our head Boston
police officers. They said to me: "We regret, Mr. Lawson, but we must
take your secretary, Mr. William L. Vinal, back to New York, as he has
been indicted for spreading false reports."

"Has any one else been indicted?" I asked.

"Oh, yes," they replied, "you and some of the _World_ people."

"Mr. Vinal has done nothing but obey my orders," I said. "Why don't you
take me?"

"We have no orders to," was the reply.

I saw the game and sent word to the Governor of Massachusetts, who
promptly told the combination: "Go slow, gentlemen. Remember you are not
in New York now, but in Massachusetts." He ordered a public trial.
Within two hours from the time they laid hands on my secretary I brought
suit in his name for false arrest against the officers who were trying
to arrest him, and grabbed the New York official before he could skip
out of town. Then I went to see the Lamson crowd and we had it out. They
begged that I allow Vinal to go to New York, just to vindicate them, in
which circumstances he would be allowed to return on the next train, and
the case would never be heard of again. If I would consent, they would
agree to a reorganization of the company and the dropping out of Lamson.
I showed them that they had gone too far, that I had damaging
information as to how they had secured the indictment, and that now they
must take the consequences.

I took the "midnight" for New York, and in the morning was at
District-Attorney Fellows's office. I dared him to arrest me or the
officers of the _World_. He replied: "I don't want you, Lawson. I cannot
and won't help you advertise your fight." It proving impossible to get
up any excitement in New York, I returned to Boston, and the extradition
proceedings furnished a most sensational trial. The cause was bitterly
fought. The lawyers even came to blows in the governor's chamber.
Finally, when Governor Brackett had all the facts before him, he said:
"You cannot work your dirty tricks on me," and he entered a vigorous
refusal of the application for Mr. Vinal's extradition. This case
established precedents for all such proceedings since.

The fight won, pressure was brought to bear on me to let up on the
Lamson outfit and call off further proceedings. For some time I
persistently refused to do so, as I was determined to contest the
constitutionality of the law. Finally, however, on condition that Lamson
should be thrown out, the management of the company reorgan