Louis Lingg
| Louis Lingg | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
September 9, 1864 Mannheim, German Confederation |
| Died | November 10, 1887 (aged 23) Chicago |
| Cause of death | Suicide by blasting caps in mouth |
| Occupation | Carpenter |
| Known for | Haymarket Square |
| Political party | Anarchist |
| Parent(s) | Friedrich Lingg |
Louis Lingg (September 9, 1864 – November 10, 1887) was a German-born American anarchist who committed suicide while in jail after being convicted and sentenced to hang as a member of a criminal conspiracy behind the Haymarket Square bombing. Lingg committed suicide in his cell with an explosive shortly before his scheduled execution.
Louis Lingg was born on September 9, 1864 in Mannheim, Germany to Friedrich Lingg. His father was injured in the lumber mill where he worked. Louis wrote in his autobiography: "At this time I was thirteen and my sister seven years old, and at this age I received my first impressions of the prevailing unjust social institutions, i.e., the exploitation of men by men."
Lingg became an apprentice carpenter from 1869 to 1882. He then took a job in Strasbourg, in Alsace, then moved on to Freiburg, Germany where he joined the Working Men's Educational Society, a socialist organization.
To avoid military service, Lingg moved to Switzerland, but in the spring of 1885, the police in Zurich ordered him to leave the country. He then received a letter from his mother telling him that her new husband was willing to provide him with enough money to move to the United States.
In July 1885, Lingg arrived in New York City then departed for Chicago, Illinois where he joined the International Carpenters and Joiners' Union. He arrived in Chicago seven months before the actions.
On May 4, 1886, Lingg was not present at Haymarket Square for what would be known as the Haymarket Riot. A bomb was thrown into the crowd of policemen by an unidentified person, but prosecutors presented evidence he was involved in the making the bomb. Seven men were arrested the next day in connection with the bombing which killed Officer Mathias Degan and other policemen. Lingg himself was discovered in his hiding place on May 14, 1886, when he pulled a revolver and fought with two police officers before being arrested. Lingg and eight other anarchists were charged on June 21, 1886 with criminal conspiracy. Lingg and six others were convicted and sentenced to death.
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