A Populist Orator, a Sidewalk, and a Penknife

TACOMA, Oct. 8.—Dolphus B. Hannah, one of the acknowledged leaders—if not the leader—of the People's Party in this state, and an ex-councilman in this city, was arrested this afternoon for obstructing the sidewalk. Patrolman Adam Wily, one of the oldest and coolest-headed men of the entire force, who made the arrest, says he did not do so until Hannah fully warranted it by personal abuse in addition to obstructing the sidewalk.

Hannah is gray-haired, and at the police station gave his age as 68 years, but still he resisted Officer Wily like a wildcat. This he did for a time, and finally walked along with the officer. Before he stopped resisting, however, Hannah thrust his right hand into his trousers pocket as if to secure some weapon. As he did so Wily caught his arm by the wrist and pulled it out of his pocket. At the station a two-and-a-half-inch penknife was found in his trousers pocket.

'Did you propose to use that knife?' a correspondent of the Post-Intelligencer asked Mr. Hannah.

'Oh, well,' he replied, with a bitter smile, 'I thought, maybe, if I could get hold of that knife, I might cut him [the officer] loose. I told him to let go, but he would not.'

Mr. Hannah is the third prominent People's Party man to be temporarily in charge of the Tacoma police force. At 2:30 p.m. today he was discussing politics at the northeast corner of Pacific Avenue and Twelfth Street. At the foot of Twelfth Street, a block away, is the police station. Mr. Hannah pitched his voice pretty high as he became more absorbed in his favorite topic. A crowd gathered. The outskirts of this crowd reached the outside of the sidewalk on the Pacific Avenue side and far out toward the middle of Twelfth Street.

At this juncture Officer Wily, whose judgment in making arrests has always been considered good, came along. His beat comprises the very heart of the city, and only the very 'finest' of the force are assigned to duty on that part of the avenue where the arrest was made. Officer Wily says:

'Mr. Hannah was talking in a loud voice and had completely obstructed the street with the crowd, which stood listening. I said: "Gentlemen, you are obstructing the sidewalk." I turned myself to Hannah and told him he must not obstruct the sidewalk. He defied me, and at once the fellow with whom he had been talking skipped. He said he would not move nor would he stop talking. If the crowd was in the way, he said, let it move on. I said the crowd would not disperse so long as he stood there talking. He said no man could make him stop talking. I said: "No, you'll never stop until you die." I guess that made him mad. He continued to defy me, and one of the crowd laughed and tried to make fun of me, as a crowd always does when a policeman is jumped on. Finally Hannah would not move, and after waiting until he had fully committed himself, I decided to arrest him. He resisted, and I had to pull him. I did not want to hurt him, and handled him very carefully. When he ran his hand into his pocket I caught him by the wrist.'

Here is Mr. Hannah's version of it:

'No man can make me stop talking or get off the sidewalk. I told the officer as much. Yes, I held back. I have no weapon, only a penknife. At the station they took everything away from me, even to my toothpick and cough drops, eyeglasses and private letters, watch and chain—everything. Then they let me go. I refused to give bail and wanted an immediate hearing. I'll ring the changes on that officer, I can tell you. He had no right to arrest me.'

While the officers were searching Mr. Hannah, Capt. Devereaux came in and caused Hannah to be released on his own recognizance. He was ordered to appear Monday for arraignment in police court. Capt. Devereaux is well acquainted with Mr. Hannah.

There is a great diversity of opinion as regards the course taken by Officer Wily. Some say he should have arrested Hannah before he did; others that no arrest should have been made. Lawyers say an officer could not arrest the whole crowd for obstructing the street, therefore the leaders or the cause of the gathering should be arrested. Just as soon as Mr. Hannah was released he talked freely and told of the searching process at the jail, and how he refused to accept bondsmen, Governor Teats and ex-Justice of the Peace H. C. Patrick having with others volunteered to furnish any desired bail bonds. Another crowd collected to hear what Mr. Hannah would say. J. I. Parker, one of the leading Populists, wanted Officer Wily arrested for releasing a prisoner without bonds. Some citizens sympathized with Mr. Hannah; some thought he had been treated properly.

'Do you expect to make votes by this procedure?' Mr. Hannah was asked.

'I dunno,' he replied, 'but I'll ring the changes on that officer all right.'

Mr. Hannah was booked at the police station as a financier.