Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-09-19

sheN7 INV uPhOiN AhS NiSiouS Nspi
talist system.
When ! was arrested on Saturday
night, the drag net was thrown out,
and a young fellow by the name Of
Thompson was clutched by the police
and taken TO the station, a $25 bond
was placed upon him also. There has
been something amusing about this
young mans case. His brother has
been the socialist OF the family, and
all the way to the station he had been
cutting in to keep him out of the hands
of the police. He and his wife run the
Montana rooming house, he is young
man of excellent character, and the
last thing he ever thought of was be.
ing arrested for leading a mob. The
comrades are taken care Of his case
also, and he took continuance to
Thursday likewise.
But it was Monday evening that
gave demonstration more remarkable
even than the one of Saturday night
when 10000 cheering people lined the
streets and followed us to and from
the police station. We had planned
to hold another street meeting, and
eight o'clock was the hour named.
Long before that time some of the
comrades came TO my room and said
the street was massed with people.
When i arrived it was with the utmost
difficulty that my box could be placed
ana l mounted upon ii. Such sea of
faces l never looked into. The street
was packed solid for two blocks from
wall to wall. This mass of humanity
had come TO see if would be arrested
again, as the evening papers had spread
the news Of the outrages at court in
the afternoon. Twenty policemen were
present. among them the chief; but
they looked at the crowd and gave IL
up. They told Comrade Liehty to go
ahead. No less than 10000 people
were massed together there. Tuesday
evening the sensational feature had
worn off. We had won the fight. There
was large crowd present, about 800.
We had good meeting and sold all
our literature.
Thursday afternoon we came to trial
before Judge Hyde. Mr.. Kirby had
spoken to him previously about the
protection of my person, and received
the reply that no one had right to
touch me. The court room was packed
to every inch of standing room. Po.
licemen were stationed all over the
room as though they were to deal with
a convoy of Russian criminals Mr.
Pence, a socialist lawyer, was asso
eiated with Mr.. Kirby in charge of the
case. Mr.. Richardson being still out
of town.
The prosecution called five witnesses
two of them being policemen, and all
testified simply that there was a big
crowd and they thought the street was
blocked. We called fifteen witnesses
men and women, and had more to cal
if they were needed Our people proved
conelusively that the sidewalke wa,
never blocked so people could not pass
that teams were continuously passing
on the other side, that as soon as tn,
policeman told me / must clear tn,
sidewalk, that / spoke to the peopl,
and they came forward at once. Tn,
prosecution was so rotten that i
looked positively foolish. 1t did on,
good to see my witnesses come up
people 1 never saw before, and testify
to the utter untruthfulness of the bur
ly, overfed officers charges.
II seemed to create quite little in
terest as / took the stan and stated
that | would not swear but affirm. Tn,
ridiculous use of the word God, by
people who never use IL except in pro
family as to cover a lie ought to suf
flee to make all socialists discard il il
court. The prosecuting attorney aske,
me about this, but ! appealed to tn,
judge that such was my privilege, an,
was sustained. The reporters after
wards asked me about this.
AT the close of the testimony tn
judge said he would like to hear argu
ment ON the matter and the decision
was postponed till Wednesday, the Is
After my case that Of Thompson wa
called. Three big brutal policemei
swore to lies abost him and the judg
fned him $50 and costs. We took Al
appeal, and win try the case before
inv