the other Haymarket martyrs are buried. The executions, and the broader Haymarket affair, had a profound and lasting impact on the labor movement, contributing to the establishment of May 1 as International Workers' Day, a global commemoration of labor rights and the struggles of workers.
