The sun., 1919-02-24
POLICE FAIL TO
HALT RADICALS
Enright Rescinds, Order of
Deputy to Prevent Meeting
at DelmOnicO's.
LIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF
AlgernOn Lee Appeals When
Crowd of 200 Has to GrOpc
Before OratOry Begins.

Two hundred radicals gathered in
a meeting when suddenly. by order Of
the police the lights were extin-
guished ana they were told to clear
out. Then the order was rescinded
after an appeal to headquarters, and
the meeting was held.
Allan Ryan. a Deputy Commissioner,
gave the order to forbid the meeting.
1t was Commissioner Enright who re-
voked II.
Just before s o'clock when many fash
icnable diners were arriving at the Fifth
avenue restaurants there flowed through
the same doors stream Of unusual
humanity. many In the procession wear
ing brightly colored smoCks sandals.
flannel shirts. boards and bobbed hair.
Probably 200 such persons had reached
the mellow light of the interior OF the
! banquet room on the third floor when 1t
was suddenly thrown in darkness and a
head waiter appeared silhouetted in the
doorway. He announced that the meet
| ing was called off" But the Socialists
made no move to leave. They remained
and wondered-untl the word Police"
was whispered and then there was
rush for the door.
Capt. Dugan Appears.
There appeared. however. Capt Will
/ lam Dugan of the East Fifty-first street
police station who was in civilian dress
and who informed the assembly through
the darkness who he was.
| I'm sorry, folks, but you must leave
/ | have orders 10 clear the hall he
! said.
! Several patrolmen in uniform were in
! evidence. Gilbert L. Roe. an attorney,
who was TO speak entreated the people
! TO go quietly and behave as ladies and
! gentlemen" But first he asked Capt.
| Dugan II the socialists were being put
out by the order of the police or OF the
management of Delmonico's."
II got my orders from Deputy Com
missioner Allan Ryan, who told me to
clear the han; that's all | know Capt.
! Dugan explained,
Several voices widely scattered
throughout the darkness began firing
questions at him. Now don't put me on
} trial, people. I'm acting under orders"
| His appeal was successful, but the
darkness was punctured with many re-
marks such GIVE me Liberty, Or" (;
IF this is democracy give me back my
Russia 80 "Oh, take me to jail where
my mind will be free any way" and
many more of similar nature.
Slowly the people sagged toward tine
doorway, falling over chairs and cuIsing
Delmonico's, the police and the capital
lists.
Getting out ahead of the crowd the re-
porters found Deputy Commissioner
Ryan striding up and down the hall OF
tha-isseSs-SssaG lrant, He daclareis..S
he had nothing to say" except that the
men of the press were literary prosti-
tutes"
II was learned later that the De.
putty Commissioner had acted upon his
own initiative and authority for when
Alderman Algernon Lee notified Com
missioner Enright of what had happened
the Commissioner is said to have gwen
instructions for the meeting TO proceed
as soon as the police stenographers ar
rived.
A trckle of the audience that had
perslstently remained upon the stair
way throughout the negotiations. made
its way to the streets, where many ol
. their comrades" were waiting and ,O,
them to come in. The doors hac
previously been neld by the police and
Delmonico employees
Many Fail TO Reach Meeting.
There had been probably a thouSan,
waiting without and many had gon
home when phey were tjld by the polic
that the meeting had been ~'called off.
During the misunderstanding the po
| lice and Socialists were courteous to on
another, the Socialists taking the atti
tude that the police were working un
der orders" and the police adopting tn
attitude of gentle urging. Nightstck
| were not seen. The manager Of Del
| monicos. Fred Baurenfeind, said e
rented the dining room to the Libert,
| Conference and when I learned the ma
| ture OF the gathering I asked the polio
| to prevent any disorder"
| He SAID thai the police, acting unde
the orders OF Deputy COMMISSIONS
| Ryan. had stopped the meeting and tina
he had been instructed to hold the door
Continued on Second Page.