The San Francisco call., 1909-03-07
ENTHUSIASM OF
REVIVALIST IS
LESS VIOLENT
Rev. NJ. B. Williams Becomes
Afflicted With a Bad Case
of Cold Feet
Gatling Gun Suggestion From
Chief of Police Is Not
Accepted
Good Excuse Found for Not
Holding Meeting as
Scheduled
Especial Dispatch 10 The Call

SANTA CRUZ, Cal, March 6.-Rev.
NJ B. Williams. the revivalist who
threatened the other night to send
Mayor Palmer and the city councilmen
TO states prison for sheltering i'm
moral saloons, was greatly subdued in
spirit tonight He told Mayor Palmer
and the councilmen this afternoon that
he never met nicer gentlemen or off,
Gals more devoted TO the enforcement
of the law, and that he considered
Santa Cruz a model community. This
afternoon, when a local committee of
clergymen called upon Chief of Po-
lice Armstrong and asked If Williams
would receive proper police protection
if he spoke at the armory tonight, the
chief said:
There is a Gatling gun in that or
mory. II you get it out on the side
walk and get the permission of the
governor to call out the naval reserves,
you may be able to protect Williams
from the angry people. If he appears
there tonight and assaiis the woman
hood of Santa Cruz In the manner he
has been doing, / will not undertake
to guarantee him protection with my
police. Gentlemen, do you wish to as
sumo this responsibilities
CASE OF "COLD FEET,
The committeeman replied that they
did not desire to assume the RESPONSE
bility and Williams. when he heard of
the Gatling gun suggestion, displayed
an equal lack of enthusiasm. In fact,
he suffered a bad case of cold feet"
xxvf.1 H..
roint that 1t would not be proper to
use the armory anyhow. since the doors
were not hung in conformity with the
fire ordinance, Williams appeared de-
lighted and said he would be willing to
forego speaking at the armory any
further. So no meeting was held there
tonight.
The crisis I'm the tense situation de-
veloped by Williams attack upon Santa
Cruz was reached last night. when, be-
fore great crowd, he called upon the
people of the city to boycott the Even
ing News which had attacked his
methods and demanded proof of his
assertions that young men are being
ruined and young girls debauched VIII
liams undertook to make this boycott
effective today, but the News came out
tonight with articles more severe in
character than those which had first
dispatch which it had received from
the editor OF the Aurora, ILL.,. Beacon.
stating that Williams had recently an
peared there and employed the same
methods used In Santa Cruz. denouncfne
officials and individuals right and left
and that one church after another had
withdrawn from his support, and the
newspapers had combined to refuse IN
accept advertising from him or notice
his meetings.
OPPOSITION IS GENERAL
Another development this afternoon
was quiet movement among the Off
Gals of one or more of the leading
congregations to Withdraw their sun
port from the Williams services in
which all the evangelical churches of
the city had Joined. The feeling
against him is intense, and is not. as
Williams has claimed, confined to the
saloon element, but permeates the en-
tire business community as well as the
home life of the city. There is a dis
position on the part of some of the
clergymen to shield Williams, mas
much as they are responsible for
bringing him here, but 1t is probable
that his engagement will be cut short
and that he will leave this city early
next week. He promised this after
noon to produce the proofs that young
men were being ruined and young
girls debauched, but when they We're
examined they were found to comprise
either cases which had already been
acted upon by the city officials or
cases which the clergymen present at
the conference were obliged to admit
did not present facts sufficient to war
rant official action