The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-28
TORN INTO TATTERS
WAS THE UNION JACK FLUNG TO
THE BREEZE BY DIR. GIB-
SON.
RAISED AS AN OBJECT LESSON.
AN INDIGNANT CROWD TEARS 1T
DOWN AMID A STORM OF APP
PLAUSE.
SPEECH BY DIR. GIBSON.
SPEECH BY DIR. GIBSON
Says the Flag Was Put An Place to
Test the Spirit of Minneapolis
tans.

! or American citizens, torn into tatterS,
trampled in the dust and finally thrown
in the gutter. The indignation which
! inspired the crowd was not directed
so much against the British flag as
| against the motive of the man who
hung it from the window. But it was
the open insult to the stars and stripes
| that caused the trouble. The flag had
been flying for a full hour before the
decisive action was taken. DR.. Gibson,
who brought the flag home from Eng
land, is for Bryan and silver. Like
many another misguided citizen, Dr.
Gibson resorts to some peculiar argu-
ments in supporting the free silver
cause, and yesterday a brilliant idea
struck him. He decided to give the
people an object lesson in which the
British and American flags were to
play the principal parts. He pinned a
strip OF yellow across the bottom Of
the Union Jack and on this flag he
painted the words: by Consent Of
England" in large black letters. Then
he secured a diminutive American flag
and attached it to the yellow CLOTH
This done he hung the composite ban
ner out Of the window, and it was not
, long before the people began to notice
it.
In little while stream of indig-
nant citizens began to file into the Office
and protest against the open desecra-
ton Of the flag. The doctor received
them all with his cool smile and suave
manner, but offered no relief. None
of them had the nerve to tear the flag
down and 1t still waved to and fro in
the breeze in an insolent way that
was, to say the least, annoying
Secretary Frank Forbes, of the may
or's office, brought the news to the city
hall shortly before o'clock, and pref
ty soon trouble was brewing. Aid
Loye gazed up the street, and when the
flag met his vision, a. convulsive ire
NOR shook his frame and he cried to
the knot of aldermen, city officials and
| reporters who were gathered: Boys,
let's tear it down." 1t was no sooner
said than done. Reinforced by people
on the streets whose feelings had been
| injured, the crowd started for DOC"
| Gibson's office. They were led on by
number of old soldiers, among whom
| Aid. Burke O'Brien, Fred Harrison,
Robert Wilson, of the Central station,
and others were to be seen. Following
| close in their footsteps was Frank
gaylord custodian at the city hall,
and his assistant, Billie Clark. Billie
was to play an important part in the
engagement. He carried in his hands
! a long coil of rope, without which the
| glorious deed could not have been done
1t looked little bit like a lynching
party and many curious pedestrian
! along the way inquired anxiously:
What You Going to Do?" But no
sound escaped from the party They
! pressed on in silence with a determined
look on their faces.
| Not moment was lost when the
doctors office was reached. Up in the
second story the doctor conversed
| pleasantly with his callers wholly I'M
conscious Of the little Indignation par
| ty down below. The members of the
party eyed the insulting emblem and
| then Little Billee'' took his stand and
poised himself preparatory to lassoing
| the flag staff BY the time the coil
of rope shot gracefully into the air
| large crowd which completely blocked
the sidewalk had gathered. The rope
reached the limit of it's elevation and
then descended gently around the staff
| In an instant a dozen strong hands
! had seized the ends of the rope and
| the flag and attachments came down
with a crash.
Tom Brown. of the Journal, tenderly
unpinned the stars and stripes from
! its disgraceful position and then the
crowd went for the Union Jack and
every one vented their Indignation. It
was torn into a thousand pieces and
the flag staff was broken into kindling
/ wood. Then the remnants, bearing lit
| tie reSemblances to the flag which had
waved from the window but a little
while before, were thrown into the
| gutter.
A gleeful howl went up from the
crowd at the accomplishment of their
| purpose and many witnesses of the
act expressed their satisfaction by
stopping to congratulate the actors
The crash of the falling flag had
brought DOC" Gibson to the window
and it would be hard to picture the
peculiar expression on his countenance
as he watched the destruction of the
| banner. 1t was a mingled look Of
! shame and anger. But he decided to
make the best of a bad thing.
AS soon as he could make himself
heard he leaned far out over the
window sill and, addressing himself
to the excited throng in the street, he
said:
Gentlemen, 1 wish to make little expla-
nation in justice to myself and to you. (Hisses
and hoots.) No. this is on the square. Now
I wish you to understand my real motive in
| hanging that flag from my window over which
| you have expressed such lively indignation
and disgust. You Republicans have voted
| in the past and are going to vote for the
| perpetuity of a system of government which
as much as says that nothing be done
! by our great and, glorious country in adopting
| of Great Britain
And from certain things that have tran
| spired in the more recent past. I have al
most reached the conclusion that such a be-
| lief has become predominating sentiment
in this land. Think of it, gentlemen; Just
think of the bare proposition that we can do
| nothing without the consent Of England
What spectacle! Well. determined to make
! a test case of the proposition. had almost
been led TO believe that the spirit of man
hood was dead even right here in Minneapolis
and I decided to hang out that flag iust to
see how long it would remain there; iust to
see how long patriotic American citizens
! would allow it to remain ihare: lust 60 see
If any one in this great city had spirit or
patriotism enough left to let 1t remain there.
| And, thank Cod you tore 1t down Cen
tlemep. 1 thank you.
And the doctor bowed once. twice
and thrice and disappeared from the
| window
The latter part of his impromptu adj
| dress was drowned out in a perfect
storm of Kisses and wells and many
| an onlooker was heard to remark that
Doc Gibson wasn't half as glad to
have the f1ag nulled down as he let on
to be. The indignation committee was
received with open arms when it re-
turned to the city hall. A great wrong
had heen righted and the American
| flags in the streets waved a little bit
| prouder than before