he stand?"
called out the gallant little woman as she stepped from the platform.
Jake Michel promptly accepted the challenge and was as promptly
suppressed by the police at the first mention of free speech.

In the jail the arrested persons were searched one by one and thrown
into the "receiving tank." When Thompson's turn came, Commissioner of
Public Safety, as Chief of Police Kelly was known under Everett's form
or government, said to him:

"Mr. Thompson, I don't want to lock you up."

"That's interesting," replied Thompson. "Why have you got me down here?"

"We don't want you to speak on the street at this time."

"Have you any ordinance against it, that is, have I broken any law?"
enquired Thompson.

"Oh no, no. That isn't the idea," rejoined Kelly. "We have strikes on,
labor troubles here, and we don't want you to speak here at all. You are
welcome at any other time, but not now."

"Well," said Thompson, "as a representative of labor, when labor is in
trouble is the time I would like to speak, but I am not going to
advocate anything that I think you could object to."

"Now, Thompson," said Kelly, "if you will agree to get right out of town
I will let you go. I don't want to lock you up."

"Do you believe in free speech?" asked Thompson.

"Yes."

"And I am not arrested?"

"No, you are not arrested."

"Come up to the meeting then," Thompson said with a smile, "for I am
going back and speak."

"Oh no, you are not!"--and Kelly kind of laughed. "No, you are not!"

"If you let me go I will go right up to the corner and speak, and if you
send me out of town I will come back," said Thompson emphatically. "I
don't know what you are going to do, but that's how I stand."

"Lock him up with the rest!" was the abrupt reply of the "Commissioner
of Public Safety."

At this juncture James Rowan was brought in from the patrol wagon, and
searched. As the officers were about to put him in the cell with the
others, Sheriff McRae called out:

"Don't put him in there, he is instigator of the whole damn business.
Turn him over to me." He then took Rowan in his automobile to the county
jail and threw him in a cell, along with B. E. Peck, who had previously
been given a "floater" out of town for having spoken on the street on or
about August 15th. McRae was drunk.

More than half a thousand indignant citizens followed the twenty-one
arrested persons to the jail, loudly condemning the outrage against
their constitut