The age-herald., 1900-09-16
BRYAN ADDRESSED
 MONSTER MEETING Great Gathering in the Coliseum
 at St. Louis. WEB. DAVIS ALSO SPOKE Latter Takes Occasion to Deny in Most Emphatic Terms Certain Accusa- tions Made Against Him Trip
 From Terre Haute

St. Louis, Sept. 15 = Hon. William J. Bryan tonight spoke at the Coliseum Hall under the auspices of the National Demo- cratcc Committed of Commercial Travel CTS. The hall will seat 14,OOO persons, and every available foot of standing room was covered
 MT. Bryan arrived at o'clock, coming here from East St. Louis. He was escorted across the Mississippi river by commit tee of commercial travellers. They brought him into this city in carriage drawn by four white horses and accompanied by mounted guard and a squad of police.
 The meeting at the Coliseum was pre- sided over by MT. J. w. Jump, chairman of the Commercial Travellers Committee, and the time previous to MT. Bryan's ar rival was filled by other speakers. The first of these was Hon. John A. Lee, Dem- ocratic candidate for lieutenant governor of Missouri and himself a commercial tray eler, and by Hon. Webster Davis. MT. Da- wis took occasion to reply to the recent charge that he has received money from President Kruger for taking a position in favor of the Democratic ticket in the pres ent campaign. He said that he had gone to South Africa to visit personal friend of his who was consul there. He referred to his career as assistant secretary Of the interior under the present administration, saying he had worked day and night for the government for three years. In addi- .tion, he had fought the battles of the Re- publican party for four years, having giv- en several weeks of his time to secure the election of MT. Hanna for the Senatorship from Ohio.
 When I reached Capetown," he said, T was warned by Sir Alfred Milner not to go among the Boers because of the danger of being murdered because I spoke English. did go, nevertheless, and l 1ound oniy three Boers who were not able to speak the IInglish language as well as can speak 1t. I then made up my mind that the Boers were being lied about They were being lied about" he continued, just as am being lied about today"
 He then said:
 'sI have been accused of an infamous crime by men I do not know, and who have no doubt are getting big pay TOT what they are doing. I challenge them to produce a single letter that I have ever written or to bring forward any other legitimate proof to substantiate their charge. They cannot do that, and I say here tonight that any man or newspaper which says received 8 single dollar from Kruger or any one else fs an infamous, damnable liar. will be at the St. Nlc1OlSS f1Oltl III tHiS City ohth to- morrow afternoon, and any dirty cur who takes issue with this characterization can meet me there."
 Mir. Davis then said that since he had re- signed his position his crippled brother, who had held the place of assistant post master at Kansas City, had been deprived of his office.
 There were alternate cheers and hissing while MT. Davis was speaking, and at times the scene was exciting.
 Mr Bryan arrived at 8:45 and the audi ence arise as one man to greet him as he strode across the stage. A majority of the vast multitude were equipped with small American flags, and they waved them with a will. The demonstration continued for five or six minutes, and 1t was in some re- spects repetition of the flag episode in the Kansas City Convention.
 MT. Bryan read his speech from manu- script This did not seem to meet the ap- proval of some of the audience, and he had not proceeded far in his delivery when sev- eral persons seated in the rear of the hall left.
 The points of the address were cheered when made and the entire document was we'll received.