protest when the time came, and it came when I was
sentenced to jail for contempt of court, because I
insisted on asking what kind of business these dive-keepers
were carrying on, which the judge wanted to keep out
of the witnesses mouths. Dr. McFarland arose and
said: “I suppose you want to fine me judge.
I say this is an infernal outrage,” repeating
it the second time. Judge Magaw said: “Yes
I will fine you twenty-five dollars.” “You
may make it a hundred.” “Well, I will
make it a hundred,” said Judge Magaw. I
was taken to jail. Dr. McFarland was not, but
walked out and said it was worth a hundred dollars
to tell them what he thought of such travesty on justice.
Dr. McFarland had plenty of friends who offered to
pay the amount but I believe he paid it himself.
Then he began some investigation of the corruption
at the police station. He preached a sermon telling
of this. It was published. I was in jail
next door to the room in which the mayor, Parker, and
the police gathered to discuss a suit for slander
against Dr. McFarland, but it was only a bluff.
Before this all night long there was loud talking and
swearing in the room under mine as if around a card
table. After Dr. McFarland’s sermon I heard
no more of it. There were several of these poor
degraded girls in jail. I knew of actions and
words that were not decent between the officers and
these girls. This exposure of Dr. McFarland’s
was very salutary. Before that, officers would
come into my room without knocking and address me
in a rough manner. After this they knocked at
the door and were respectful and even kind. The
Reverend Doctor did a great work by that sermon which
was to the point and effective.
I went to Bangor, Maine, to lecture once. Stopped
at the Bangor House, run by one Chapman. Roosevelt
had stopped there just two weeks before. I heard
this hotel had one of those traps, called “dives.”
When I went into the dining-room I asked a young lady
waiting on me, if she could get me a bottle of beer?
She said they kept it and that she would ask the head
waiter to get it for me. She spoke to him.
He left the dining-room and in a few minutes the man
Chapman came out of the winding way to his dive; the
proprietor rushed up to me in a drunken rage.
He threw me against one of the pillars, then literally
knocked me out into the hall in the presence of the
guests, perhaps a hundred; then he kept knocking me
down every time I rose to my feet. He would not
allow me to get my things. I was invited to go
home with a prohibitionist, Dr. Marshall. This
Chapman was a noted dive-keeper, a rummy, and ran
a representative rum-soaked republican hotel.
He was angry, because I dared to expose him, in his
sneaking way of drugging and robbing his guests.
It was marvelous what rages these law-breakers used
to have when I came around at first. It is not
so now. Their bands have been smashed and they
are not as bold; and more marvelous that I was not
seriously hurt.