May 20, 1913 Evening Tribune

The San Diego Union-Tribune will mark its 150th anniversary in 2018 by presenting a significant front page from the archives each day throughout the year.

Tuesday, May 20, 1913

One year after being run out of the city by vigilantes at the climax of the free speech riots of 1912, anarchist leader Emma Goldman again attempted to visit San Diego. This time Goldman and her manager were arrested and deported by police who said they wanted to prevent a repetition of the previous violence. Not until June of 1915 did Goldman succeed in giving a lecture in San Diego.

Here are the first few paragraphs of the story:

EMMA GOLDMAN, BEN REITMAN AND WILLIAM GERKE ARE TAKEN OUT OF CITY BY THE POLICE

MOB SURROUNDS JAIL AS SOON AS NEWS OF ARREST IS LEARNED

ANARCHISTS PLEAD FOR POLICE GUARD

Train Leaving San Diego at 1:10 O’clock this Afternoon Carries Trio of Unwelcome Visitors North; Big Crowd Alarms Pair and No Opposition is Made to Plan of Department to Take Them Safely Away in Automobile — Attempt to Throw Citizens Off Track Fails; 1000 Persons Gather at Depot

Emma Goldman, Ben Reitman and William Gerke were taken out of the city to Los Angeles on the 1:10 train under guard from the police station, after Chief Wilson had passed the word that they were to be taken to Sorento and put aboard the 3 o’clock train there where a special stop would be made for them. This word was given out in the hope that it would have the effect of fooling the crowd and throwing it off the scent till the prisoners could be gotten out of the city. Many left the station, but about a thousand remained and these chased after the police autos to the train, but were distanced in the race, the prisoners being safely locked in the cars before the pursuers reached the depot.

In the chair car of the train just before it pulled out Mrs. Goldman declared to a reporter for The Evening Tribune:

“I will return to San Diego when San Diego has free speech. We will write what we have to say about San Diego in our own publications.”

Immediately afterwards before the police could prevent it an unidentified man pushed his way up alongside Reitman in the car and spit in his face. He was not arrested. Reitman said in effect that reverses made them all the more determined to return to San Diego at some future time and lecture.

The deportation was not a forcible one, so far as the three were concerned, as they all begged hard during the whole morning, since their arrest on leaving the Owl train, to be sent away. The deportation was decided upon by Chief of Police Wilson on the advice of District Attorney Utley, according to the chief.

When Emma Goldman and Dr. Ben Reitman left the owl train at the Santa Fe depot early this morning they were met by William Gerke, the woman’s advance agent, and all three were promptly arrested. Sergeant W.W. Johnston and Roundsman George Wilson placed Reitman and the woman under arrest, and Patrolman Threlkeld nabbed Gerke. The latter had been evading arrest since last night when Threlkeld attempted his arrest for disturbing the forbidden hand bills, but was prevented by the superior speed of Gerke.

The advance agent had secured rooms for the pair at the New Southern hotel, where it was their intention to register.

After the pair had been in jail for some time and had become somewhat familiar with the surroundings of this particular jail, they showered Jailer George Pringle with trivial and bothersome requests for various books and other reading matter. Later, when the crowd commenced to gather they seemed to take a less philosophical view of their situation, and the fear to which both are supposed to be strangers by their hypnotized followers, took complete possesion of them. Their only expressions then were of anxiety to escape from San Diego.

The city, in holiday attire in honor of the visit of the Knights of Pythias and teh Pythian Sisters, awakened to the fact that it was again menaced by the presence of the arch trouble breeders, and at once responded to the blowing of whistles and the continued tooting of auto horns in the vicinity of the police station, by thronging there in great numbers.

Last year when the pair were here for one afternoon and the early eveing, the city was decked with banners and colors in honor of the visiting Knights of Columbus, and again the visit of the Goldman woman and Dr. Reitman was cut short today by the stern refusal of the people to harbor them with the city limits.

View anniversary front pages online at sandiegouniontribune.com/150-years. For more from the Union-Tribune digital archives, go to newslibrary.com/sites/sdub. Searching is free, with registration. A fee is required to view full stories.