Industrial relations -- Fiction; Strikes and lockouts -- Fiction
The night passed without further incident, and the next day, though it
may have shown favorable signs to practised eyes, seemed very much, to
the public, like the day which had preceded it. There were fewer shops
closed in the back streets; there were not so many parties of wandering
apostles of plunder going about to warn laborers away from their work.
But in the principal avenues and in the public squares there were the
same dense crowds of idlers, some listless and some excited, ready to
believe the wildest rumors and to applaud the craziest oratory.
Speakers were not lacking; besides the agitators of the town, several
had come in from neighboring places, and they were preaching, with
fervor and perspiration, from street corners and from barrel-heads in
the beer-houses, the dignity of manhood and the overthrow of tyrants.
Bott, who had quite distinguished himself during the last few days, was
not to be seen. He had passed the night in the station-house, and, on
brief examination before a police-justice at an early hour of the
morning, on complaint of Farnham and Temple, had been, together with
the man captured in Mrs. Belding's drawing-room, bound over to stand
his trial for house-breaking at the next term of court. He displayed
the most abject terror before his trial, and would have made a full
confession of the whole affair had Offitt not had the address to convey
to him the assurance that, if he stood firm, the Brotherhood of
Bread-winners would attend to his case and be responsible for his safety.
Relying upon this, he plucked up his spirits and bore himself with
characteristic impudence in the presence of the police-justice,
insisting upon being called Professor Bott, giving his profession as
inspirational orator, his religion the divinity of humanity. When bound
over for trial, he rose and gained a round of applause from the idlers
in the court-room by shouting, "I appeal from this outrage to the power
of the people and the judgment of history."
This was his last recorded oration; for we may as well say at once
that, a month later, he stood his trial without help from any
Brotherhood, and passed away from public life, though not entirely from
public employment, as he is now usefully and unobtrusively engaged in
making shoes in the State penitentiary--and is said "to take serious
views of life."
The cases of Sleeny and the men who were taken in the street by
Farnham's policemen were also disposed of summarily through his
intervention. He could not help liking the fair-bearded carpenter,
although he had been caught in such bad company, and so charged him
merely with riotous conduct in the public streets, for which the
penalty was a light fine and a few days' detention. Sleeny seemed
conscious of his clemency, but gave him no look or expression of
gratitude. He was too bitter at heart to feel gratitude, and too
awkward to feign it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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