East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1918-04-25
BAD FEELING
ROUSED BY
RUSSELLIIES
vreewater Crowd Almost
Mobbed Clifford Metz
Yesterday, is Now in Jaii.
CIRCULARS SPREAD
THROUGH THE MAIL
Pendleton Residents Are
Given Copies Of King
ra dom News A

Clifford AaRtn Weston farmer and
rnssellite who narrowly escaped mob
violence yesterday afternoon at Mil
ton ana fsreewatsr Tor circulating cir
calars IN defense Of THE Finished
Mystery is. stslI being held in the
county jail Today pending Instructions
from the u s. distriet attorney Dis
trict Attorney Keator fears TO release
him lest the feeling aroused against
him crystallize again into action
This feeling was intensified locally
this morning when 1t was found that
during the night the mails had been
flooded with copilcs of the Kingdom
News the same as Nets had been
circulating in Milton and Freewater.
Almost every person in the city re-
ccived through the mail this morning
one OF the circulars They had been
mailed in the local office last even
ing. those responsible presumably TAX
ing his means of defeating the re-
cent censorship ordinance passed by
the council.
Crowd Had Ropes.
Metz. according 10 his story and
that of his father. A. T. Metz who is
lere today trying TO secure the re-
lease OF his son, had gone to Milton
on business and had eaten dinner
with members of .-the faith" in thai
city and had been asked to assist in
distributing the circulars.
After the two. towns had been pret-
~ weil covered, and the public be-
came aware OF what was going ON,
popular indignation became intense
and the fire bell was sounded and the
Home Guard called out eHithin a
short time two dozen automobiles
were chasing about the towns hunt
Ing for the distributors Metz was
found at the depot just as he was
leaving by train for Weston. He was
seized BY the crowd. ropes made their
Appearance and. the crowd Of 500 or
more being in an ugly mood. vio-
lcnce would undoubtedly have been
done 10 him had not the officers and
some cf the cooler heads INTERVIEWED.
Metz was hustled into an automo-
bile and accompanied by d. c. San
derson and a number Of other citi-
zcns. was brought to PendIeton and
turned over TO District Attorney Kea-
tor. Epnn learning Of the nature Of
the offeRse. the dissriet attorney
turned him over to the sheriff and
took the. matter mp with the federal
authorities in Portland.
The KingdoRl News" which title
she circular carries. is defense OF
THE Finished Mystery. recently
suppressed by the United States and
canadin governments as having a
flavor of German propaganda II
charges that the clergy is responsible
FOR the suppression Of the book and
contains a blank petition to the pres
ident to lift the ban. Apparently
there has been a concerted move on
The part of the international Bible
Students Association TO flcod the
country with these circulars ,simul-
taneously.
promise not to circulate amy more
such propaganda inflamed the east
end crowd.
The father Of Metz, A. t. Metz. Is
his son, who is 46, have lived about
his on. who is IS, have lived about
Weston for a long time. The father
is follower of the late Pastor Rus
sell and defends his son though de-
claring that both are Royal Americans.
They are opposed TO any and all war
and profess to believe that the end
OF the world is at hand. The arrest
OF his son and the threat of mob vio-
lence he accepts. he says as. test
OF their faith and intimates that they
are willing TO endure any persecution.
father than be curbed in the express
sion OF their religions beliefs. He Is
trying 10 secure the release OF his
son on the grounds that labor is
scarce and his farm on Weston noun
tain needs Immediate attention
This morning he asked that
meeting OF the loyalty committee OF
the umatilla County Patriotic Service
League he called to hear his side Of
the controversy. II Was impossible TO
call such a meeting today but he was
told that a hearing would be grant
ed him tomorrow evening al a meet
ing which had already been called