Bio

August Vincent Theodore Spies was born on December 10, 1855, in Landeck, Germany. He was raised in a family of six children by his mother, Christine, after their father passed away in 1871. Spies had five siblings: Henry, Kenny, Maggie, Willy, and Adolph. In 1872, at the age of 16, Spies emigrated to the United States with his family in search of better opportunities.

The Spies family settled in Chicago, Illinois. In Chicago, he worked as an upholsterer. Over time, he became involved in trade union activities after witnessing the struggles of workers and the injustices they faced. His experiences during this time fostered a strong interest in labor rights and socialism.

In 1877, Spies joined the Socialist Labor Party and began to engage deeply with labor causes. By 1880, he became the editor of an anarchist newspaper called the Arbeiter-Zeitung, which aimed to advocate for the rights of workers and promote socialist ideas.

Spies was known for his passionate and often aggressive rhetoric surrounding workers' rights. His speeches and writings often reflected his views on the exploitation of labor and the need for workers to fight against oppressive conditions. His commitment to these causes set the stage for his later involvement in significant labor events, particularly the Haymarket Riot of 1886, where he would become a key figure in labor activism.

Murder Story

On May 4, 1886, during a rally at Haymarket Square in Chicago, a violent incident erupted. August Vincent Theodore Spies was among those present and had just finished his speech when chaos ensued. The Chicago police, following explicit instructions from the mayor, moved in to disperse the crowd. In the midst of this, a pipe bomb was thrown, resulting in the deaths of seven police officers.

Following the incident, Spies and seven other men were arrested. Despite witness testimonies indicating that none of the arrested individuals threw the bomb, they were charged and taken to trial. The trial was notably controversial, with significant attention on the jury's selection, which included a relative of one of the slain officers. The prosecution urged the jury to convict the defendants to set an example, claiming it was necessary to preserve social order.

Spies and his co-defendants were quickly found guilty. Seven of them were sentenced to death, while one received a 15-year prison sentence. August Spies, along with Albert Parsons, Adolph Fischer, and George Engel, were executed by hanging on November 11, 1887. Spies famously declared, "The day will come when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you strangle today," as he faced the gallows.