At the time, this was seen as shocking; no group of protesters had ever before picketed the White House. Many branded the effort militant, including the newspaper you are reading now. At one point The World-Herald published an interview with an Omahan sharply criticizing the tactics of the National Woman’s Party. That Omaha critic: Doris Stevens’ own mother.

At first Wilson treated the protesters with a sort of forced politeness, doffing his hat when he passed and even allegedly inviting them into the White House for tea. (The protesters reportedly declined.)

But by the summer of 1917 — a century ago this year — the pressure mounted, and the D.C. police began to arrest the women for obstructing traffic and other minor and often imaginary offenses. The police anger culminated in The Night of Terror, a mass arrest in which protesters were jailed, several were beaten by prison guards and one suffered a heart attack.

Doris, who was one of the women arrested, telegrammed The World-Herald after getting out, leading to this memorable headline: “ ‘Stupid’ Says Omaha Suff Of Picket Arrests.”