I went down to the police-station to offer bail for the latter: Chief-Constable Howard accepted bail for Messrs.
Burleigh and Winks, but refused it for Mr.Knight.The next day, at the police-court, the preposterous bail of L400 was demanded for Mr.
Knight and supplied by my faithful band, and on the next hearing Mr.
Poland, solicitor to the Treasury, withdrew the charge against him for lack of evidence! Then came the closing of Trafalgar Square, and the unexpected and high-handed order that cost some men their lives, many their liberty, and hundreds the most serious injuries.

The Metropolitan Radical Federation had called a meeting for November 13th to protest against the imprisonment of Mr.O'Brien, and as Mr.Matthews, from his place in the House, had stated that there was no intention of interfering with _bona fide_ political meetings, the Radical clubs did not expect police interference.

On November 9th Sir Charles Warren had issued an order forbidding all meetings in the Square, but the clubs trusted the promise of the Home Secretary.

On Saturday evening only, November 12th, when all arrangements were completed, did he issue a peremptory order, forbidding processions within a certain area.

With this trap suddenly sprung upon them, the delegates from the clubs, the Fabian Society, the Social Democratic Federation, and the Socialist League, met on that same Saturday evening to see to any details that had been possibly left unsettled.