Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-04-03
COLLEGIANS RUSH
PEACE MEETING
Baltimore Bankers and Profess
sors Lead Raid on Gathering
Addressed by Jordan.
LEADING MEN BATTERED UP

~SSNs@.~
Baltimore, April 2.-After an en-
thusiastic patriotic demonstration,
several thousand persons stormed the
Academy of Music tonight, swept a
Gordon of police aside anG routed a
big pacihst meeting, stopping DR..
David Starr Jordan in the middle OF a
word and refusing to allow the speak
ing to continue.
Police reserves from all over the
city were called and broke up the
crowd with their clubs. Douglas G,
ODER was beaten so badly that he had
to be taken to hospital. Carter G..
Osbourn, ir.; Allison Muir, William
Upton, Leonard Ober and Louis
Merryman, Cockeys,ille, Nd, were
arrested.
Just as DR.. Jordan was beginning
his plea for peace the crowd OF anti
pacifists, composed OF bushes. men,
professors of schools and colleges in
the city, and students, made sally
through the police lines, rushed down
the aisle of the theater to the stage
i'd demanded that the meeting cease.
Leading Men Attend.
In the front ranks were Prof. Rob-
ert w. Wood of Johns Hopkins uni
versity, Prof. John H. Latane Of
Johns Hopkins, Douglas ODER and
Gustavus ODER, jr.; DR.. J. H. Mason
Knox, Jacob France, jr.; Bartlett S.
Johnston, r. Lancaster Williams,
Major Adams, J. c. Crawfor Frost,
and other business men and members
of the faculties of Johns Hopkins,
University of Maryland, City college,
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and
Mount St. Joseph's college.
Three patrolmen seized the man
who had been leading the crowd car
rying a large United States flag. With
one officer holding each arm the third
played a tattoo on his head, continu-
ing even after he had been carried
down. In other groups the same
scene was being repeated and in two
minutes the street was cleared, leav-
ing the police in possession Of the
field.
Temper Of Crowd Warns.
Onward Christian Soldiers" was
sung prior to the advance on the
meeting and Jacob France, jr., mount
ed the edge of the city college wall
and recited a patriotic poem. The
temper of the crowd became danger
GUS, but the peaceful element was still
iii the ascendency.
At this juncture some one speaking
of the purpose of the meeting inside
asked if those around him would fol-
low the flag on the post into the hall
and put an end to the meeting.
The crowd roared assent and off
they started.
They reached the doors of the acad-
envy, which open outward, and found
them closed, with ten patrolmen in
front of them. The northern door
was forced Immediately, the two po-
licemen in front of it being tossed
aside. But help came from inside and
the door was pushed shut after only
handful had entered.
Meanwhile the main action was
around the center door. The few
members of the crowd who had en-
tered at the side door under the lead
ership Of Louis Merryman were
seized by the police inside and taken
to the middle door, where they were
pushed down the steps. Trouble was
brewing at the bottom of these steps.
Nearly 1000 men were bowling,
kissing and shaking their fists at the
police, who stood at the top of the
steps, determined not to allow an en-
trance to be forced. A few tentative
rushes were made, but there was no
concerted action behind them and the
police succeeded in repulsing them.
Don't Touch the Flag"
Apparently the police were firmly
entrenched against all assaults and
probably would have held firm
against the attackers had it not been
for a dramatic incident in which the
sight of the United States flag be-
ing seized, swept the crowd forward
in an impetuous rush, which over
came all obstacles. Osbourn had the
flag at the head Of the crowd at the
bottom Of the steps. He was pushed
half way up, just within reach Of a
police captain, who committed the
tactical error of Selling the emblem
in an effort to wrest it from its
bearer. His first attempt failed.
Don't you touch the fagr
The warning was repeated from
hundreds Of threats and the crowd
surged forward. The captain per-
sisted, failing to recognize the note
of menace in the crowds rapidly aug
menting shouts. AS the policeman
wrestled with Osbourn, he almost
wrested the flag from him, so that it
dipped out of sight of the crowd.
That was enough. The crowd swept